Classroom Companion: Business

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. Fig. 19.9 Facebook modeled using the SRM. (Authors’ own figure)
 
Chapter 19 · Digital Business Models

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297
19
 Case Study 19.4 Wikipedia
Wikipedia offers an online encyclope-
dia in several languages via its website 
7
wikipedia. org
 and the Wikipedia 
app for mobile devices. The content of 
Wikipedia is created by thousands of con-
tributors. These contributors write new 
content on Wikipedia and edit, correct, 
update, and quality-check content from 
other authors. Wikipedia is used by mil-
lions of readers from all over the world.
Wikipedia is an example of the com-
mons-based peer production (CBPP) 
business model. In CCBP, as explained 
in 
7
Chap. 
7
, the value proposition is 
not produced by a firm but by a poten-
tially large number of people who, in 
a collaborative way, contribute to the 
development of the service, normally, 
not receiving any financial reward for 
their contribution. The reward may be 
in the form of recognition, respect, or 
the satisfaction of having contributed 
to the evolution of the content. CBPP 
requires effective mechanisms to ensure 
collaboration between peers across dis-
tance, cultures, and timespans since the 
collaborators may come from all over 
the world. Recovering the costs of run-
ning and developing the service depends 
on donations and public or private fund-
ing. The benefactors providing these 
donations do not gain any direct revenue 
from the digital service receiving the 
donations.
Wikipedia is modeled using the BMC 
in 
.
Fig. 
19.10
. The value proposition 
is access to the online encyclopedia (1). 
Wikipedia is available for free to users 
(readers) on 
7
wikipedia. org
and the 
Wikipedia app (2). Hence, it is considered 
to be a public good. Wikipedia is created 
by many writers who edit, create, and 
manage Wikipedia articles through an 
online editing service (3). Key partners are 
the benefactors who provide all the rev-
enue needed to run Wikipedia (4). Even 
Key partners
Key activities
Key resources
Value proposition
Cost structure
Customer segments
Revenue streams
Customer relationships
Channels
Readers
wikipedia.org
Content
development
Benefactors
Infrastructure
Wikipedia app
Infrastructure
4
Online
encyclopedia
Personell
Donations
Editing service
Writers
Fundraising
1
3
5
2
. Fig. 19.10 Wikipedia modeled using the BMC. (Authors’ own figure)