Valleywag: Geek Love, Jimmy Wales

Jimmy Wales gets a German prize

Owen Thomas — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:00:00 PDT

On Friday, the cofounder of the world's most comprehensive directory of socialites, Jimmy Wales, was one of the recipients of the $138,000 Quadriga prize for philanthropy in Berlin. Wales is a committed follower of Ayn Rand, the founder of Objectivism and noted loather of altruism — but he got handsomely paid for his do-gooding, so it must be okay! And that's not the only way Wales was rewarded in Berlin.

The previous evening, the Berliner Kurier reports, Wales dined with Celia von Bismarck, shown here, a dilettante magazine editor and think-tanker. (She hates "boring society ladies," according to Vanity Fair, so she and Wales must have self-loathing in common.) No mention of Wales's current fling, Andrea Weckerle, who's said to be on the outs with him after rumors circulated that he sent around racy photos of Weckerle without her knowledge.

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...

Owen Thomas — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Thank you, Julia Allison! The Internet's best self-promoter has uncovered evidence that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is still girlfriended by Andrea Weckerle, a social-media PR rep he turned to after the messy breakup of his affair with maple-leaf-waving right-wing punditrix Rachel Marsden. We'd heard they'd call things off, but they seem very much the couple here. Allison generously offered not to post the photo, to spare the couple the "recent ... um ... media attention they've endured." Instead, they jumped at the chance for more publicity. We're delighted to hear Wales is not wanting for female companionship, but Weckerle should watch her back around Allison.

Wales has edited Julia Allison's Wikipedia entry — and we all know what that can lead to. Can you add to the sum of all human knowledge with a clever, yet printable, caption? If so, leave it in the comments. The best one will become the post's new headline. Friday's winner: theodp for the "$100 million flipper." (Photo via NonSociety)

CNBC's Becky Quick joins long line of women emailing Jimmy Wales

Owen Thomas — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:40:00 PDT

Call it a strange attraction: Women whose Wikipedia entries aren't to their liking just can't seem to resist taking their case to the site's stubbly cofounder, Jimmy Wales. Even CNBC's Becky Quick struck up a correspondence, she admits in this clip. Unlike Canadian television commentator Rachel Marsden, whose call for help turned into a sexual fling, Quick is married. To a computer programmer. (I can hear you all eating your hearts out.) Why didn't she just ask her husband for help getting her entry edited? Given Wales's reputation, that seems easier.

How Jimmy Wales gets the ladies

Owen Thomas — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:00:00 PDT

We've always wondered how a schlubby guy like Jimmy Wales sees so much action. It can't be the I-founded-Wikipedia-can-I-edit-your-page pickup lines — for every Rachel Marsden he lands with those, one thinks Wales would get 10 drinks in the face. At last, we've gotten a scientific explanation: It's the stubble. A recent study found women prefer mates with stubbly cheeks to smooth faces or full beards. (Thank you, Don Johnson.) And according to Wales's comprehensive compendium of facial hair stylings, Wales himself is the iconic paragon of stubble. (Photo by EvgenyGenkin)

You mean this isn't the Facebook prom?

Owen Thomas — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:00:00 PDT

Despite not making the cut for this year's Time 100, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales showed up at the magazine's party anyway. (Past honorees are reinvited to the party automatically.) Even more surprising: On his arm was Andrea Weckerle, the freelance public-relations professional long rumored to have been smitten with Wales. If this photo is an indication, her affections are less unrequited than has been said.

