Microsoft, Closing Encarta, Can't Utter the Word Wikipedia

Strange to read about Microsoft’s plan to close Encarta today, if only because I can’t think of the last time that Encarta even entered my mind, and as a blogger, I’m a particularly heavy user of research resources. Wikipedia so dominates the top links in most categories that sources that used to pop up frequently, like Encarta and the good ol’ Encyclopedia Britannica have been made obsolete, much as there still should be room in the world for “official” content instead of content co-created by anyone who feels like it.

But the Encarta closure is emblematic of how the easy access to user-created content is destroying more carefully vetted sources, and that’s a shame. The same dynamic, of course, is now being felt across all forms of digital information.

It’s silly, but the official announcement of Encarta’s closing doesn’t mention the “W” word — Wikipedia — when that is so obviously the cause of its woes. Instead we get mealy-mouthed blather like this:

“Encarta has been a popular product around the world for many years. However, the category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed. People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past. As part of Microsoft’s goal to deliver the most effective and engaging resources for today’s consumer, it has made the decision to exit the Encarta business.

The Wall Street Journal also failed in getting a live human at Microsoft to say the “W” word (subscription required). A spokesperson told the WSJ, that closing Encarta is “one piece of a broader strategy to continue to evolve our product offerings to address the next wave of people’s search and research needs.”

Right. Reading this post may make people think I have something against Wikipedia. I don’t. But it would be great to use the closing of Encarta to open up a discussion about ways to make professional and user-created content co-exist.