Britannica Opens Up with Free Subscriptions

Mac Slocum
April 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Listen

Bloggers, journalists and other Web content creators can apply for free subscriptions to Britannica Online, the Web arm of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Taking a note from the Wall Street Journal, Britannica.com will also allow direct access ("deep-linking") to specific entries. The move is explained in a Britannica.com press release:

Access to much of the site, including full-text entries from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, normally requires a paid subscription. There’s an exception to that rule, however: When a Web site links to a Britannica article Web surfers who click on that link get the article in its entirety.

The press release also contains a curious quote from Britannica president Jorge Cauz:

The level of professionalism among Web publishers has really improved, and we want to recognize that by giving access to the people who are shaping the conversations about the issues of the day. Britannica belongs in the middle of those conversations. [Emphasis added.]

Britannica's decision is in line with the industry's broader move away from Web subscriptions, so how does Web publisher professionalism factor in?

(Via AppScout)

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1 Comments

Kunal Sen said:
May 1, 2008 5:16 PM

I should also point out that another easy way to find relevant Britannica articles is to subscribe to Google's Subscribed Link program (http://www.google.com/coop/subscribedlinks/directory/All_categories?start=10) and add EB. Now each time you search on Google, if there is a relevant EB content then it would be on the first page of Google results.

-- Kunal Sen (Britannica)

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