Instead of actually competing with online encyclopedias, according to sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer, Britannica’s resorted to the tactics of porn sites. They appear to offer a free 1-year subscription to Encylopaedia Britannica Online on the package, but that’s not what you really get.
“No, it’s a free one-year trial of Britannica Online that auto-renews at $49 if you don’t cancel it before the end of the year. You have to give a credit-card number to claim your “free” subscription, and if you don’t cancel on just the right day you either (a) get charged more than you paid for the effing DVD in the first place, or (b) get something less than the year you were promised because you canceled early.
F*ck that noise. In its quest to beat Wikipedia at its own game, instead of taking lessons in how online access should be done, they’ve copied the ploys used by porn sites, Classmates.com, and other shady dealers. When will they ever learn?”
Sawyer is less than impressed, calling the move a “bone-headed stunt.”
Link.
Comparing them to Classmates.com is no small insult, either, as Sawyer’s also written about his distaste for their tactics. The first sentence of which is “These bastards suck.”
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