BRITANNICA MOVES TO CYBERSPACE
The venerable Encyclopaedia Britannica is making a leap of faith, and posting the contents of its entire 32-volume set on the Internet for free.
The 231-year-old company, which has reduced its workforce to 350 from a peak of 2,300 in 1989, hopes to shift its business model from hard copy sales to an online advertising basis, capitalizing on its impeccable credentials for accuracy in a world that's dominated by less-than-rigorous standards for information content.
"We want to become the most trusted source of information, learning and knowledge in the online environment," says Jorge Cauz, senior VP for marketing.
The company will continue to sell its printed sets and a CD-ROM version, but expects that the primary purchasers will be public libraries and higher education institutions.
Although some analysts say Britannica's online onslaught is too little, too late, Philip Evans, senior VP of Boston Consulting Group, notes that Britannica's brand name is "far better than Microsoft, Amazon or America Online" when it comes to "reliable and trustworthy information."
(Los Angeles Times 19 Oct 99)
<http://www.latimes.com/business/19991019/t00009438.html>
NewsScan Daily, 19 October 1999 ("Above The Fold")
<http://www.newsscan.com/>
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