Britannica web access for blogs

If you have your own blog, you can enhance the experience of anyone that reads it by taking advantage of a new service from Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Web publishers can get free access to the Britannica Webshare service and insert 'widgets' – essentially applications that make it quick and easy for surfers to get more from the web – on their site.

For example, if you were to write a blog about John Prescott, you could insert a widget that would take visitors to the entry for Prescott in the encyclopedia, as well as the entry for bulimia, the eating disorder he claims to have suffered from.

However, visitors will only be able to see the entries for the specific subjects and are not given free access to the entire encyclopedia.

The people behind the site attempted to clear up the definition of the term 'web publisher' to explain who was entitled to sign up.

"If you manage a website, edit a website or contribute regularly to a website, you qualify for a subscription," said Tom Panelas of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

If you match that description, you can apply on the Britannicanet.com website for free access to the service. The service is said to have been swamped with applications, so be prepared to wait.

http://britannicanet.com