English subtitles for clip: File:Wikipedia ridotto.ogv
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1 00:00:07,686 --> 00:00:11,934 Wikipedia was born in 2001. The goal was to create 2 00:00:11,973 --> 00:00:15,443 the biggest open-content encyclopedia in history. 3 00:00:15,710 --> 00:00:19,598 Wikipedia is written by many volunteer contributors. 4 00:00:19,751 --> 00:00:22,465 Everyone can contribute. Let's see how. 5 00:00:23,854 --> 00:00:27,300 Almost every article on Wikipedia has a tab on the top 6 00:00:27,335 --> 00:00:30,492 saying "edit" ("modifica"). It allows you to do 7 00:00:30,536 --> 00:00:34,428 exactly what it says: to edit the page that you are reading. 8 00:00:35,043 --> 00:00:39,465 Wikipedia doesn't have an editorial staff. Every reader 9 00:00:39,540 --> 00:00:42,990 can access the content of all the pages of the encyclopedia 10 00:00:43,019 --> 00:00:45,932 and edit them, even without creating an account. 11 00:00:46,151 --> 00:00:49,719 The text formatting involves some special code, 12 00:00:49,728 --> 00:00:53,638 but it's a rather simple language, easy to learn. 13 00:00:53,989 --> 00:00:57,078 By saving your edits, you agree to release 14 00:00:57,112 --> 00:00:59,573 your contribution under a free license. 15 00:00:59,652 --> 00:01:03,546 Everyone will be free to read, use and modify the text, 16 00:01:03,561 --> 00:01:07,693 even for commercial purpose, as long as they credit the article's authors 17 00:01:07,721 --> 00:01:11,200 and release any derivative works under the same license. 18 00:01:11,561 --> 00:01:16,019 It's also important to remember that every user, even if not registered, 19 00:01:16,073 --> 00:01:19,998 is solely responsible for his or her contributions. 20 00:01:20,542 --> 00:01:24,743 Once saved, the change is immediately visible to everyone! 21 00:01:25,715 --> 00:01:29,795 Wikipedia is not a random collection of information, 22 00:01:29,820 --> 00:01:34,142 but an encyclopedia. It is a systematic collection of the human knowledge. 23 00:01:34,361 --> 00:01:36,797 Some kinds of contributions, like 24 00:01:36,816 --> 00:01:40,559 simple definitions and original research, are not allowed. 25 00:01:41,748 --> 00:01:44,853 Every page has its own history, that shows 26 00:01:44,878 --> 00:01:48,311 all the versions of the page since its creation. 27 00:01:48,562 --> 00:01:51,551 In addition to the time, the date, and the summary of each modification, 28 00:01:51,566 --> 00:01:54,416 the software also records who did it. 29 00:01:54,638 --> 00:01:57,534 If the contributor does not use an account, the IP address 30 00:01:57,541 --> 00:02:00,116 of his or her computer network is also included in the page history. 31 00:02:00,679 --> 00:02:03,639 The history allows any reader to compare 32 00:02:03,679 --> 00:02:06,777 any two different versions, highlighting the differences between them. 33 00:02:07,467 --> 00:02:11,381 Every change on Wikipedia is recorded; so when you start out, 34 00:02:11,397 --> 00:02:14,586 it's best to use the test page, called the "sandbox", 35 00:02:14,610 --> 00:02:16,755 which can be modified freely. 36 00:02:16,803 --> 00:02:20,736 Registered users can also create 37 00:02:20,801 --> 00:02:24,334 personal sandbox pages under their user page. 38 00:02:24,924 --> 00:02:28,020 To create a new page, just create a link to your chosen page title, 39 00:02:28,109 --> 00:02:30,844 or click on an existing "red link." 40 00:02:30,929 --> 00:02:33,148 It's best to check first 41 00:02:33,209 --> 00:02:35,461 whether the page already exists. 42 00:02:36,025 --> 00:02:38,838 In order to ensure productive collaboration, 43 00:02:38,841 --> 00:02:42,074 the community has developed some guidelines that all contributors 44 00:02:42,114 --> 00:02:44,811 are invited to follow and to enforce. 45 00:02:45,253 --> 00:02:47,615 One of the main guidelines on Wikipedia 46 00:02:47,687 --> 00:02:50,075 concerns how an article's content is organized. 47 00:02:50,147 --> 00:02:53,071 Let's look at the general structure of an article. 48 00:02:53,977 --> 00:02:58,354 The "lead section" should summarize the main topics of the article 49 00:02:58,370 --> 00:03:00,824 with concise and simple language. 50 00:03:00,989 --> 00:03:03,828 The article is developed in sections; 51 00:03:03,879 --> 00:03:06,856 a table of contents is generated automatically. 52 00:03:07,138 --> 00:03:10,739 On Wikipedia, you can include photos, diagrams, 53 00:03:10,759 --> 00:03:14,142 or videos, but it's essential that you verify 54 00:03:14,188 --> 00:03:17,207 that the material you want to upload is freely usable; 55 00:03:17,221 --> 00:03:19,994 that is, released under a free license! 56 00:03:20,434 --> 00:03:23,597 All the informaton that an article contains must be 57 00:03:23,604 --> 00:03:26,765 reliable and verifiable, so it's necessary 58 00:03:26,805 --> 00:03:29,158 always to cite the external sources; 59 00:03:29,167 --> 00:03:32,283 these sources must be widely recognized for their accuracy. 