Encyclopedia
Britannica often is used in case studies as a definitive example of how new
technology can disrupt a business. Everything was great for the nearly 250 year
old privately held company until the Internet came around and a Category Five
hurricaned on their parade. According to Comscore, for every page viewed on
Brittanica.com, 184 pages are viewed on Wikipedia (3.8 billion v. 21 million
pave views per month). In short, they are a classic example of the Innovator's
Dilemma (see also the Music Industry). You can purchase the 32 volume
Britannica, which has 65,000 articles and 44 million words, for just $1,400. Or
you can access it on the web for $70 per year.
And now, you can get access to the online version for free through a new
program called
Britannica
Webshare - provided that you are a 'web publisher.' The definition of a web
publisher is rather squishy: "This program is intended for people who publish
with some regularity on the Internet, be they bloggers, webmasters, or writers.
We reserve the right to deny participation to anyone who in our judgment doesn't
qualify." Basically, you sign up, tell them about your site URL and a
description, and they review it and decide if you'll get in. I wonder if
Facebook, MySpace and Twitter users are eligible? They all certainly "publish
with some regularity on the Internet."