A post I have send to Wikimedia Foundation internal communication system. I have lightly edited it for public publishing.

When I was around ten years old (the age of my oldest kid today) I have stepped upon the front page of a scientific magazine: "the highways of information". I was supposed to intend a class at the music school but time has flown as I was busy reading the lengthy article describing what will become the world wide web and the internet. It was roughly in 1988.

I have been lucky to have an internet connection as early as of 1995 and internet became my second home. Sometime in 1999, someone introduced me to the concept of wikis. The internet bubble had not busted yet, blogs were barely a thing and neither Wikipedia nor MySpace existed. The conversation went more or less like: 

Anonymous: "it is a revolution, a site that anyone can edit" 

 "A site that anyone can edit?" I repeated. 

And I quickly continued: "That is dumb, it will never stand the script kiddies defacing website for the lulz".

I just have turned 21 and I was definitely a fool but did not know about it at the time nor I could expect the so called web 2.0 that will be put the world in the digital era. 

A few years later I was browsing Usenet (more or less the equivalent of Quora/Wikipedia/Facebook/Twitter at that time). People used their post signature as a little advertisement place. Often for their personal website or for little projects they wanted to show case to the world. You expect it: that landed me on an article of the french Wikipedia. 

 

One never knows where a link can lead you too. It could be the best, the worse or simply a life changing experience. Previous exposure to the term wiki kicked memory as it was showing in the Wikipedia domain name. It has struck my curiosity and I obviously had to hit the site. Page loaded and I promptly clicked `[edit]` in order to deface it and prove my point. Instead I felt I could contribute fr a change and improve the text following the path of Diderot and d'Alembert (french encyclopedists). It was in October 2002, a few days after I have turned 24 years old and the start of my wiki adventure.

For almost twenty years Wikipedia has been part of my life, if not my life. When I have joined the foundation (thank you Sam Reed, Chad Horohoe, Rob Lanphier and others), my family, friends and acquaintances had a relief: Antoine will finally stop talking about Wikipedia from the time I wake up to bed time. Little they knew it would make things even worse. On top of being a hobby .... It became my job. 

 

Wikipedia has been half of my life. It is the closest thing I can think of when it comes to my personal values, my view of the world or the kindness I try to push when I act. One might see it as bragging, but Wikipedia is definitely the most important thing that ever happened to me and the world. It is a guidance to me. I am sure it will be my companion for the rest of my life and I have great hope it will outpass me. Much like a good book can be passed from a generation to another one. 

The world had turmoils in the last couple years, but we have a cap that is above and beyond those: collect the sum of all knowledge. If you like Wikipedia, please take some minutes this week-end to do a few edits on our favorite website and feel free.I am turning 43 years old today (Oct 15th), and this week-end I will celebrate my ten years tenure at the foundation and an edit on Wikipedia will be a great gift to me.

WikiLove