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{{Getting Started}}
'''[[Welcome_to_Citizendium|Citizendium]]''' is a wiki for providing free knowledge where contributors use their real names. We regard information as a public good and welcoming anyone who wants to share their knowledge on virtually any subject. Our online community prides itself on being congenial and supportive.
The ''Citizendium'' ([http://www.citizendium.org/cit.mp3 sit-ih-ZEN-dee-um]), a "citizens' compendium of everything," is an open wiki project aimed at creating an enormous, free, and'' reliable ''encyclopedia. The project, started by a founder of Wikipedia, aims to improve on the Wikipedia model by adding "gentle expert oversight" and requiring contributors to use their real names.  We have over 1,000 articles and hundreds of contributors.  But we will avoid calling the'' Citizendium ''an "encyclopedia" until the project's editors feel comfortable putting their reputations behind that description.


Citizendium's contributors help create online encyclopedia articles that are different from what Wikipedia now offers.  We recognize Wikipedia's limitations, and that's why we support Citizendium as an alternative or supplement.  The Citizendium provides a different kind of collaborative environment than Wikipedia now offers: '''we use real names''', so you always know whom you are dealing with, and we have a modest number of active authors so that it becomes possible to know each other well.  We strive for objectivity and quality--and civility.  Please see [[CZ:We_aren't_Wikipedia|We aren't Wikipedia]] for more details about how the two platforms differ. 


'''Why necessary'''
It is okay to use The Citizendium as a staging area for an article to be copied elsewhere later (such as to Wikipedia, where it will likely be seen by more eyes), as long as the article meets our stylistic and content guidelines.  Copying our articles to another platform is legal, with the following caveats: the article remains behind on The Citizendium (may not simply be deleted), and at its new home, attribution is given to The Citizendium as per our site license.  In fact, we find these cases interesting to watch over time, to see how the two parallel articles evolve in their different hosts.


We believe this project is necessary, and justified, because the world needs a more reliable free encyclopedia.  We hope to create one by giving people a place to work under the direction of experts, and by expecting personal accountability--including the use of real names.  In short, we want to create a'' ''responsible community and a good global citizen.
We are a growing community, and we'd like to invite you to join us in building Citizendium! ''Please use our {{ApplicationForm}}''. It typically takes a few days to get a response for an application, so please be patient.
 
 
'''Our goal'''
 
What's our goal?
 
As to quality, our goal is to capture humanity's multivarious understanding of reality, and thereby to paint a maximally broad and detailed portrait of our universe as accurately as we understand it. An indispensible means to this end is the involvement of many experts who will help guide and, ultimately, approve many of our articles.  We expect our approved articles to be, in the long run, as authoritative, error-free, and well-written as encyclopedia articles can be expected to be.
 
As to quantity, we hope to grow to hundreds of thousands of articles within a few years, and millions a few years after that.  This is not the traditional goal of encyclopedias, which has been to offer up only mainstream views of the most important aspects of the most important topics.  Cheap disk space and bandwidth, and the potential of participation by ultimately ''millions'' of people, means that we can capture humanity's understanding of reality with far more nuance and detail.
 
We also want to create a new sort of online community.  We welcome experts as well as the general public; we will be built not by top-down orders but as and where contributors wish to work; and we will be organized as a republic governed by a rule of law.  This last means that there will be no "dictators," but a regularly changing group of people tasked to manage a public trust in conformity with a relatively stable code of rules.  It also means that we will have very little tolerance for the sort of immature disruption and abuse that plagues so many other Internet communities.
 
 
'''Please join us!'''
 
While we need many expert editors involved (some have [http://www.citizendium.org/editortestimonials.html explained why they're involved]), most of our contributors are "authors," not editors, and most lack PhDs.  Many lack any degrees at all.  The project is expert-led, not experts-only.  To get involved, first, join [[CZ:CFA|register as an author]]; second, join [http://smf.citizendium.org/ the project forums] and contribute your thoughts to the discussion; third, [https://lists.purdue.edu/mailman/listinfo/citizendium-l join Citizendium-L] for important announcements.  Editor applicants send a CV and proof of ''bona fides'' separately, but they can get involved as authors relatively quickly; for more information on editor applications, again, see [[CZ:CFA|our call for applications]].
 
 
'''International scope'''
 
While we have launched only in the English language, this is a digital and international project, with active participants from around the world.  There is no central office; the editor-in-chief is in Ohio, our five servers and technical manager are in Chicago, and our current umbrella organization, the Tides Center, is in San Francisco.  If the English language project appears to work well, we will launch in a number of other languages.
 
 
'''Our progress so far'''
 
We first announced plans for this project on September 15.  Our pilot project got underway in early November, and we entered a "beta" phase, inviting public viewing and participation, in late March.  While still a private pilot project, we gained over 180 expert editors and over 800 authors, who together created or began revising over 1,100 articles.  At the same time, thousands of messages have been exchanged on our forums and mailing lists.  We are a vital and growing project, as [[CZ:Statistics|our statistics page]] shows.
 