Last fall, Weckerle interviewed Wales to get advice on how flacks can use Wikipedia to buff their clients' images. Wales is separated from his wife, Christine; the last time he mixed Wikipedia editing with pleasure, things ended badly. Can you come up with a better caption? Suggest one in the comments, and it will become the post's new headline. Friday's winner: hopelessdeskmonkey, for "Robot CEO smuggles human wife into movie premiere"

(Photo by Craig Newmark)

Jimmy Wales takes his Wikipedia magic show to New York City

Owen Thomas — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:40:00 PDT

For a province of California, Silicon Valley can be strangely puritan at times. That made it an uncomfortable locale for libertine Libertarian Jimmy Wales, the less-than-saintly founder of Wikipedia. Wales told ex-lover Rachel Marsden, the Canadian controversialist, that he wanted to move to New York to be closer to her. Their affair is over — ended, fittingly, via a posting on Wikipedia — but Wales has relocated to New York all the same. The likely reason has to do with work, or the appearance of work. Although Wikipedia's nonprofit parent, the Wikimedia Foundation, is located in San Francisco, and his ostensible employer, for-profit wiki venture Wikia, has itsheadquarters in a suburb to the south of the city, Wales is charged with running a search-engine project for Wikia which is based in New York.

Not that Wikia is likely to get much more of Wales's time. He told the company's board that he would spend 10 percent of his time on Wikipedia, and 90 percent on Wikia, a promise he swiftly broke. There's no reason to expect that a change in scenery would change Wales's ways.

His domestic life is in no better a state. His wife, Christine, whom he is divorcing, has banned him from staying at their St. Petersburg, Fla. house on his infrequent visits to see his young daughter, we hear. A wise move on her part, since Wales conducted some of his obscene sex chats with Marsden from the guest bedroom.

"Everything with Jimbo is the creating of an illusion," says a source who knows Wales. "The illusion of being a good husband, the illusion of working everyday, the illusion of having ideas."

Which makes New York the perfect venue for Wales. From the theatricality of Broadway to the fanciful financial vehicles of Wall Street, New York is a manufactory of make-believe. The island of Manhattan increasingly resembles one large stage set — an artifice of a city. This is a man who's made his career on pretense, on cajoling others to labor for him. Jimmy Wales has come home. San Francisco will not miss him.

(Photo by Mary S. Butler, on a previous Wales visit to New York)

Jimmy Wales hires bodyguard for New York event

Owen Thomas — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:20:00 PDT

Invited to speak about "the future of the Internet" at New York University, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales instead spent the session dwelling on his smartphone's inbox. Why was the muse for the world's most exhaustive list of Simpsons episodes so distracted? Likely for the same reason he hired a personal security guard for the event: would-be paramour Andrea Weckerle. We're told that Weckerle, a PR consultant previously linked to Wales, has such a crush on Wales — unrequited — that she flew cross-country for the event, and told friends she was sharing a hotel room with Wales for a supposed tryst.

Alarmed, Wales arranged for a bodyguard. "He had an earpiece, greased hair, suit — totally conspicuous," an attendee tells us. "He was 15 feet away from Wales the entire time, including the reception downstairs. The guard was watching him like a hawk." If it's true that Weckerle made up the affair, it's an uncharacteristic display of restraint by Wales. Here's the Facebook attendee list for the event. Note how Weckerle signed up immediately after Wales did.

Update: Another tipster claims Wales put Weckerle on the guest list, and hired the bodyguard to protect her from his ex-girlfriend, Canadian journalist Rachel Marsden. Curiouser and curiouser! Marsden responds: "LOL! Hilarious. I wouldn't cross the street to attend a geek event, and have no reason to do so in order to see Jimmy. I can, however, vouch for problems with Ms. Weckerle."

(Photo by Mary Pilon)

Jimmy Wales edited Julia Allison's Wikipedia entry

Owen Thomas — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:00:00 PDT

We now know the kind of woman Jimmy Wales goes for: brunettes who appear on Fox News and have conveniently troubled Wikipedia entries. In January, the founder of the world's greatest online list of unusually shaped vegetables was courting Canadian controversialist Rachel Marsden with sex-fantasy-laden IM chats. But at the same time, Wales was also playing the gallant on Star editor-at-large and former Fox News late-night pundit Julia Allison's Wikipedia page.

At issue was the photo used on Allison's page, which she deemed unflattering. "I have contacted her to ask for a photo, so we should have that sorted pretty soon," he wrote in January. All business, of course; why would Wales have any personal interest in sorting through photos of Allison? But let's say he was hoping to win Allison's affections too, in exchange for his services on Wikipedia. This at the same time as he wooed Marsden? If so, one can only gawp admiringly at Wales's ability to multitask.

