Enter Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica is going to be available as a free, online wiki. That’s right, people will be able to edit the articles with even greater openness than Wikipedia currently allows, according the article, Enter Britannica in the Boston Globe. The new Wikipedia style Britannica is set to debut this summer.
Comment from S Williams
Time April 6, 2009 at 7:11 pm
The comments about Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia are interesting.
Encyclopaedia 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.