At the outset we considered simply adding to the law entries in Wikipedia, but we decided against it, temporarily, for several reasons:
- Wikipedia is designed to be a fairly closed system - tightly integrated and self-referential - and it somewhat discourages the use of external linkage. There are many valid reasons for that approach, and if we were in a different field, we would probably find them compelling. However, much of what we intend here rests on illustrations from a wide range of legal information that it would be both burdensome and unnecessary to incorporate into Wex - case law, statutes, and regulations used to illustrate and enhance the materials here. Thus, Wex is much more focused on external linkage than Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia intentionally segregates content genres (see Wikipedia is not a dictionary and Wikipedia sister projects).
- We intend to deliberately blur the distinction between dictionary, encyclopedia, and guidebook in ways that Wikipedia would find troublesome.
- Wikipedia aspires to a global perspective (see Wikipedia: countering systemic bias. We write from an American law perspective. In time, we may offer our material to Wikipedia, or otherwise merge our efforts with theirs.
See also: