Wikipedia has far to go before it is as authoritative as encyclopedias created by professionals. But it has so much more depth and breadth than any other encyclopedia that the Encyclopaedia Britannica recently decided to take steps toward the Wikipedia model. It announced its own program for letting people contribute to entries, with a formal process for professional oversight.
Monday, April 06, 2009
For the defense ...
... Wikipedia's Old-Fashioned Revolution. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The comments about Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia are interesting.
ReplyDeleteEncyclopaedia Britannica did not think that an open source product like Wikipedia would significantly challenge the credibility of its brand. They were dead wrong and Encyclopaedia Britannica's staff seriously misread the global market. They are now very concerned about the widespread use of a free Wikipedia vs their paid subscription model. From a corporate and financial perspective, Encyclopaedia Britannica is in significant trouble.
It will be interesting to see if Encyclopaedia Britannica survives, but recent indications do not look good. It is the combination of a) the success of Wikipedia and b) improved search engines that has put financial pressure on Encyclopedia Britannica over recent years. Many libraries, schools & individuals are questioning the need to pay for sets of expensive books, or to subscribe to Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, when the content is free on the internet, and much more comprehensive.