Carrol
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 13:34:35 -0800 From: Larry Sanger <lsanger at nupedia.com> To: MARHST-L at post.queensu.ca Subject: Open content encyclopedia calls for submissions about history
A major new encyclopedia project, Nupedia.com, requests expert help in constructing an "open content" encyclopedia, planned to become the largest general encyclopedia in history. The project has significant financial support, and its leaders and owners are committed to a years-long, intensive effort -- to founding an open, public institution.
If you are an expert in any subject, your participation in the project will be welcome. We are in need of well-qualified writers, editors, and peer reviewers, and will be doing searches for subject area editors. Moreover, if you are a good writer and researcher, you may be interested in contributing short biographies, descriptions of cities, and other brief entries.
What does it mean to say the encyclopedia is "open content"? This means that anyone can use content taken from Nupedia articles for almost any purpose, both for-profit or non-profit, so long as Nupedia is credited as the source and so long as the distributor of the information does not attempt to restrict others from distributing the same information. Nupedia will be "open content" in the same way that Linux and the Open Directory Project (dmoz.com) are "open source." As has been the case with those projects, we plan to attract a huge body of talented contributors.
Because Nupedia will be open content, it will be in a freely-distributable public resource created by an international public effort. It is not an exaggeration to say that your contributions would help to provide an international public a free education. We believe Nupedia is, thus, a project worthy of your attention.
Since making our initial press release a week ago, about 700 people from around the world have signed up as Nupedia members, including some very highly-qualified people (e.g., Ph.D.'s in very many subject areas).
If you want to join us or stay apprised of the progress of Nupedia, please take a minute to go to the Nupedia website at http://www.nupedia.com/ and become a member. (Becoming a member is quick, easy, and free.)
Thank you very much for your attention.
Larry Sanger, Ph.D. expected May 2000 Philosophy, Ohio State Editor-in-Chief, Nupedia.com San Diego, California
P.S. If you wish to help promote this project -- something we would greatly appreciate -- please do forward this announcement to any *appropriate* forums and to colleagues you think may be interested (including your local/departmental mailing lists and newsgroups). Or, if you would rather that Nupedia make the announcement on a forum you frequent, please just give us a pointer to the forum and we can take it from there.