Digital Universe

According to Sanders, the expert wiki, is expected to be written and managed by experts,{{cite web |last1=Sanger |first1=Larry |author1-link=Larry Sanger |title=The Digital Universe in 2006 |url=http://www.dufoundation.org/blog/?p=8 |website=Digital Universe Blog |publisher=Digital Universe Foundation |access-date=6 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070331004426/http://www.dufoundation.org/blog/?p=8 |archive-date=31 March 2007 |date=20 January 2006 |url-status=dead}} while the public wiki, was expected to be editable by members of the educated public. However, according to Sanger, only registered users who have provided their real names will be permitted to edit this wiki. According to Sanger, an article rating system will be used for articles in the public wiki.{{cite web |last1=Sanger |first1=Larry |author1-link=Larry Sanger |title=Correcting some misconceptions about the Digital Universe |url=http://www.dufoundation.org/blog/?p=9 |website=Digital Universe Blog |publisher=Digital Universe Foundation |access-date=6 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715124036/http://www.dufoundation.org/blog/?p=9 |archive-date=15 July 2007 |url-status=dead}}

Around 2000 content pages existed as of August 2007. The Digital Universe claims the following featured portals: Earth, Energy, The Arctic, Texas Environment, U.S. Government, and Salton Sea.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The Earth portal is working on an Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE),{{cite web|title=Earth Portal |publisher=Earthportal.net |date=January 1, 2006 |author=Larry Sanger |url=http://www.earthportal.net/about/p/Author_Terms.pdf |accessdate=2006-09-21 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060710182507/http://www.earthportal.net/about/p/Author_Terms.pdf |archivedate=2006-07-10 |url-status=dead }} which will focus on the natural environment and its interaction with society.Cutler Cleveland (Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth), [http://news.cnet.com/5208-1038-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=12490&messageID=101336&start=-1 "More on the Wikipedia Alternative]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", CNET News.com, reader posting, January 9, 2006 It will limit editing privileges to experts, by attributing all edits to their authors, by changes being published publicly only after approval and by using an expert-developed taxonomy for articles.

EoE will use two parallel wikis, one "Stewarded", one "Public". The Stewarded wiki will be open only to "recognized scientific authorities" after their credentials have been reviewed.{{cite web|url=http://stewards.manyone.net/hosted/portalpages/2707/eoe.html|title=The Encyclopedia of Earth -- A Prospectus|access-date=May 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008220745/http://stewards.manyone.net/hosted/portalpages/2707/eoe.html |archive-date=October 8, 2007|url-status=dead|publisher=Earth Portal}} The EoE runs MediaWiki wiki software.Larry Sanger, posting in response to {{cite web |author1=Alex |title=Digital Universe and long odds |url=http://alex.halavais.net/digital-universe-and-long-odds/ |website=A Thaumaturgical Compendium |access-date=6 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071004210708/http://alex.halavais.net/digital-universe-and-long-odds/ |archive-date=4 October 2007 |date=2 February 2006 |url-status=live}}{{unreliable source|date=April 2024|reason=Comment on a Blog is not RS}} EoE is to use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 for its license.[http://www.earthportal.net/about/eoe/eoefaqs/ Frequently Asked Questions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721090249/http://www.earthportal.net/about/EoE/eoefaqs/ |date=2006-07-21 }}", Earth Portal (dead link as of May 16, 2007; not available via archive.org) Over 400 articles had been written by experts by January 2006.Art Jahnke,

[http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/news-cms/news/?dept=4&id=37632&template=4 "World's experts gather online BU cultivates a corner of the Digital Universe"]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Boston University (BU) Today, January 26, 2006

Principals of the Digital Universe project include Joe Firmage, USWeb founder; astrophysicist Bernard Haisch, president of the Digital Universe Foundation, and Larry Sanger. On 14 March 2006, the Digital Universe Foundation announced that Lawrence Lessig, Founder and Chairman of the Creative Commons Project, had joined the Digital Universe advisory board.[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-14-2006/0004319554&EDATE= "Prof. Lawrence Lessig Appointment Underscores Digital Universe Commitment to Bring Together Renowned Experts Across Disciplines"], March 14, 2006

In September 2006, Sanger announced that he had taken a "leave of absence" from Digital Universe "in order to set up a fully independent Citizendium Foundation".[https://lists.purdue.edu/pipermail/citizendium-l/2006-September/000476.html Citizendium-l: Citizendium launch plan as of September 26] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720033511/https://lists.purdue.edu/pipermail/citizendium-l/2006-September/000476.html |date=July 20, 2011 }}, posting by Larry Sanger, September 27, 2006, to sanger-lists@citizendium.org

In July 2006, the San Jose Mercury News reported that "Digital Universe, a non-profit based in Scotts Valley, is part of a complicated three-organization structure. ManyOne Networks is the for-profit arm of the operation, backed with angel investors and private investor funding that is developing the Digital Universe software. Its profits are funneled to the ManyOne Foundation, set up in Canada for tax purposes and to give the project a less U.S.-centric feel. Eventually, the foundation will acquire ManyOne Networks by buying out the investors at a fixed rate of return, Haisch said. The Digital Universe Foundation controls the content that is published online. It will issue grants to academics and researchers to produce work for the Web site. The plan is to create a self-sustainable organization through a mix of grants and revenue from premium services, such as high-resolution images and video and e-mail, with prices ranging from $7.95 to $49.95."John Boundreau, [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/15109345.htm "Digital Universe Wants to Assemble 'Information You Can Trust' About Science on its Web Site"], July 24, 2006, The Mercury News, accessed July 24, 2006 (accessible via [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&p_theme=sj&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Universe)%20AND%20date(7/24/2006%20to%207/24/2006)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=7/24/2006%20to%207/24/2006)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(%22Universe%22)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no paid archive] as of May 2007)

As of January 2006, US$10.5 million had been raised from investors and foundations for the Digital Universe project.Leslie Walker, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/18/AR2006011802251.html "A Universe of Good Intentions, A World of Practical Hurdles"], The Washington Post, January 19, 2006 ManyOne Networks plans to offer premium services for $7.95 a month and to sell Internet access. These revenues will be used in part to support the Digital Universe project. Firmage has stated that access to the basic Digital Universe content will always remain free and without advertisements.Dan Goodin, [https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2006-03-05-digital-universe_x.htm?POE=TECISVA "Website aims to build non-profit research storehouse"], Associated Press, March 5, 2006

In January 2006, the pilot version of Digital Universe was launched. This contained approximately 50 portals. Some visitors felt this version was confusing and difficult to navigate.Mike Langberg, [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmtmn/is_200601/ai_n16000849 "Firmage's `Universe' needs tweaks"], Mercury News, January 18, 2006 Aaron Barlow, an associate professor at New York City College of Technology, wrote that "the problem with this, from a horizontal point of view, is that important work that really should be part of the education of the individual is moved to the "experts" who provide the gatekeeping. A neterate person should know how to negotiate the web for accurate information without need of a guide; providing guides may only prevent people from being fully able to manage the Web for themselves."{{cite book|last=Barlow|first=Aaron|title=Blogging America: the new public sphere|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cCdulTN1LwYC&pg=PA95|year=2008|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-275-99872-1|page=95}}

• List of online encyclopedias

{{reflist|2}}

• {{home page|www.digitaluniverse.net/}}

Category:Online encyclopedias

Category:Internet properties established in 2006

Category:21st-century encyclopedias

Category:American online encyclopedias