Wales's ex-girlfriend on Wikipedia edits: "Game on, sweetheart"

Owen Thomas — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:20:00 PDT

There is no neutral point of view in a love affair gone bad. Jimmy Wales violated Wikipedia's rules in posting a note announcing his breakup with Canadian journalist Rachel Marsden on the world's most exacting collection of urban legends about McDonald's. Marsden has retaliated in kind, or attempted to. Her recent efforts to leave a note for Wales on Wikipedia — "the only way to have any sort of rational or caring discussion with him," she claims — resulted in her account being banned by administrators.

Marsden's extreme political views and amusingly checkered personal life tell us she's no saint. Her relationship with Wales grew out of her efforts to use Wikipedia to obscur her contrail of controversy. Now that they've broken up, and Wales's proxies have allowed all manner of edits they'd previously blocked at his behest, she's upset over the state of her Wikipedia entry.

But the Wikipedia scandal isn't about her; it's about Wales. If you think ill of Marsden, remember that Wales freely chose to associate with her. Wales has made a series of bad choices in terms of who he gets in bed with, in love and in business: Marsden; venture capitalist Roger McNamee; Sue Gardner, executive director of Wikipedia's parent, the WIkimedia Foundation; rock star Bono; and countless others. Someone really ought to list all his mistakes. Perhaps in an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit?

Marsden's Wikipedia missive to Wales:

As anyone who has ever cared about Jimbo here knows, the only way to have any sort of rational or caring discussion with him is in the Wikimatrix here. Alright, fine. Game on, sweetheart. Newsflash: Wikipedia is not an encyclopedia; it is a cult. I wouldn't even be included in a real encyclopedia. I want the Wikipedia entry about me deleted. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to accept.
This is not a publishing company, nor is it some kind of altruistic venture for the greater good of humanity. Wikipedia is nothing more than the biggest and most prolific defamation machine that the world has ever known, run by people with varying degrees of personality disorders. You couldn't have cared less about my Wikipedia entry until we started sleeping together, Jimmy. At that point, it was nicely cleaned up and taken care of through your proxies here on the site, as per your instructions (and it's not the first time an article has been cleaned up through a proxy, as per your orders...this kind of stuff, contrary to popular belief, doesn't just happen "magically" here on Wikipedia). Now that we're not sleeping together and since you so publicly broke up with my here on this website, the page about me has turned into a complete free-for-all.

Are you aware, Jimmy, that "NPOV" (aka "Neutral Point Of View") is actually an oxymoron? By its very nature, a "point of view" cannot be "neutral". Communism has failed everywhere it has been tried, Jimmy, and Wikipedia is no exception. As for you trying to make it seem as though your invisible hand isn't involved in any of this, perhaps it's wise for people to remember that the greatest feat the devil ever pulled off was convincing people that he doesn't exist.

Did Jimmy Wales and Wikipedia boss make out in Amsterdam?

Owen Thomas — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:00:36 PDT

What is it about Jimmy Wales? The founder of Wikipedia has a thing for brainy women, and a penchant for mixing business and pleasure. But the latest rumor I've heard is mind-blowing: That Wales had a brief affair with Sue Gardner, the executive director of the nonprofit which runs Wikipedia. Gardner has always been swift to rush to Jimmy Wales's defense — oddly so, since he's just one of many board members she reports to. In a recent newspaper article on Wales, there was this line: "Ms. Gardner said there will always be a need for what Mr. Wales provides." Ah yes, what Mr. Wales provides. To Rachel Marsden, Elisabeth Bauer, and Barbara Cohen, among others, you mean?

For once, a Valleywag commenter has held back. Writes mediawhoremeow, "I hear this chick had an interesting job interview with Jimbo in Amsterdam." That's one way of putting it. More precisely, Wikimedia Foundation employees say they witnessed Gardner and Wales making out last June in Amsterdam, shortly before she was hired as a consultant to the Wikipedia nonprofit. At least one had a cameraphone. We haven't gotten any pictures yet. Surely they must be circulating. Anyone care to send them in?

