Britannica Online Kicks Wikipedia’s Butt :: It Isn’t Even Close

Growing up in a university family, both parents were professors, I was always surrounded by books. One vivid memory is the encyclopedias and dictionaries that filled our home.

Britannica was one of the encyclopedias. Big black books that took up two rows on the main family bookcase. Right next to Britannica sat the Oxford English Dictionary. Again, huge black books filled with information. Then, there was also the World Book, among others.

We would take them down when reading the paper or watching television and look up anything that we didn’t know about. We would read and enjoy it. I wonder, are kids still doing this today? Or, do they just pickup their nearby Wifi laptop and look things up, instead? Oh, please don’t tell me they are going to Wikipedia … and believing they are getting solid information. (Yes, I know they’re being fooled and doing it every day.)

For me, nothing beats a book. I love the fun of flipping through pages and finding something new.

Even better, a book (even online) that has real editors. So, my new found great Britannica Online reference brings me to an issue that bothers me greatly. Wikipedia and editors. Editors are important. Crucial. Read more