It's hard to believe but it's true. Wikipedia, the now ubiquitous research engine/online Encyclopedia has only been with us seven short years. How did we ever get along without it?  

The principle of "wiki", as defined in brilliant stroke of meta, by Wikipedia is "a software that allows users to create, edit, and linkweb pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. Ward Cunningham, developer of the first wiki, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work". Talk about an innovation!

As of December 2007, there were more than 9 million Wikipedia entries in many languages and more than 2 million in English. Because all of the entries on Wikipedia are open and editable by anyone, Wikipedia has become a first source for many who are doing research, but it should never be an only source. There have been some flagrant misuses of Wikipedia, but by and large, it is considered a good source of information.

Thought Wikipedia is a non-profit organization, it represents what is best about innovation. It is a new way to capture information, a vital part of the online community, and a seemingly permanent fixture in the world of Internet.  

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