Encyclopaedia Britannica to let readers edit content

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Encyclopaedia Britannica, the authoritative reference book first published in 1768, is to let readers edit its entries, it said Friday, as it battles to keep pace with Internet resources like Wikipedia.

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From next week, visitors to the publication’s website, Britannica.com, will be able to submit proposed changes to editors, who will check them and make alterations if they think they are appropriate.

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Users whose suggestions are accepted will then be credited on the site, the firm said in a statement.

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Jorge Cauz, president of the U.S.-based firm, insisted that the publication was not trying to be a wiki — a collection of web pages which allows users to edit content — like Wikipedia.

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“That’s the last thing we want to be,” he told the Times newspaper. “We are a different type of animal, catering to a different type of crowd…

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“Wikipedia contributes to the spread of information and many people are happy with it as their only source of reference, as are many people happy to eat McDonald’s every day.”

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But some technology commentators say the step is a doomed attempt to preserve Britannica’s subscription-based business model in the face of the challenge from Wikipedia, which is free.

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The Times reported that while Britannica.com attracts 1.5 million visitors per day, Wikipedia attracts roughly six million.

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