Ars Technica

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Ars Technica
Ars Technica main page as of 10/18/07
Ars Technica main page as of 10/18/07
URL http://arstechnica.com/
Commercial? Yes
Type of site Technology news & information
Owner Ars Technica, LLC
Created by Ken "Caesar" Fisher
Launched 1998
Revenue See below

Ars Technica (pronounced /ˌɑrz ˈtɛknɨkə/) is a technology-related website catering to PC enthusiasts. The Ars Technica web site is owned by Ars Technica, LLC, and is based in Malden, Massachusetts.[1] Started in 1998 by Ken "Caesar" Fisher, the site covers technology news and provides editorial and analysis. The name "Ars Technica" is a Latin phrase for "The Art of Technology."

The main content is a blog-style presentation of news stories and commentary, interspersed with advertising. Featured articles are less frequent but go into more depth.

It styles itself as "Serving the Technologist for over 8x10-2 centuries."

Contents

The Ars Technica Front Page has two main sections: From The News Desk and Features. The News Desk typically consists of short articles featuring analysis of technology and science-related news, with occasional forays into sci-tech related political commentary. The News Desk came under scrutiny in March of 2006, when IPDemocracy.com blogger Cynthia Brumfield accused Ars Technica of using material from her site without attribution. Ars writers Eric Bangeman and Nate Anderson apologized for the error.[2]

The Features section is sub-divided into two subsections:

  • From the journals contains a selection of recent posts from Journals.Ars.
  • Below the journals posts are a selection of recent featured articles such as in-depth features on science and technology issues, regular columns (such as those relating to Linux and OS X), hardware and software reviews, and the Ars System Guide - a regular feature that advises readers on which components to pick when building their own PCs, whatever their budget.

Links at the top of the front page provide access to deeper areas of the site, including regularly updated pages relating to subjects such as Technology and Culture, CPU Theory & Praxis, Hardware, etc. The content of articles often overlap the various categories, with non-column articles tending to be more technical in nature.

Journals.Ars is a section of the site where Ars staff writers post shorter, less formal articles discussing sci-tech news and rumors, often with more light-hearted commentary. The journals are categorized into six distinct topics: Infinite Loop (Apple Computer centric), One Microsoft Way (Microsoft centric), Open Ended (Open Source Software centric), Kit (Hardware centric), Nobel Intent (science centric), and Opposable Thumbs (video game and technology gadget centric).

Readers are able to add their own comments to Journals.Ars articles.

Ars Technica also maintains the OpenForum, an Internet forum dedicated primarily to discussion of technology-related topics. The forum is divided into many sub-forums covering a range of subjects, from specific operating system and networking discussion areas to more general forums dealing with business, socio-political issues and recreational pursuits. In common with the main site, the OpenForum contains many references to Ancient Rome, both in the titles of the sub-forums and the ranks assigned to each user.

Forum Members hold a number of "Arsmeets" every year so that members and readers alike can get together and meet one another in person.

With over ten million posts and 100,000 registered forum users, the OpenForum is an extremely large forum. Big-Boards.com, a website which lists a selection of forums, ranks it in the top 100 of their selection.[3]

Ars Technica's operating revenue derives from the following sources:

  • Affiliate sales commissions (including "Sale" notices posted under the news section)[4]
  • Advertising on Ars Technica (through Federated Media, approx. $20 CPM)[5]
  • User subscription fees
  • Sale of Ars Technica branded merchandise

  1. ^ Ars Technica Subscription Agreement. Ars Technica (December 26, 2003). Retrieved on 2006-12-25.
  2. ^ http://www.ipdemocracy.com/archives/001363dubious_blogosphere_web_journalism_ethics.php
  3. ^ http://rankings.big-boards.com/?p=5
  4. ^ http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050412-4805.html
  5. ^ http://www.federatedmedia.net/authors/arstechnica

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ars_Technica"
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