Category: Projects
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EU copyright reform could threaten wiki encyclopedias
If we are to believe its critics, under the pending EU copyright reform legislation, the EU would implement a “link tax” across all of Europe. So if you link to a news article, for example, including a text snippet, then you’d have to pay a fee. When Spain tried this, Google News simply discontinued service…
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Teaching reading — two suggestions
America’s literacy problems could be solved if parents, preschool teachers, and daycare workers did just two simple things. One is obvious. One is not. First, we should read a lot more to our babies, toddlers, and preschoolers — say, at least an hour per day. That means picking up a good old-fashioned book, putting a kid in…
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Some thoughts, 15 years after Wikipedia’s launch
It’s been 15 years since I announced the opening of the new Wikipedia.com site, with a little message that said: http://www.wikipedia.com/ Humor me. Go there and add a little article. It will take all of five or ten minutes. –Larry I am still sometimes called “Wikipedia’s sharpest critic,” but if you actually look at the panoply of…
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Infobitt’s Future, and Mine
I’ve just posted the following announcement to the big Infobitt mailing list. ======= Friends, I have some unfortunate news. While I don’t wish to give up on Infobitt, we have run out of money. I’ve let the programmers go, and I’m looking for a job myself. But I’ll still be contributing, and I hope you…
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I kept my “no social media during work” pledge just fine
As I wrote in my last blog post, I’m pledging to abandon social media networks when I am at work, except for narrowly defined work purposes. And I’m asking you to hold me to it and slag me mercilessly if you catch me at it! And I’m inviting you to take the pledge, too! Yep, so for one…
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Important Stories Are Hard to Find (Part 2: 4 Reasons the World Needs Infobitt)
I’m sharing four different reasons why the world desperately needs Infobitt. The first was that we have a right to edit the news—that hard, front page news needs input from “we, the people.” And now: Reason #2. The most important stories of the day are hard to find. Look at CNN.com, FoxNews.com, even NYTimes.com. I frequently find…
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4 Reasons the World Needs Infobitt
This week, Infobitt will welcome thousands of new members (people waitlisted following my Reddit AMA). So, in the coming days, I’ll be sharing a different reason why the world desperately needs Infobitt. Reason #1. We have a right to edit the news. We have a voice in government—we also deserve a role in the Fourth Estate, one…
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The top 10 things for contributors to know about Infobitt (that aren’t obvious)
So you’re interested in contributing to Infobitt.com, eh? Excellent! Here’s what you need to know. 1. You gotta understand our mission. If you don’t get it, you won’t be motivated. Read about our mission further down in the FAQ. Hint: our aim isn’t just to make “another citizen journalism site.” That would be boring. Our aim is to organize…
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How we can organize the news (short version)
This is the first public discussion of Infobitt. You can now sign up for an account without an invitation. We’re starting a 100,000-person pledge drive: when we reach 100,000 pledges to add one fact, we’ll ask everybody to show up at once! We’ve also opened up our daily newsletter and have kicked off a discussion group.…
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How we can organize the news (long version)
This is the first public discussion of Infobitt. We did a soft launch recently, meaning you can sign up for an account without an invitation (but that’s the only way you can see the site, for now). We are starting a 100,000-person pledge drive (when we reach 100,000 pledges to add one fact, we’ll ask everybody…