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When does Wikipedia matter the most?

For me, it was the moment earlier this year when bombings hit Mumbai, where I live. At the moment the crisis struck, straightforward information was hard to come by.

So I went out to take photos and uploaded a map I pasted together, making sure the Wikipedia article on the incident would help people make sense of the chaos.

Whether it’s at intense moments of crisis or random moments of curiosity, Wikipedia always enables us to share the world. With 470 million different visitors every month, it has revolutionized the way we consume and spread information. And it does it all for free -- with zero ads, under 1,000 servers and fewer than 100 staff.

That’s amazing. Just look at Google or Facebook. They have hundreds of thousands of servers and tens of thousands of staff.

It’s no wonder Wikipedia is the 5th most popular and most visited site online. And it’s also no wonder why they need support every year from people like me and you.

Will you pitch in $5, $20, $50 or whatever you think Wikipedia is worth to you?

Thanks,

Karthik Nadar

Wikipedia Author