Adrian Chen explains why Wikipedia is in trouble:
According to [Founder Jimmy] Wales a lot of the core Wikipedians have simply aged out, got married and found that they have better things to do with their time. Previous rumors of Wikipedia's demise have focused on a lack of any new stuff to add; but this seems like a real existential threat.
Wikipedia needs to get cool again, somehow. When Wikipedia launched in the early naughts it was attractively subversive—it pissed off your teachers, journalists and any square over 40, basically. Idealistic young nerds flocked to the site with that early web 2.0 communitarian fervor. But new editors aren't showing up at the same rate. After years at the top result on practically every Google search, Wikipedia has lost its urgency.
Jon Mitchell looks at what the company is doing to stay fresh:
Wikimedia has put out an A-to-Z list of new, worldwide educational programs designed to get students to contribute editing and writing. Last month, Wikipedia rolled out an interface for users to rate the quality of Wikipedia pages, as well as to indicate whether they are knowledgeable about the topic. This tool could be used both to compensate for diminishing editorial support by prioritizing low-rated articles, and it could also be used to identify new potential editors.
Along those lines, Nathan Pippenger plugs a study on identifying and incentivizing Wikipedia’s "coolfarmers."
The Dish 