Nupedia: The Predecessor of Wikipedia
Nupedia was an online encyclopedia that aimed to create a free, multi-language repository of information. What set Nupedia apart was its stringent peer-review process, designed to ensure that articles met the high standards of traditional scholarly publications. Nupedia was operational from March 2000 until September 2003 and is best known today as the precursor to Wikipedia.
Founding and Structure
Nupedia was founded by Jimmy Wales and financially backed by Bomis, a web portal company. The project was spearheaded by Larry Sanger, who served as the editor-in-chief. The idea was to create an encyclopedia where articles were contributed by volunteers but reviewed by experts to ensure quality. The content was initially licensed under the Nupedia Open Content License, although it later switched to a more permissive license to encourage wider distribution and contribution.
The platform was not a wiki and did not allow for spontaneous editing by the general public. Instead, Nupedia employed a rigorous seven-step approval process to maintain academic quality. This method, however, made the process slow and cumbersome, which contributed to its eventual decline.
Articles and Content Creation
Articles on Nupedia were primarily written by volunteers who were experts in their respective fields, ideally holding a PhD or equivalent degree. The content went through multiple stages of review by other subject-matter experts before final publication. This was to ensure the correctness, neutrality, and comprehensiveness of the information presented.
Transition to Wikipedia
The slow pace of article publication due to the extensive review system led Larry Sanger to propose the use of a wiki-based model to expedite content creation. This resulted in the launch of Wikipedia in January 2001, just two days after the domain was registered. Wikipedia offered a more flexible and user-friendly approach to content creation and quickly overshadowed Nupedia due to its rapid growth and community-driven model.
Legacy
Despite its short lifespan, Nupedia laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most extensive repositories of human knowledge: Wikipedia. The transition from a closed, expert-driven system to an open, community-based one marked a significant shift in how information was created and consumed on the internet.