Wikipedia survey

I got an interesting email recently. It's from a researcher at Hong Kong City University, asking me about why I contribute to Wikipedia. I thought they were interesting questions & I found they led me to answer at some length.

If anyone reading this is also a Wikipedian, you might fancy getting in touch with this chap... Contact me & I'll pass on his details.

The Email

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I am writing to you to ask you about your objectives as a Wikipedia contributor.

My name is Mai Pattarawan. I am an academic at the City University of Hong Kong, researching Wikipedia. Specifically I am interested in the objectives and motivation of Wikipedians who take the time and make the effort to contribute.

I would like to ask you just three questions and hope you will be able to answer:

1. Why do you contribute to Wikipedia? Would you say it is a personal matter, where you enjoy the opportunity to reveal your knowledge on a subject, or a collaborative goal where you enjoy sharing knowledge with others?

2. In what ways do you find your contributing to Wikipedia beneficial? (E.g., satisfaction of building the world’s largest encyclopedia). Would you say these benefits (personal or for the entire community) are felt right away, or do you expect the benefits to arise as time goes by?

3. Do you expect that your contributing more to Wikipedia will lead to others to contribute more?

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( My answers are behind the cut... )