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Wikipedia was founded exactly 20 years ago, on January 15, 2001: today is Wikipedia Day, our birthday. I have been editing Wikipedia -- & writing, teaching and helping govern it -- for 17.5 of those years. #wikipedia20 
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I've said it many times in many contexts, but it utterly blows my mind that we are 20 years old. This online encyclopedia -- this hobbyist website, this experiment, this idea -- changed the world & changed my life. #wikipedia20 2/
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Wikipedians are builders: of community, of articles, of structure in a chaotic world. They love trivia, obscure facts, funny articles. They are pedantic to the extreme, but also unbelievably generous with time, as we work towards getting it right. #wikipedia20 3/
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One of my favorite pieces of Wikipedia trivia has to do with the awards we give each other: Barnstars. These were first developed on the MeatBallWiki, by @Sunir, and brought to Wikipedia in 2003 by Martin Harper. #wikipedia20 4/
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Here's what the MeatBallWiki page about the barnstar says: "Here at Meatball, one of our most central values is BarnRaising. We believe in building things collaboratively & collectively....There are as many ways to contribute as there are hands helping." #wikipedia20 5/
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This idea, that building a wiki, an encyclopedia is like raising a barn - you need many hands working together, in the same place, at once - is fundamental to how & why Wikipedia works. This fundamental concept and practice is my favorite part of the site. #wikipedia20 6/
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To be a part of Wikipedia for 20 years is to have been in 100s of discussions, disagreements, & hard philosophical discussions. It means having a group of friends, of comrades, of shared inside jokes. It means that you have a common cause, for free knowledge. #wikipedia20 7/
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I once was a part of a real barnraising. Seeing the walls go up, with dozens of people pulling on ropes to lift up timbers, was powerful. The structure was bigger than any of us could have done alone, or even with only a few people. Wikipedia is like that. #wikipedia20 8/
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So here's a toast to the documentarians. To the coders, the photographers & the bot-writers. To the lesson-planners & the edit-a-thon organizers. Here's to the people who have explained the five pillars a thousand times -- & to the people who wrote them. #wikipedia20 9/
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Here's to the editors. The grammarians, the botwriters, the writers, the researchers. Here's to the people who insist on getting it right. To those who know that Wikipedia, like the world in general, is always a work in progress. We write our story as we go. #wikipedia20 10/
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