Wales's deep thought, which ends the piece:

I like to think about how there are about a billion people online now, and in the next five to 10 years there is going to be the next billion coming online. Interesting things are going to happen.

Those who have attended Wales's speeches know this is par for the course; Wales says things that seem like they ought to be interesting, but are, on inspection, not. Only the ranks of cultishly fervid listeners hanging on his every word manage to create the illusion of importance.

Indeed, the illusion of importance is what unites Wales and Wikipedia. W managed to find Wales's first wife, Pam, who recounts how Wales in his 20s dreamed of owning a castle and being a millionaire before he was 40.

Instead, he ended up as an options trader. He often couches his biographies to suggest that the money he made trading options let him fund Bomis, the porn portal from which Wikipedia sprang. The truth, people close to Wales say: He was an utter failure as a trader, and the money behind Bomis came from somewhere else. Wikipedia, as a nonprofit, has not paid off for Wales; nor has, to date, Wikia, his for-profit wiki startup, which he has mostly neglected.

Wales has been a failure at love, too. After Pam came his second wife, Christine, from whom he is separated. His entanglement with Canadian political pundit Rachel Marsden was brief, torrid, and ill-fated. He has estranged some of his oldest friends, substituting celebrities like Bono and Desmond Tutu for them.

With neither money nor love, what's left? Fame, but of an empty sort; the kind of fame that leads to strangers Twittering about him in airports. Not a fame that profits Wales, except for the speaking fees; and not a fame that makes his life better. His quest for money has veered strangely off course. Middle-aged, muddle-brained, and middle-income, Wales has realized none of his original ambitions. And the worst part? Everyone knows it.

(Photo by Anthony Blasko/W Magazine)

What would have happened had Rachel Marsden was left with more than just a few articles of clothing after those steamy days with Wikipedia founder Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales? Nothing good.

I have to admit, out of all the babies, Marissa Mayer and Zack Bogue's faux-offspring is the least horrifically ugly.

"IT Girl" Julia Allison is ostensibly dating Iminlikewithyou founder Charles Forman. But with that lack of resemblance, could Allison be covering for another lover?

Because Forman and Tumblr founder David Karp are very, very close. Looks like Allison is just the beard and Karp is the Forman baby's daddy.

Will Gawker start buying "Julia Allison" ads, to cement its ownership of that unhappy subject? Will Valley entrepreneurs buy their own names as keywords, to prevent rivals from doing so? Will we all eventually pay a tax to Google — advertise our side of the story, or let others tell us for it? All intriguing. While you muse over that, I'm going to start pricing out "Jason Calacanis" ads.

Marsden, who is seeking to have her biography removed from Wikipedia altogether, writes:

It would appear that the approach you describe directly contradicts the spirit of the CDA, which claims that Internet providers are merely providing a blank bulletin board, where people can post whatever they want. That is only true, however, insofar as the owners of the bulletin board do not interfere with what is posted there. It is my understanding, based on extensive legal consultation, that the moment they decide to take action regarding postings, they are liable for everything that is on it.

Jimmy Wales, my ex-boyfriend and Wikimedia Board member, admits publicly to having my article altered. In other words, he is admitting that he is essentially responsible for the content of the bulletin board—he can influence what it says, and the law says that since he can, he should. In other words, the safe harbour—I am not responsible for what people post on my bulletin board—goes right out the window.

But the question isn't so much Marsden's page, or her individual case. If she does not test the law, someone else will. The larger question is whether Wikipedia loses its legal protections if its board members or employees involve themselves in any way in the editing of the site. The answer may well lie in the courts, thanks to Wales's thoughtless actions. If that happens, Wikipedia will not be the better off for it. But why should Wales care? He got his fling.

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)

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)

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.

Before he split with Canadian journalist Rachel Marsden, Wales talked about taking her with him — first class, of course — to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, where the event will take place. I wonder if he ever mentioned that to organizers, and who, if anyone, he'll squire in her stead.

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.

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?

Merkey's extortion charge:

According to Merkey, in 2006, Wales agreed that in exchange for a substantial donation and other financial support of the Wikimedia Foundation projects, Wales would use his influence to make Merkey's article adhere to Wikipedia's stated policies with regard to internet libel "as a courtesty" and place Merkey under his "special protection" as an editor. Merkey later withdrew his financial support of the Wikipedia project after reviewing evidence of diversion and mismanagement of the charities funds by Wales and the Wikimedia Board of Trustees and was immediately banned from the Wikipedia site by the Arbitration Committee for frivilous and unsubstanciated claims after he terminated the payments of $5,000.00 per year to the Wikimedia Foundation.

Marsden's lawsuit threat:

(Photo of Wales via Partial Immortalization)

FULL COVERAGE:

• Wikipedia founder's fling with Fox News fox
  
• Jimmy Wales's other other women

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

"Wales had a brief relationship with Canadian journalist Rachel Marsden. [1] In March 2008, Marsden attracted media attention when she claimed that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales had used Wikipedia to end a relationship with her. She then auctioned a t-shirt and sweater she claimed to be his on eBay. [2]" No mention of Wales's three more significant acts which have damaged Wikipedia's geek cred.

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.

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)

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.

Forget the bimbo eruptions. Rachel Marsden wasn't Wales's first wild fling, and it won't be his last. Wales used to run Bomis, which he describes as a "Web portal" and the rest of the world calls a "porn site."

What Wikipedians need to ask is where their money is going. Ads have been appearing on Wikipedia for months soliciting donations, ostensibly to pay for bandwidth and other costs of running the site. How will those donors feel when they learn that they funded Wales's extravagant trips? (In his chats with Marsden, he brags about how he flies first class, though he only got first-class tickets when flying on a speaker's dime.)

And ultimately one can't really separate money and sex. Wool suggests Wales visited a massage parlor on a trip to Russia — and expensed the subway ticket he used to get there. To what extent has Wales mixed business and pleasure? Only Devouard and the other staff at Wikimedia Foundation, the charity which runs Wikipedia, know for sure. But the IRS, which must approve of Wikimedia's nonprofit status, may start asking questions.

"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.

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

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 :).

FULL COVERAGE:

• Wikipedia founder's fling with Fox News fox
  
• How Wikipedia got Jimmy Wales laid
  
• Wiki quickie has Jimmy Wales moving to New York
  
• Transcripts of Wikipedia founder's sex chats
  
• Four hot pics of Wikipedia guy's girlfriend
  
• The goodbye email from Jimmy Wales's girlfriend

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:

• 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 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.