Both academic writers and amateur enthusiasts will be able to submit articles, although they will be checked by the encyclopedia's professional staff.
Britannica, the oldest English-language encyclopedia still in print, is currently compiled by a team of 100 editors and up to 4,500 expert contributors. More...
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Britannica never thought that an open source product like Wikipedia would seriously challenge the credibility of its brand. They were 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 serious trouble.
ReplyDeleteIt 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 often much more comprehensive.
Yes! I think they are going to face some tough times. I have an entire Encyclopaedia set that I bought several years ago but which I have stopped using ever since it become so much more easier to find information on the internet. Even though I am not a big fan of Wikepedia, much of my information comes from other on-line sources. In any case, the future of traditional sources of information like the EB is not something I would bet on. Who knows how long Wikipedia will last before it too is kicked out by, say, Europeana...
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