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I honestly think this new "about this result" feature is not a big deal (I can be wrong) but with anything new with Google Search, SEOs tend to obsess about it. So now SEOs are concerned about the information within that feature. Specifically, why is most (all) of it coming from Wikipedia and when Wikipedia does not have information, it just shows when Google first indexed it.

First, let's show the two basic kind of information you see today for a normal snippet. Not the local or other types of snippets, like answers you get in search.

Here is this site, which does not have a Wikipedia entry (click to enlarge):

Here is the WSJ, which does have a Wikipedia entry (click to enlarge):

So then you have this debate about it is Wikipedia or Google's first crawl date, why not show data that the site owner can give Google. Why do we have to be subjugated by either Wikipedia or Google for the information about the site we own? Right, it is not fair!

Danny Sullivan from Google said no, "it's not gatekeeping," he said. "We show additional information about the source of a result as an *option* people can choose to view *if they want*. Wikipedia is one source; what we know of a domain is another. As a beta launch, we'll be looking to further improve going forward," Danny added.

But the conversation gets entertaining; is it or is it not gatekeeping?

SEOs need to jump into new things and react when we shouldn't?

It is new and in BETA so relax:

Thing is, the old Danny Sullivan would have pointed out these concerns on Search Engine Land. It is this type of feedback where Google can potentially listen to the feedback and adjust the solution going forward.

Personally, I don't think this feature will last. I don't see searchers, the normal searcher, using it. That is why this does not bother me too much. But I can be wrong. I do think Google can give site owners a way, like they do with knowledge panels in general, to claim them and potentially suggest edits. Of course, I understand why Google does not want to let SEOs control what that says. I can see SEOs trying to inject fun marketing messages and who knows what.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

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Wikipedia Gatekeeping The About This Result Google Feature? - Search Engine Roundtable

Katherine Maher, the Wikimedia Foundation's CEO, will step down as of April 15, she tells Axios, leaving the nonprofit in a vastly stronger position than she found it when she joined in 2014.

Why it matters: Wikipedia is growing to become the most global and trusted source of knowledge in the world. Its base of active editors is rising, its number of women editors has increased by 30% just in the past year, and it has upgraded not only its website but also its app, which is now available for feature phones as well as smart phones.

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Financially, the Wikimedia Foundation now has an endowment of more than $90 million, and has doubled its annual budget to an estimated $140 million in 2021.

It's hard to think of any other tech nonprofit that has been remotely as successful. OpenAI effectively became a for-profit in 2019, while Signal is still reliant on a single donor, Brian Acton.

Between the lines: One area that Wikimedia has been particularly successful is in garnering trust. That's also an area the news media could use some pointers.

Driving the trust: Maher is proud of her new Universal Code of Conduct, but also credits the diversity of Wikipedia's editors as a key ingredient creating trust in its content.

"Disagreement is the essential friction that produces our best content," she says.

A prime example: The magisterial 14,000-word article (plus 492 footnotes and a very detailed discussion) detailing the storming of the U.S. Capitol last month.

What's next: The Wikimedia Foundation board has created a committee to search for Maher's successor. Maher tells Axios that she hopes the next leader will "come from the future of knowledge" by which she means Africa, the Indian subcontinent, or Latin America.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the Wikimedia Foundation has an endowment of more than $90 million.

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Exclusive: End of the Maher era at Wikipedia - Yahoo News

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia created by a community of volunteers. Wikipedia is among the worlds top 15 websites with around 1.7 billion visitors per month. Wikipedia has been in talks for quite some time now in terms for having misleading and false information. An action has finally been taken regarding this by the nonprofit Wikipedias parent company called The Wikimedia Foundation. They have set a new universal code of conduct that has set rules according to the community guide lines. This code of conduct will acknowledge the fact of negative behavior that is there on the site. The company recently announced that it was their duty to take hands with this responsibility and make the site comfortable for use with more than 50 percent of the population now having access to the internet globally.

This is the companys aim towards creating a safe and reliable information source. Wikimedias new policy is making sure to destroy any manipulated content on Wikipedia which is the worlds largest online encyclopedia.

Katherine Maher, the chief executive of the foundation said that this universal code of conduct is made to provide a safe, positive and healthy environment for the users of this new Internet era. The code includes a 1600 words binding document that is to be read by anyone who wishes to participate in the projects preventing any thing that can come in harassment, profanity and attempts to publish false and manipulated texts. This universal code of conduct is put together by 1500 Wikipedia volunteers from 19 different Wikipedia projects. The volunteers represented five continents and thirty languages. It includes rules related to harassment and other non-tolerable behavior in clear and simple words. The code is aimed towards preventing anything that can be demeaning towards others whether it is in terms of abuse of language or by false information or things that can promote violence.