60 00:03:32,497 --> 00:03:35,339 At the end of each article, after the text, 61 00:03:35,353 --> 00:03:37,648 there are some "technical" sections, 62 00:03:37,665 --> 00:03:40,095 that provide further resources relating to the topic. 63 00:03:40,302 --> 00:03:43,422 In some specific topic areas, there are conventions 64 00:03:43,405 --> 00:03:47,109 and specific guidelines for writing an article. 65 00:03:48,500 --> 00:03:50,930 An imperative principle of Wikipedia 66 00:03:50,964 --> 00:03:53,335 is the neutral point of view. 67 00:03:53,361 --> 00:03:55,981 Articles must not contain personal opinions and judgements, 68 00:03:56,011 --> 00:03:59,739 but have to explain all the main points of view 69 00:03:59,754 --> 00:04:03,297 in a neutral and balanced way, without prejudice. 70 00:04:04,289 --> 00:04:08,548 Every Wikipedia article has its own discussion page, 71 00:04:08,627 --> 00:04:11,086 where writers and editors can discuss and develop 72 00:04:11,114 --> 00:04:14,184 an article that reflects diverse points of view. 73 00:04:14,395 --> 00:04:17,464 Unlike the article page, individual contributors 74 00:04:17,493 --> 00:04:20,784 sign their comments here. But remember that the discussion 75 00:04:20,823 --> 00:04:24,667 must support the improvement of the article, and is not a place for extended arguments. 76 00:04:25,117 --> 00:04:27,117 When contributors need 77 00:04:27,147 --> 00:04:29,753 to address many people at the same time, 78 00:04:29,823 --> 00:04:33,631 to discuss a general problem, or a topic that concerns several articles, 79 00:04:33,655 --> 00:04:37,510 they can use the "Village Pump" ("Bar") or the appropriate topical project's pages. 80 00:04:37,995 --> 00:04:41,242 Every registered user has their own personal page, 81 00:04:41,273 --> 00:04:44,115 where he or she can share some information about themselves. 82 00:04:44,226 --> 00:04:47,802 This page too has a corresponding discussion page, 83 00:04:47,827 --> 00:04:51,693 which is used like a personal mailbox. 84 00:04:51,983 --> 00:04:55,753 You may want to seek out an expert user for technical help; 85 00:04:55,815 --> 00:04:58,338 for example, at the "Help desk" ("Sportello Informazioni"). 86 00:04:58,353 --> 00:05:02,030 You can ask the Oracle ("l'Oracolo") about the content. 87 00:05:02,924 --> 00:05:06,262 In case of vandalism or overly aggressive behavior, 88 00:05:06,294 --> 00:05:09,319 some registered users, called "administrators," 89 00:05:09,386 --> 00:05:12,083 can intervene and perform certain tasks, 90 00:05:12,109 --> 00:05:15,486 such as blocking a user, or deleting or protecting a page from editing. 91 00:05:15,664 --> 00:05:18,384 The administrators are volunteers who have gained 92 00:05:18,384 --> 00:05:22,048 the trust of the community and have been appointed by an election. 93 00:05:22,218 --> 00:05:25,355 They excute critical technical operations and enforce 94 00:05:25,357 --> 00:05:27,646 the project's policies and guidelines, 95 00:05:27,664 --> 00:05:30,453 but they are not ultimately responsible for Wikipedia. 96 00:05:31,311 --> 00:05:34,532 Wikipedia is operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, 97 00:05:34,542 --> 00:05:37,960 a non-profit foundation based in San Francisco, 98 00:05:37,958 --> 00:05:41,090 which provides the resources for developing the project. 99 00:05:41,281 --> 00:05:44,554 The foundation, created in 2003, relies on 100 00:05:44,559 --> 00:05:47,233 donations from public and private entities, 101 00:05:47,235 --> 00:05:51,571 and especially from many, many small donations from individuals. 102 00:05:51,853 --> 00:05:54,959 In order to remain absolutely independent and to involve 103 00:05:54,991 --> 00:05:59,277 many volunteer editors, Wikipedia does not display advertisements. 104 00:05:59,979 --> 00:06:04,125 Also, a number of organizations around the world 105 00:06:04,181 --> 00:06:07,761 promote Wikipedia and its sister projects in specific countries or regions. 106 00:06:08,105 --> 00:06:11,624 In Italy, Wikimedia Italia was founded in 2005. 107 00:06:11,671 --> 00:06:15,961 Alongside Wikimedia Foundation projects, Wikimedia Italia promotes other initiatives 108 00:06:15,973 --> 00:06:19,662 related to the diffusion of free culture and free knowledge. 109 00:06:19,898 --> 00:06:23,992 Press, firms and schools can contact Wikimedia Italia 110 00:06:24,029 --> 00:06:28,130 in order to have more information in Italian about Wikipedia. 111 00:06:28,981 --> 00:06:31,905 Many volunteers collect, sort, and organize 112 00:06:31,913 --> 00:06:35,649 the shared knowledge of our time 113 00:06:35,701 --> 00:06:39,149 to make it freely available. What about you? 114 00:06:39,352 --> 00:06:42,605 Be bold! Wikipedia is open to everybody!