Jimbo's bimbos a brainiac pack

Owen Thomas — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:00:26 PST

We keep hearing new rumors about women Jimmy Wales has been involved with. But why tell you? Some Wales critics say it's not the sex, it's the money. But it's hard to separate the two when charges fly that Wales took a girlfriend on trips paid for by the nonprofit WIkipedia. The latest names linked to Wales: Barbara Cohen, formerly an editor with the Public Library of Science, left; and Julie Melton, an online-learning expert, right. Wales's relationship with Cohen, former Wikipedia insiders say, contributed to the breakup of her marriage. Melton stayed in Wales's apartment, though she's said to be seeing someone else. Yes, yes, I know, enough about the sex — did he edit their Wikipedia entries?

FULL COVERAGE:

(Photo of Cohen via SXSW; photo of Melton by jimbo_wales)

How MySpace gets Jimmy Wales laid

Owen Thomas — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:20:38 PST

Jimmy Wales should quit Wikipedia — but please, not the rest of the Internet. He's far too entertaining.On Jimmy Wales's MySpace page, he lists himself as "married" and a "proud parent" who's "looking to meet Wikipedian MySpacers." His friends list tells another story. The most recent comment comes from a MySpace user named Andrea, whose picture closely resembles Andrea Weckerle, a woman to whom Wales has been linked. Scroll through Wales's friends list, and you'll find a woman in a French maid's outfit, a woman in a thong bikini, a woman posing in lingerie, and several girls who seem a bit young for Wales. One almost needs an online encyclopedia to keep track of them all.

Charge: Wikipedia flew Wales girlfriend on donors' dime

Owen Thomas — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:40:56 PST

Elisabeth Bauer was Jimmy Wales's first big perk as lord and master of Wikipedia. As with Rachel Marsden, the Canadian journalist at the root of Wales's recent woes, Wales and Bauer struck up a friendship online, over Wikipedia. And people are now saying Wikipedia paid for Bauer, known online as "Elian," to travel with Wales as an upaid Wikipedia press officer — a title he insisted on for her, though some argue she was unqualified for the job.

Former Wikipedia insiders describe the affair as an "open secret" — one Wales's wife Christine, from whom he is now separating, reportedly discovered when he returned from Germany with an article of women's clothing in his suitcase. If the charges about Wikipedia-funded trips for Wales and his German mistress are true, then that's not the only baggage he acquired from the relationship. (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)

Rupert Murdoch's underlings lets loose on Jimmy Wales

Owen Thomas — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:20:19 PST

News Corp. overlord Rupert Murdoch may be getting a bit slow in his dotage, but he still knows a good story. Is it a coincidence that three arms of his media empire — the Times of London, Fox News, and the New York Post — have belatedly picked up on Jimmy Wales's bizarre breakup with Rachel Marsden? Marsden was, until last fall, a Fox News commentator, which can only make the tale more delicious for Murdoch: The prodigal daughter welcomed back as grist for the gossip mill. Beyond that, why the onslaught?

It's tempting to cast this as the Murdochians defending a fellow right-winger against a California granola-cruncher. But Wales is no limousine liberal. A limo libertine, perhaps, and a limo libertarian, for sure. No, this is simply an irresistibly good story, the kind you can't make up. And one that draws readers. Above all, Murdoch believes in the politics of pageviews.

Jimmy Wales's other other women

Owen Thomas — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:00:34 PST

In an IM chat with ex-girlfriend Rachel Marsden, Jimmy Wales scolded Valleywag for not following his sex life more closely: "I have shown up at many different Silicon Valley events with many different "dates" through the past year or so, although not always actually dates, so the assumption would be colleagues or whatever, and figured they would eventually pay attention to that." True, Jimbo, we've been remiss. And we're doing our best to make it up to you. Besides Marsden, we've heard two names frequently linked to Wales, who is separated from his wife. Either would be an impressive catch. If the rumors are true, then all we can say is — well-played, Jimbo, well-played.