The code of conduct was released after 15th January when Wikipedia celebrated its 20th anniversary. This move comes after the much news that was made on the internet in terms of manipulated controls of information and things that can promote violence or abuse regarding others. This was being used by political parties for their advantages to spread misinformation against their rivals. The code is made by keeping every communitys ethnical guidelines on hand.

Read next:Verified Accounts On Twitter Have Interacted With A Record-High Number Of Misinformed Articles Online

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Wikipedia's parent company releases a new universal code of conduct related to abuse, profanity and misinformation of things on the site - Digital...

Gary Whetton lifts the Bledisloe Cup in 1991.Credit:AP

Theres bits of truth, says Whetton of his Wikipedia page. The best thing is its almost believable, so youre not too sure. My mates started changing my Wikipedia for fun because they had nothing to do. Its pretty ridiculous but I think its quite funny.

Whetton was born in Auckland and his father Gary chalked up 58 Tests for the All Blacks, captaining the side on 15 occasions. His dads twin, Alan, also played 35 Tests in the famous black jersey but rugby wasnt Whettons first calling.

Dad didnt play rugby until he was about 15, he always played soccer, Whetton says. He tried to get us to play soccer and I hated it. There was never any pressure. When I was 15 and said I wanted to give rugby a good crack, then he switched on to be more hands-on. He was a lock and is my height.

Wikipedia is correct in saying Whetton could qualify for the Wallabies or All Blacks take note Dave Rennie but Germany through birth?

Thats not true. Thats complete rubbish, Whetton says with a laugh. Id love to go though.

At 21, Whetton moved to Australia to take up a deal with the Brumbies, but according to Wikipedia, the Auckland Blues also wanted his services.

In a controversial move, he turned down their offer and instead signed for the Brumbies in October 2012, the page reads.

Whetton sets the record straight.

Id already signed with the Brumbies before they came to me, Whetton says. Steve Larkham and Laurie Fisher offered me a full contract. I played half-a-dozen games for the Brums all off the bench.

Seeking greater opportunity, Whetton found a temporary home in Leicester, where he met Thorn, with a World Cup to his name and one of the most decorated CVs in world rugby, and Geoff Parling, the former England second-rower now doubling as a Melbourne Rebels and Wallabies assistant.

According to Wikipedia, there was only so much he could learn from Thorn and Parling, hence why Whetton left for France.

Whetton during his Brumbies days. Credit:Jeffrey Chan

Whetton bursts out laughing.

I havent seen Brad since that season, so itll be good to catch up with him here in Narrabri, Whetton says. I was a 22-year-old kid who thought he knew the whole world. They just brought a whole new level of intensity, especially at training. Jeez they trained hard.

Then came a French adventure with second division team USO Nevers and neighbour Jean-Luc Emmanuel, the local tax accountant who found Whettons companionship the perfect tonic after going through his third divorce.

Ive got no idea who Jean-Luc is. No clue, Whetton chuckles.

Jack Whetton receives a lineout during Waratahs training in Narrabri ahead of their trial match against the Queensland Reds. Credit:Clay Cross/NSW Waratahs

Dad played in France when I was a baby though. Hes brought us up on the French culture.

Whetton confirms there were a few Yorkshire puddings consumed in the UK from 2016 to 2018 before coming back to New Zealand with Super Rugby firmly on his mind.

One quick fact check. While at Yorkshire, Whetton was a hit with fans due to his prolific try-scoring ability, scoring 39 tries in 39 games. At the same time, the fans grew quite frustrated as he also set a club record for dropping the ball over the try-line.

I only scored one or two tries, Whetton says. Theyve pumped up those.

New Waratahs signing Jack Whetton.Credit:NSW Waratahs

After a short stint in Mitre 10 Cup for Auckland, Whetton was picked up by the Highlanders, where he debuted in early 2019.

Last year, he was the Highlanders starting second-rower in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

It was pleasing, Whetton says. You get a few regular starts and you get used to it more and things come more naturally.

What about the yarn that he can bench press 200kg?

Jack Whetton is one of two Kiwi locks who crossed the Tasman to join the Waratahs.Credit:AP

That is true, Whetton says with a grin.

For context, roughly 13 professional rugby players have been known to join the 200kg bench press club. David Pocock was said to have maxed out at 185kg, while Brumbies back-rower Pete Samu can bench about 160kg. The most on record, according to a RugbyPass article, is Ospreys prop Gheorghe Gajion with 230kg.

