What's the Diff? | Vol. 1: Anyone Can Edit Wikipedia. So Why Don't They?

Earlier this year we launched What's the Diff?, a data visualization series about Wikipedia's inner workings, built specifically for LinkedIn. Each issue features a single graphic based on publicly available data, pulling back the curtain on editing patterns, community dynamics, and other details most people never think to look for. A new one goes up most Wednesdays.

The name comes from Wikipedia jargon: a "diff" is a page that shows exactly what changed between two versions of an article, edit by edit. It felt right for a series about surfacing—as the tagline states—things about Wikipedia you didn't know you could know.

Here at Beutler Ink, we've been doing data visualization since the infographic boom of the early '10s — including one for The Simpsons' 500th episode and the Periodic Table of Breaking Bad. What's the Diff? is a return to those roots.

To see new "issues" as they drop, follow our founder and president Bill Beutler on LinkedIn. We're also compiling them into "volumes" and publishing them here at The Ink Tank. This is the first. Enjoy, and if you need help with Wikipedia or with presenting data so people actually understand it, we'd love to talk!