Wikimedia news/numero 88/en
Wikimedia News - Special edition, October 22, 2014
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Alessio Guidetti, known within Wikipedia as Cotton. He was treasurer of the association for about five years, from 2009 until last April. His death leaves an unfillable void in Wikimedia Italia.
We think that the best way to tell you who was Alessio Guidetti is to share the beautiful message that friends and volunteers of the Wikimedia movement wrote in his memory.
#ciaoCotton
Alessio Guidetti was the person running the newspapers' kiosk in front of the church of Chiesanuova in Padua, and he was a Wikipedian: a volunteer who participated in the construction of the online encyclopedia called Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is a web site used by millions of people. It is often said that the encyclopedia is written by everyone, but those who actually write it are not "everyone". Alessio is the exceptional person who produced the immense number of 60 000 contributions, created 600 new articles, improved a thousand ones; every day, for eight years, he donated his time to build a free encyclopedia for everyone.
A high school diploma from "liceo classico" and the beginning of the law studies at the University of Padua, with the username "Cotton", he has been a sysop of Italian Wikipedia since 2006. He was one of those people who assiduously eliminate vandalisms, checked contributions, discuss with the community. He translated texts and written new articles on art, cinema, music, literature, theater, mythology, geography, sport and about Hellas Verona, his beloved football team; the articles Alessio contributed to have been seen by hundreds of thousands of people.
In 2009 he was elected to the Board of Wikimedia Italia, the association that supports Wikipedia in our country. As a national representative he took part in the gatherings of the world community and in the international meetings of all Wikimedia association; he talked about Wikipedia at many conferences, he contributed to the formation of new volunteers and has held the office of treasurer of the association. Even after his decision of leaving the Board, he kept helping the newly-appointed treauser long after the formal handling of the responsibility. He was one of the most active supporters of Wikimedia Italia scholarships, a commitment that has brought thirty people to participate in events of the movement in the world, acquiring new skills and increasing their voluntary contribution not only for the Italian Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is a strange place. You read an article, and it's hard to imagine who wrote it; maybe you do not think that it is thanks to the person running the newspapers' kiosk in front of the church that the article exists. Anonymity is part of this world, but many people in Italy and abroad have experienced the great value of the contribution of Alessio even if the was "anonymous".
Always available, pragmatic, loyal, modest, with a biting and brilliant humor: Cotton was a friend and he deserves honor and gratitude for the contribution he has made to the knowledge on the Internet; he and his work will never be forgotten and will always be part of Wikipedia.
Iolanda Pensa -- iopensa
From the President
Andrea Zanni - Aubrey