 
'''We're nonprofit and user-supported: we need your support'''
 
We are a nonprofit project, in order to ensure maximum participation and the independence of our information.  We're nearly 100% volunteer.  But server rentals, bandwidth, and basic personnel are all ongoing costs.  So we need your help to sustain this important work: [https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=15045 donations are tax-deductible].  The ''Citizendium'' is a project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  We will be associated with Tides throughout 2007 and intend to become an independent nonprofit probably in 2008.
 
 
=== Essential links ===
 
'''[http://en.citizendium.org/ The Wiki] - consult the wiki for many more essential documents'''
 
 
'''Essentials'''
 
* [http://www.citizendium.org/fundamentals.html Statement of Fundamental Policies]
* [[CZ:CFA| Join us!]] to participate in the ''Citizendium'' Pilot Project
* [http://www.citizendium.org/release_003.html Latest press release]
* Older press releases: [http://www.citizendium.org/release_001.html|1] | [http://www.citizendium.org/release_002.html|2]
 
 
'''Project organization'''
 
[http://smf.citizendium.org/ The project forums] -- [http://forge.citizendium.org/ Software forge]<br />[[CZ:Mailing_lists|Project mailing lists] -- [http://blog.citizendium.org/ Our blog][https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=15045 Donate] -- [[CZ:FAQ#Contact_the_Project|Contact the Project]]
 
 
'''Further reading'''
 
'''[[CZ:FAQ|FAQ]]''' sections:
 
* [[CZ:FAQ#Introductory_and_Most_Important_Topics|Introductory and Most Important Topics]]
* [[CZ:FAQ#Funding_and_Related_Issues|Funding and Related Issues]]
* [[CZ:FAQ#Project_Management_and_Partnership_Issues|Project Management and Partnership Issues]]
* [[CZ:FAQ#The_Role_of_Editors|The Role of Editors]]
* [[CZ:FAQ#The_Justification_and_Prospects_of_the_Project|The Justification and Prospects of the Project]]
* [[CZ:FAQ#Wikipedia_and_the_Citizendium|Wikipedia and the ''Citizendium'']]
* [[CZ:FAQ#International_Prospects_of_the_Citizendium|International Prospects of the ''Citizendium'']]
* [[CZ:FAQ#Contact_the_Project|Contact the Project]]
 
 
 
'''Manifesto and background reading'''
 
[http://www.citizendium.org/essay.html Toward a New Compendium of Knowledge] (September 2006; original project manifesto; outdated, but articulates the grounds for the project; [essay_shorter.html shorter version])
 
[http://www.citizendium.org/whyczwillsucceed.html Why the ''Citizendium'' Will (Probably) Succeed] (March 2007)
 
[http://www.citizendium.org/editortestimonials.html Why ''Citizendium ''editors are involved: some testimonials] (compiled winter 2006-7)
 
 
'''Related essays:'''
 
[http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/sanger07/sanger07_index.html Who Says We Know: On the New Politics of Knowledge] (''Edge.org,'' April 2007)
 
[http://www.citizendium.org/collab_prof.html How to Think about Strong Collaboration among Professionals] (text of keynote at Handelsblatt IT Congress from Jan. 30, 2007)
 
[http://www.citizendium.org/roomforexperts.html Why Make Room for Experts in Web 2.0?]  (text of keynote at SDForum from Oct. 24, 2006)
 
[http://www.citizendium.org/contentbrokers.html The Role of Content Brokers in the Era of Free Content] (articulates one of the Citizendium Foundation's concepts for funding free content)
 
''Larry Sanger is the author of the above writings, unless otherwise noted.  Others are welcome to submit essays in a similar vein.''

Latest revision as of 21:06, 31 October 2023

Citizendium is a wiki for providing free knowledge where contributors use their real names. We regard information as a public good and welcoming anyone who wants to share their knowledge on virtually any subject. Our online community prides itself on being congenial and supportive.

Citizendium's contributors help create online encyclopedia articles that are different from what Wikipedia now offers. We recognize Wikipedia's limitations, and that's why we support Citizendium as an alternative or supplement. The Citizendium provides a different kind of collaborative environment than Wikipedia now offers: we use real names, so you always know whom you are dealing with, and we have a modest number of active authors so that it becomes possible to know each other well. We strive for objectivity and quality--and civility. Please see We aren't Wikipedia for more details about how the two platforms differ.

It is okay to use The Citizendium as a staging area for an article to be copied elsewhere later (such as to Wikipedia, where it will likely be seen by more eyes), as long as the article meets our stylistic and content guidelines. Copying our articles to another platform is legal, with the following caveats: the article remains behind on The Citizendium (may not simply be deleted), and at its new home, attribution is given to The Citizendium as per our site license. In fact, we find these cases interesting to watch over time, to see how the two parallel articles evolve in their different hosts.

We are a growing community, and we'd like to invite you to join us in building Citizendium! Please use our application form (Google Account required). It typically takes a few days to get a response for an application, so please be patient.

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