Online rival for Wikipedia

13 April 2012

A rival to online encyclopaedia Wikipedia is to be launched by one of the site's original founders, it emerged today.

Larry Sanger, who helped create the site in 2001 and is now one of its fiercest critics, intends to bring more order to accessing knowledge on the internet than Wikepedia with his latest venture by drawing up measures of creative authority.

Wikipedia is available to and written by anyone on the internet. But its openness has also drawn charges of unreliability and left it vulnerable to disputes, particularly on politically sensitive topics.

In Mr Sanger's version - called Citizendium - it will be open to submissions from anyone, but the power to authorise articles will be given to editors who can prove their expertise, as well as to volunteer "constables" who will keep the peace between warring interests.

Accusing Wikipedia of failing to control its writers and editors, he said: "The latest articles don't represent a consensus view - they tend to become what the most persistent 'posters' say."

Mr Sanger said he had financial backng from an unidentified foundation for his venture, while a web hosting company was providing its services free. Volunteers could become editors of his encyclopaedia if they can show "minimum levels of qualification".

Citizendium will be open "within the next few days" to a limited number of invited editors and members of the public who apply, and will be generally available by the end of the year, Mr Sanger said.

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