More Proof That Print Isn't Dead

You know I'm a big believer that online pairs nicely with print. You won't hear me saying that books, newspapers, magazines, and the like are dead. In fact, my own Eaglon publishes online and offline in tandem for Media Bullseye and Cork & Knife.

That's why I was not surprised, but definitely pleased, to see the news that the German version of Wikipedia will be published in book form. Read more here.

Comments

[Bob LeDrew]

I have to say, this is a weird, weird story.

What's the business model for it? I can't see anyone paying for a resource that is handicapped by being (a) not free; and (b) out of date by definition; and (c) a 'selection' of articles.

[Chip Griffin]

I can't speak specifically to the German market, but do keep in mind that many folks still prefer to have hard copies of research. More important, as I understand it, the publisher will be adding real value to the online content by consolidating, verifying, and expanding upon it.

I also disagree that it will be "out of date" by definition. Wikipedia is a resource that tells a story about the past, not the present. While it can sometimes be used to track truly current events, it tends to work best when researching things that happened in the recent or distant past. You cannot rewrite history, you can only build upon it.