US: Publishers join to launch user generated book

Posted by Allie Judson on November 20, 2006 at 11:44 AM

The user content generated “wiki” revolution is starting to spread beyond the Internet. Publishing group Pearson PLC is teaming up with top business schools, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School, to created a user content generated book.

The non-profit project, “We Are Smarter Than Me,” was inspired by the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which encourages users to post stories and additions on the website. The book will consist of stories, articles, and experiences about the international business community and its connection to the Internet. The user content movement has already popped up in other areas of the media industry including online newspapers and local user communities that encourage the “citizen journalists” to post their own news stories.

People interested in writing for the book can go to WeAreSmarter.com and post their experiences for print. Experts and users alike have been impressed and even surprised by the power of groups of people to spread information through sites like this.

Because of the success, Wikipedia has been working on another site named Wikia. This time the site will include advertising and will link users to other user content sites on a variety of topics from Star Wars to psychology.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post

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