The effects of the Wikipedia blackout and why it is a success
Did the Wikipedia Blackout affect you at all?
See results without votingThe Wikipedia blackout logo
Wiki-Fever currently dominates the Internet as the Wikipedia Blackout affects the entire English speaking world
The Wikipedia blackout and what it means for you
The world’s most famous free Internet library and knowledge base, Wikipedia, no longer exists – well, at least for the next 24 hours. The site has been shut down for an entire day as a protest against a new bill which has been passed will greatly impact the freedom of an individual on the Internet, as well as take a massive blow to Internet piracy in the fields of movies, games, music and more. Wikipedia however feel the move will decimate the Internet experience of countless people and in turn, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has opposed the bill in his own way – by shutting down the world’s most popular knowledge base for a day.
For anyone that has tried to access Wikipedia today and found themselves unable to, you now know why.
Exactly why is the Wikipedia shutdown such a significant message and why will it be such a success? Perhaps more importantly of all; what can you do to access all of the information you need for the next 24 hours or so?
Why will the Wikipedia blackout be a success?
The Wikipedia blackout will be a success, simply because, it already is. Countless millions of people have already tried to access the English version of Wikipedia today, only to be met by error messages. The fact that people are already suffering because of the blackout is a powerful message. If people will suffer by not having access to Wikipedia, what about people that no longer feel safe enough to use the Internet?
SOPA, the “Stop Online Piracy Act” along with PIPA, The “Protect IP Act”, both act together to stop copyright infringement online. However, Wikipedia believe that the bills both put freedom and expression at risk, as well as jeopardizing and damaging countless millions of people’s online presence and personalities. Wikipedia’s existence depends on a freedom driven Internet, which these bills damage.
Of course, while for many, the protest is indeed already a victory, the war is far from over…
How can you still access Wikipedia?
You can access Wikipedia during the Blackout and during future blackouts in a number of ways:
1) Disable Javascript in your browser settings which hides the message
2) Access Wikipedia on a smartphone or mobile phone device
3) Access Wikipedia cache from Google archives
4) Be patient, join in on the protest and avoid looking at Wikipedia for the next 24 hours.
Wikipedia alternatives
For those that need knowledge in the next 24 hours, there are plenty of Wikipedia alternatives to choose from that you can use for the time being.
1) Google. Google is an encyclopaedia in its own right. Just search for what you want and hopefully you will find it.
2) Official websites. IF you are looking for information on a person, product or company, the official website is always a good place to start.
3) Hubpages. Hubpages is a great place to learn about people and countless different things, including the Wikipedia Blackout of 2012.
4) News websites. There are many news websites out there including newspapers and Google news that will cover all breaking news in regards to celebrities and more. You do not “need” Wikipedia to follow the latest breaking news.
5) Dictionaries and knowledge bases. There are plenty of other dictionaries, encyclopaedias and knowledge bases online. Whether you are looking for medical information, celebrity information, breaking news or more, there will be something there for you if you search for it.
Fun facts about the Wikipedia blackout
#FactsWithoutWikipedia is currently the world's most popular trend on Twitter. Go ahead, get Tweeting and have fun with the protest. Give some great facts or some fun, silly facts!
SOPA protest is also a top trending topic on Google Trends. This simply proves that the protest has thus far been effective. How will the trends fair over the next 24 hours of the downtime?
Any questions and what are your thoughts?
If you have any further questions in regards to the Wikipedia blackout, then feel free to ask. However, what I really want to hear are your thoughts and comments in regards to it. How has it affected you so far and how will it affect you both within the next 24 hours and in the future?
Do you think the Wikipedia Blackout will make a difference?
See results without votingComments
Well consider the fact it will define what you can and cannot watch and listen to on YouTube. That's one way it can and will ruin many people's daily Internet viewing. If not the technicalities, at least look at the simple things that these bills will ruin for everyone.
I found another way to get around that cool blackout that happened a few days ago, all I had to do is search for something on Google and hit the wikipedia link, it took me straight to that respective page on wikipedia, bypassing the blacked out homepage.
It was fun & cool to experience that moment in our web history, every one seemed united on that day, and I'm grateful for all those big networks & small ones that participated. Voted up!
Your a human resource center it seems, keep them informative hubs coming.
Freedom, something we will look back on one day and ask "why didn't I do something". You did the only thing you could to salvage something good. Something we take for granted like so many things until they are no longer available (Like Freedom). How many can say "I did everything I could"? God Bless You and God Bless Our Freedom.
giocatore 4 months ago
I still don't know precisely what in these bills is the problem. I believe they create legal means to shut down or otherwise penalize ISPs that don't protect copyrighted material. Is that correct, and is that the issue?
It's hard to support the blackout or not support it without knowing exactly what is contentious about these laws. Cheers.