Andrea Weckerle A PR and new media expert, Weckerle has been spotted enough times at Wales's arm to raise questions about their relationship. One person close to Weckerle suggests that while she's in love with Wales, the feelings aren't requited. But Weckerle's said to have attended a New Year's Eve party in New York with Wales at a nightclub. (Note this photo with the caption "courtesy of J.")

(Photo by Andrea Weckerle)

Louise Blouin MacBain A millionaire art collector best known for divorcing well, MacBain likes to collect the world's notables together in one room. Wales is one of her game pieces: "Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, wearing corduroy pants in a room of handmade suits." She's Quebecois: If the rumors about Wales and MacBain are true, that would make Marsden Wales's second Canadian.

(Photo by Craig Newmark)

Wales's last-ditch bid to make up with girlfriend

Owen Thomas — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:40:22 PST

A tipster reports overhearing Jimmy Wales at SFO the morning of Saturday, February 23, pleading with a girlfriend — presumably Rachel Marsden — to keep the relationship alive. His eyewitness report of the conversation:

I was in the SF airport waiting to travel home Saturday morning after GDC. Jimmy happened to be sitting at my gate talking to his girlfriend on the phone. I kind of eavesdropped in on what they were saying. He was telling her that he would give her one last chance but things had to change. He said that he didn't like her emotional swings. He said one minute she would tell him how great he was and how lucky she was then the next minute she would flip out and start screaming at him about what a jackass he was. From your article, apparently, he was right. She is crazy. In any case, I am sure she knew well before he posted on wikipedia that she got the boot. I just think she is nuts.

A week later, Wales dumped Marsden via Wikipedia. Update: Marsden doesn't recall a conversation like this. But she does add: "I've never been in any relationship where a guy had his hand krazy-glued to the 'drama knob' as much as Jimmy. It was like clinging to the back of a roller coaster."

The dirtiest Wikipedia sex chat you can imagine

Owen Thomas — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:20:36 PST

What's the worst thing Jimmy Wales could talk about with a girlfriend? Get your mind out of the gutter, and down into the sewer. Before his Wikipedia-posted breakup with Rachel Marsden, Wales plotted with the Canadian journalist on exactly how he was going to get her Wikipedia entry cleaned up. To avoid his foes at Wikipedia Review, he told Marsden he'd work through proxies. In a statement, he claimed he was not acting "inappropriately." Here are the transcripts which will let you judge for yourself. (Marsden is the "me" in this chat; Wales's moniker is "jimbo.wales.")

Michael Arrington places Jimmy Wales on suicide watch

Owen Thomas — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:00:31 PST

Michael Arrington, a fragile soul, imagines the rest of the Valley is as weak-willed as he is. Without mentioning Jimmy Wales by name, Arrington distraughtly lays out his fears that Valleywag will drive him to kill himself. How little you know, Michael. For Wales, Valleywag induces not the big death but the little one. In his sex chats with Rachel Marsden, Wales fantasized about taking the Canadian TV commentator to a public event like this spring's Time 100 party, and wondered why Valleywag hadn't previously outed him. The transcripts, below:

"I find it hard to imagine that anyone really cares about my sex life," said Wales in a statement on Wikipedia in which he announced his breakup with Marsden.

The goodbye email from Jimmy Wales's girlfriend

Jordan Golson — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:53:45 PST

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Fox News personality Rachel Marsden have broken up — and Jimmy is learning a harsh lesson: hell has no fury like a woman scorned. Here's the goodbye email from Rachel to Jimmy and an IM conversation that strongly suggests Wales violated Wikipedia's rules to encourage favorable changes to Marsden's Wikipedia profile.

jimbo.wales: and therefore not appropriate for me to directly edit the article with a conflict of interest
jimbo.wales: the truth is of course a much worse conflict of interest than that :) but that will do

