The Sum of All Human Knowledge, conflicts of interest, gawker, geek love, jezebel, jimmy wales, rachel marsden...

Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales dumps girlfriend on Wikipedia

This is surely a first: Breaking up with a girlfriend via Wikipedia. Jimmy Wales, the creator of the world's best collection of Outkast lyrics, has announced in a statement on the website that he's no longer seeing Rachel Marsden, the saucy Canadian right-winger who started chatting him up after her Wikipedia profile came under attack. (See Valleywag's exclusive transcripts of their secret love IMs.) One hopes Marsden didn't learn about the split by reading Jimmy's love note online. As late as last night, she told a friend that she and Wales had patched things up.

In the statement, Wales claims his involvement with Marsden's Wikipedia profile was "completely routine." He also claims to have met Marsden for the first time last month. Shortly before their meeting, Wales reportedly sent this note to a list of Wikipedia operators:

In the past week or so we have struck up something of a personal friendship, and I offered to meet with her and give some feedback on her website design and business model. As such, at least for the time being, I may have a sufficient COI [conflict of interest] regarding this case that I should not edit the article or do anything "official" in my Jimbo-ness :).

Marsden subsequently told friends that Wales gave her feedback on her website design — is that what kids are calling it these days? — for 24 hours straight in a D.C. hotel.

FULL COVERAGE:

7:14 PM on Sat Mar 1 2008
By Owen Thomas
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16 comments

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Dweezil at 07:56 PM on 03/01/08
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Let the stalking begin!
Michael Bauser at 07:57 PM on 03/01/08
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So she has to start stalking him now, right?

Jimmy better watch his back: He just publicly dissed a women who thinks waterboarding is like a "swim lesson."

Run, Jimmy, run!
BartKela at 07:59 PM on 03/01/08
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Neither one is all that hot.
In Other News... at 08:00 PM on 03/01/08
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I guess Match.com execs may also not edit Wiki entries then?
In Other News... at 08:00 PM on 03/01/08
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@BartKela: Are ye BLIND lad?
$Image of Oh No I Di\'n\'t.$ Oh No I Di'n't. at 08:03 PM on 03/01/08
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Oh, he'll be seeing her.

I wonder if her wikipedia entry has been flagged for batshit craziness yet...
$Image of Oh No I Di\'n\'t.$ Oh No I Di'n't. at 08:05 PM on 03/01/08
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Also, it would have been cooler if he'd just had one of his minions make the announcement via his Wikipedia entry. Then again, since he posted it on his website, now someone can provide an official source site...
Alaska Miller at 10:24 PM on 03/01/08
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What's CNN and Fox's affinity for putting idiots on tv? This weirdo, Ann Coulter, Julia Allison, Anderson Cooper. How hard is TV?
sample032 at 10:38 PM on 03/01/08
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@Alaska Miller: No one watches CNN and Fox because they want news, and no intelligent talking reporters/anchors/talking heads go on CNN and Fox to deliver news. This leaves.... tits. And Bill O'Reilly.
sample032 at 10:52 PM on 03/01/08
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Sounds a bit like Jimbo needs to read WP:SOAP, but it's not first time he ignored Wikipedia policies and did what he wanted, so I'm not surprised.
seanpercival at 12:37 AM on 03/02/08
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Owen, this is your finest moment

cheers
Chickaboomer at 06:38 AM on 03/02/08
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And Hillary Clinton dumps on Obama on "Saturday Night Live" with the express complicity of NBC. [chickaboomer.blogspot.com]

What's this world coming to?
Marty Davis
Chickaboomer
Owen Thomas at 09:08 AM on 03/02/08
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@Chickaboomer: You promote your blog, off-topic, in every post you comment on. Goodbye!
wilmawonker at 11:54 AM on 03/02/08
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haha, her website says "Politics, with an edge!". If you have to claim it, odds are you ain't that edgy
ManchuCandidate at 07:07 PM on 03/02/08
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Rachel's a few Timbits short of a Tim Horton Mental Health snack pack. Poor Jimmy, he'll probably figure out why George Bluth once said, "You don't fire crazy."
rapsap at 11:32 AM on 03/05/08
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She claims in her Ebay listing to be in breakup mode and that Jimmy is her exboyfriend. They met just once. I suppose meeting twice would have been seen as full fledged marriage :)