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Wikipedia goes Print.

German based Bertelsmann AG announced last week that it will offer a yearly Wikipedia Encyclopedia.  The content of the book will be built with articles, derived from the 50000 most sought words in Wikipedia of that year.

The project has apparently nothing to do with the Pedia Press project.

The official AP article concludes with following statement:

“The approach of ‘Wikipedia in One Volume’ is to give the people the information they are looking for,” he said, contrasting that approach to the process of publishing a traditional encyclopedia put together by a select group of people behind closed doors.

“This is the most important difference from traditional encyclopedias,” he said. “It’s also an important thing in that the sense of the Wikipedia spirit will go into this printed volume.”

I think that it is not the best way of using the power of print.  The power of Wikipedia is being an ever evolving online knowledge base, written by its users.  Giving the people what they are looking for, is already established.  On the internet, searchable, indexed with links as references.   People are printing articles from Wikipedia when they want to use it apart from their computer or desktops.  Presentation at school, project work, … The true power of print for Wikipedia is giving people such tools.  Offer them quality prints, booklets, presentations, … from articles they select.  Let them order as many items as they want to from those composed documents.

I find it hard to see a use for a yearbook of Wikipedia in a One Volume Printed edition.   To its end users there is no difference with a old fashioned encylopedia.  The difference should be made in the experience of consuming print, not in the offered content.