Biographicon

Infobox Website
name =The Biographicon



caption =
url = http://www.biographicon.com/
commercial =
type = web directory
language =
registration =
owner = self-owned
author = Daniel Terhorst, Ethan Herdrick
launch date = March 1, 2008
current status =
revenue =
slogan = all the people of the worldThe Biographicon is an online directory of biographies. The site also shows connections between individuals covered, and explains the circumstances under which they met. It is based on a wiki model of writing – anyone may edit or amend biographical entities.

The origin of the site was at the Startup School on October 15 2005, where computer programmer Ethan Herdrick was exposed to Paul Graham, founder of venture capitalist firm Y Combinator. On March 1 2008, Herdrick and business partner Daniel Terhorst launched the Biographicon with a small amount of seed funding and advice from Y Combinator. Herdrick serves as the company's Chief Executive Officer, while Terhorst is Chief Technology Officer.cite web
url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/01/biographicon-wants-to-be-wikipedia-for-the-non-notable/
title=Biographicon Wants To Be Wikipedia For The Non-Notable Masses
publisher=TechCrunch
accessdate=2008-04-06
last=Arrington
first=Michael
authorlink=Michael Arrington]

"The Wired Campus" has labelled the Biographicon "Wikipedia for non-notables" [cite web
url=http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/2859/wikipedia-for-non-notables
title=Wikipedia for Non-'Notables'
work=Wired Campus
publisher=The Chronicle of Higher Education
date=2008-04-01
accessdate=2008-04-05
last=Rampell
first=Catherine] in reference to the fact that unlike the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the Biographicon does not have a notability threshold for inclusion, operating under the tagline "all the people of the world". Writing for "The Independent", Rhodri Marsden comments that on the Biographicon, "anyone can put up details about themselves without fear of being nominated for deletion", though he observes that as the site operates using wiki software, "there's always the chance that someone will log in and alter your entry to include the time you cried on a school trip because someone stole your sandwiches."cite web
url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/04/cyberclinic-blo.html
title=Cyberclinic: Blowing your own trumpet
work=The Independent
accessdate=2008-04-11
last=Marsden
first=Rhodri
authorlink=Rhodri Marsden] "Ars Technica" describes it as "a potential "who's who" of world history." [cite web
url=http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080402-not-notable-enough-for-wikipedia-biographicon-wants-you.html
title=Not "notable" enough for Wikipedia? Biographicon wants you
publisher=Ars Technica
accessdate=2008-04-05
last=Anderson
first=Nate
date=2008-04-02] Michael Arrington of TechCrunch notes that at least for the time being, anyone can edit any page of the Biographicon, and that the directory will have to overcome the initial problem of making writing biographies for the site attractive enough to give it traction with a broad user base.

On August 3, 2008, a notice on the Website's blog announced that it would be shutting down permanently on August 21, 2008, due to a lack of use. The full text of the notice::"We regretfully report that we will be shutting the site down permanently on August 21, owing to insufficient user interest in the site. We thank everyone who has supported us, particularly our users. If you would like to get a copy of your biography after August 21, please email us at [e-mail]." [ [http://blog.biographicon.com/2008/08/03/biographicon-closing/ Biographicon closing, announcement.] Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.]

References

External links

*http://www.biographicon.com/