I was stuck on 190 for ages and then in 2018 I hurt my ankle, Whetton says. I said to the trainer, lets get 200kg. We did heaps of upper body for four weeks. Testosterone flowing, music raging, and I pumped it out. I got the record for Auckland.

When I went for my first training at the Highlanders and we had testing on day one. I did 200kg again and they were like, this boy is a machine. I havent done 200kg since to be fair. Its crazy big. Just hold your breath and rip it.

How do Whettons Tahs teammates fare?

Pound for pound, [back-rower] Carlo Tizzano is a strong little bastard, Whetton says. He loves the pound for pound thing because hes so small.

Ironically, Waratahs coach Rob Penney didnt pick Whetton in his New Zealand under-20s side a few years back but clearly saw value in bringing him to NSW on a two-year deal.

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I didnt really want to travel too far from home given the whole COVID situation, Whetton says. Im excited to give it a crack. I knew they needed some older heads, so I thought it could be a good chance to get some minutes under my belt. I back my knowledge and around the dark arts.

I thought last years Super Rugby AU was fast, blokes ran hard. Sometimes it wasnt the most flash rugby, but it was abrasive.

A few more fact or fictions regarding the final line of the Wikipedia page need checking.

In his spare time, he enjoys relaxing at the beach or eating a chicken wrap at Henriettas in Surry Hills. Many people are tipping him to be vice-captain of the side in 2021.

I do like Clovelly and Bronte, Whetton says. And yes, I have been to Henriettas and I had a nice chicken wrap. I said its quite good and now its on my Wikipedia page. But Im not in the leadership group Im just trying to get in the No.5 jersey for the Waratahs.

Dont believe everything you read.

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Tom Decent is a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald

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Wikipedia fact or fiction with the Waratahs recruit who can bench press 200kg - Sydney Morning Herald

While people tend to contribute more to a virtual public good if they see others doing the same, this effect reverses if they become aware too many people are participating, according toresearch that I conducted over the summer.Public goods are things that many people share. They can be physical, such as highways, clean air and blood banks, or virtual, like free online encyclopedia Wikipedia or mobile traffic app Waze.

Combining methods from geography, urban planning and big-data analysis, my co-authors and I studied millions of postings by users of a mobile navigation app called Waze, in which users voluntarily post traffic-related updates and road conditions in real time. All users of the app benefit as more of them freely contribute information about traffic accidents and road closures. Economistsdescribe thisas contributing to a public good.

We found that displaying the density of users activities on Waze that is, real time information on how many people are on the app in ones geographic location can encourage participation from others in the area, just as it does in the real world. If you see a lot of people donating blood in your local neighborhood or many parents volunteering in your local school, it may motivate you to do the same.

But we also found evidence of a strong bystander effect that reverses this after a certain threshold is reached. The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon that an individualslikelihood of engaging in a helpful actdecreases when bystanders are present in a critical situation. Paradoxically, our motivation to contribute to a public good could also decline when we see others doing something. For example, if you saw a lot of people donating blood, you may decide that they dont need your blood too.

The idea is thatpeople perceive less urgencyor motivation to help others when others are present, akin to a diffusion of responsibility.

With more public goods moving online for example, in-person pledge drives seeking charitable donationsnow happen through crowdfunding websitessuch as Kiva or GoFundMe its important to study how the motivations and behaviors of people change in a virtual setting.

Users motivation to contribute to public goods in the physical world depends on what is termed impure altruism, also known by economists as warm glow giving. That is, participation is heavily influenced by an individuals motives for public recognition.

My research shows that the same effects that happen in real life also seem to occur virtually, suggesting these online spaces should be designed in ways to overcome the bystander effect to encourage more participation. This can be done, for example, by offeringnonmonetary rewardsfor participation such as virtual badges or making it feel like a game.

Other researchers are also looking into how to influence the behavior of people in virtual spaces.

Some scholars suggest, for example, that participants in primarily digital environments needdigital nudgesandinterventionsto enhance a sense of community and create a shared sense of social self on these digital spaces. Studies from social question-and-answer sites in China seem to suggest thatcommitment toward the site, a shared language and shared visionseem to foster a sense of participation.

Other studies suggest that rather than viewing such online public good platforms in terms of the immediate needs of an information seeker, these platforms should be designed for theirlong-lasting valueto a community of users.

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People may be less likely to contribute to a virtual public good like Wikipedia or Waze if they know many others are already doing it Stuff - Stuff...