Reference publishers also have had to contend with the emergence of informational sites, such as Wikipedia, a free online “encyclopedia” that “anyone can edit,” as it says on its home page. The entries are written by any number of people who submit content. The site encourages contributors to cite sources, but this practice isn’t strictly adhered to. The site is approaching 1.1 million articles, and publishes in multiple languages worldwide. While these types of sites offer an interesting community-based Internet experience, says Kobasa, World Book competes in a different space that is focused on providing reliable, expert-authored and reviewed articles for particular audiences looking for usable answers to pressing questions.
ref•er•ence pub•lish•ing n :industry segment faced with dramatic change
Reference publishers also have had to contend with the emergence of informational sites, such as Wikipedia, a free online “encyclopedia” that “anyone can edit,” as it says on its home page. The entries are written by any number of people who submit content. The site encourages contributors to cite sources, but this practice isn’t strictly adhered to. The site is approaching 1.1 million articles, and publishes in multiple languages worldwide. While these types of sites offer an interesting community-based Internet experience, says Kobasa, World Book competes in a different space that is focused on providing reliable, expert-authored and reviewed articles for particular audiences looking for usable answers to pressing questions.