Wikipedia has launched its Wikipedia Voice Intro Project (WikiVIP), a way for future generations to hear the voices of notable individuals such as celebrities and scientists.
The WikiVIP adds a 10 second voice recording of notable individuals to their Wikipedia biographies. This will enable future generations to hear what they sounded like, including people who are less likely to have appeared on television.
The first celebrity to have the new media tool on their Wikipedia page was Stephen Fry. He recorded a sample of his voice especially for WikiVIP.
In his recording he gave a very brief introduction about himself:
"Hello, my name is Stephen Fry. I was born in London and I’ve been in the entertainment business, well, I suppose since 1981".
Other voice recordings to be added to the project include those of Charlie Duke, a lunar astronaut, and Baron Knight of Weymouth, a member of the House of Lords.
The BBC is working alongside Wikipedia on the WikiVIP by providing recordings from the BBC archives. Volunteers have identified over 300 clips featuring notable individuals which are currently being processed and uploaded to Wikipedia articles.