I only have one thing to say to you: You are the sleazebag I always suspected you were, and should have listened more carefully to my gut instincts — and to my friends . No, in fact, you are much, much worse than I ever expected. You are an absolute creep, and it was a colossal mistake on my part to have gotten involved with you. Now, my suspicions about you have been proven dead-on. I never again want anything to do with you, and though I have every intention of putting all of this behind me ASAP (which will be VERY easy to do, given the disgusting reality), I am happy to tell anyone who happens to ask precisely what I think of you. There is nothing good left to say whatsoever. Goodbye Jimmy, and good riddance.

http://allswool.blogspot.com/2008/03/money-for-nothing-chicks-for-free.html

And, incidentally, your comments, contained in your classy "dumping" statement on Wikipedia, denying your conflict of interest with respect to my Wikipedia bio, are proven to be yet another one of your lies by this particular online discussion of ours. But then again, what else is new.

jimbo.wales: I wrote an email to the internal editors list about your entry recommending some changes, etc. I said that I would run it by you for clarification/comment and email again if there were any updates I think we have two major problems right now first, the timeline is wrong about the recent cop case... that is the worst error and easy to fix
me: what's that?
plus, they also say he was "cleared". not true.

jimbo.wales: second we exactly and correctly sigh follow the bias of the press
right, so I complained about this
for you, they decided not to pursue charges, for him, he was exonerated... this is bullshit and the truth is the exact opposite

jimbo.wales: right so the way it is told now, hang on a second
let's actually do this right now
because the last thing I want to do is take a break from fucking your brains out all night to work on your wikipedia entry :)

jimbo.wales: "In September 2007, on her blog Marsden wrote about and posted a picture of a counterterrorism officer for the Ontario Provincial Police with whom she had an affair. She claimed that he had leaked secret anti-terrorism documents to her, then posted email messages from him as evidence that he had been pursuing her,[13] and sent to the National Post these along with sexually explicit pictures of him that she had received.[5] She was investigated for criminal harassment for this behaviour,[14] but was not charged.[15][16] The OPP's criminal investigations branch cleared the officer of any wrongdoing.[15][16]"
so our timeline is wrong
we say
(1) wrote about him on your blog
(2) posted email messages from him
(3) as a result he files harassment charges

me: exactly. it was a retaliatory complaint on his part that was launched 2 months after they initiated their investigation into his stuff.

jimbo.wales: but the correct timeline is
(1) wrote about him on the blog

me: hahhahaha

jimbo.wales: (2) he files harassment charges
(3) you post email messages to show how his harassment charges are bullshit

me: you're a sh*tdisturber. :)
right
I only posted the emails after he went public trtying to create trouble.
NOT before that.

jimbo.wales: nod
so we can get that sorted
and then this makes the story clearer

me: that's good of you to do. really.

jimbo.wales: ok so then the other thing is...
in my email I said, here are some thoughts about this, things that need fixing
and i may follow up if there are clarifications from her
but then I said I am recusing myself from it other than that
i explained that we became friends in IM and that I offered to give advice about your website and that we would be meeting about that

me: ahhhh so you qualified it, and left it "up to them". :)

jimbo.wales: and therefore not appropriate for me to directly edit the article with a conflict of interest

me: which usually, actually, works better than the alternative

jimbo.wales: the truth is of course a much worse conflict of interest than that :) but that will do

me: aaaaaaaaahahaha. lol

jimbo.wales: well this is an internal mailing list of people who specialize in fixing this kind of stuff, so you are in good hands

me: awwww thank you.
how many people are on the list?

jimbo.wales: oh, huh
I have no idea.

me: hahaha so you told them the half-truth. :p

jimbo.wales: depends on what the meaning of "is" is

me: ahahahahahha

Wikipedia guy's ex-girlfriend auctions his clothes on eBay

Owen Thomas — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:38:19 PST

Breaking up stinks. Never more so than when your ex is Jimmy Wales, the unhygienic founder of Wikipedia, right-wing TV commentator Rachel Marsden has learned. Before Wales dumped her via Wikipedia, he left two reeking articles of clothing at her New York apartment. She's now selling them on eBay Canada. Today's contribution to the sum of all human knowledge: Jimmy Wales shops at Men's Wearhouse. Screenshots of the eBay listings:

Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales dumps girlfriend on Wikipedia

Owen Thomas — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:14:06 PST

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:

Four hot pics of Wikipedia guy's girlfriend

Owen Thomas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:28:47 PST

Jimmy Wales can't get enough of Rachel Marsden, the girlfriend he met on Wikipedia. Here's a shot of her pouting for the camera. Three more after the jump.

Transcripts of Wikipedia founder's sex chats

Owen Thomas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:00:29 PST

In which Wikipedia's chief non-expert Jimmy Wales worries that Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be able to read their instant messages, talks dirty about broadband infrastructure, and says his "Google killer" startup Wikia needs to make him enough money so he can buy a jet where he and Canadian girlfriend Rachel Marsden can have even more sex. Friends claim that Wales, worried Marsden would leak the chats, threatened her with blackmail charges over the transcripts, and talked about jail time and deportation back to Canada for her. That got her so upset she sent copies to one or more friends. They've landed in our inbox. Good job, Jimbo. The best bits:

Jimmy and Rachel plot a weekend getaway at a D.C. hotel:

Jimmy says he has to work on his "Google killer" so he can buy a jet:

Talking about broadband gets Rachel hot and bothered:

Rachel says she's recovering from the "marathon sex":

Jimmy worries Larry and Sergey are reading his IMs:

Wiki quickie has Jimmy Wales moving to New York

Owen Thomas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:00:08 PST

Why did Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales suggest Wikipedia move from Florida to New York last fall? His for-profit startup, Wikia, is based on the Peninsula; siting Wikipedia's nonprofit foundation across the country made little sense. In light of his fling with cantankerous Canadian Rachel Marsden, the New York-based TV commentator, Wales's Big Apple urges now seem clearer. We now hear he's told Marsden he intends to move to New York in April, after his lease on a San Francisco apartment expires.

How Wikipedia got Jimmy Wales laid

Owen Thomas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:00:54 PST

Men, if you want to win over a girl, don't post ads on Craigslist. Instead, help her clean up her Wikipedia page! It sure worked for Jimmy Wales. The twice-married, now-divorcing Internet stud met his current girlfriend Rachel Marsden through the site. Here's a brief recap of the Web courtship:

Marsden's entry, as fraught with controversy as her life, drew vociferous debate over wording and sourcing. In March 2006, Marsden announced on the site she would seek help from Wales.
Later that summer, Wales commented that the article was "over the top" and is said to have warned the page's editors.
By November 2006, there were reports that Wales had listened to Marsden's complaints in person.
In August 2007, Wales separated from his wife Christine and began seeking a divorce.
Most recently, a tipster tells us, Wales "sent a mass email to a 'special' Wikipedia list of admins at the beginning of February, right before he was set to spend the weekend with Marsden in DC. Said he wanted her page cleaned up."

Wikipedia founder's fling with Fox News fox

Owen Thomas — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:20:58 PST

Jimmy Wales loves to talk about "transparency" and "a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge." Unless it's about his scandal-prone girlfriend. Wales, who is divorcing his second wife Christine, has been secretly seeing conservative TV commentator Rachel Marsden since last fall, friends say. Wales apparently took notice of Marsden when Wikipedia users started an edit war over her page. Marsden, known as "Canada's Ann Coulter," has quite a history: She's been accused of stalking. She plead guilty to charges of criminal harassment in 2004. Most recently, she was escorted out of the Fox News building in New York after an alleged contretemps.

Wikipedia watchers have already noted Wales's close interest in Marsden's writeup; the controversy reportedly led to an in-person meeting.

"I was on a date that night in Georgetown with someone exponentially more high-profile and infinitely more secure in his manhood than [Fox News host] Greg Gutfeld," Marsden told Gawker earlier this month. That someone, it turns out, was Wales. Marsden later told my colleague Ryan Tate, while discussing an unrelated matter, that she thought Wales was "hot." She was being uncharacteristically discreet: In another conversation, she described the encounter as "24 hours of marathon sex."

Wikipedia's rules prohibit anyone from posting about the affair on Wales's page. That is, not until it's documented somewhere else online. For example, here.