User:DoctorWho42/Battlestar Wiki

Battlestar Wiki
File:BattlestarWiki.png
Battlestar Wiki front page
Battlestar Wiki front page
Type of site
Wiki
FoundedFebruary 2005
OwnerCommunal
Created byJoe Beaudoin Jr.
URLhttp://www.battlestarwiki.org/
CommercialNo
RegistrationOptional

Battlestar Wiki (often abbreviated to BSWiki or BW) is a wiki that is an encyclopedic reference for topics related to the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe, both the original and re-imagined series.

The contents of Battlestar Wiki are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial license. Because this license does not allow commercial reuse, it is incompatible with the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL), and material from the site cannot be copied into projects that use the GFDL.

History

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The site was launched by creator Joe Beaudoin, Jr. in February 2005.[1] It reached 2,500 articles on September 26 2007, with its article on Encyclopedia Galactica[2], and reached 3,000 with its article on penis lantern[3].

Content, licensing and international sites

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The site uses the wiki model and is hosted independently of Wikia, Inc. on the MediaWiki software. Wikia had offered $2,500 and 30% in advertising revenues for "free hosting" which was turned down in favor of transparency.[4][5]

As of December 2007, Battlestar Wiki contains 2,749 articles in its English edition. The over-all structure is inspired both by Wikipedia and The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5. The site is also available in Chinese, French, German, Malay, Spanish and Turkish. It also has a WordPress blog to keep members informed about the site.

Bradley Thompson[6], one of Battlestar Galactica's writers and television producers, uses the Wiki to answer questions under Official Communiques.[7]

Praise and criticism

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Battlestar Wiki has been described as "very accurate"[8] by Emory University's PhD candidate Sarah Toton.[9] Toton described the wiki membership as mostly in their "teens, twenties or thirties and male" and that "although this may seem like a forgone conclusions based on the stereotype of the sci-fi fanboy... the new BSG series has a very large female online at community sites such as live journal(sic)" and theorizes that the wiki format attracts more males than females.[8]

It was recognized as one of the top 10 Battlestar Galactica websites on the internet by AOL, being named the "Most Comprehensive".[10][11]

The site is featured on Illusion On-Demand's website.[12]

Science-fiction author, Jeffrey Carver, who novelized the Miniseries, remarked that the novelization's article was "truly mind-boggling in its excruciating attention to detail. Some of their speculations are interesting and fun, and some lead me to scratch my head. I'm torn between awe at the energy and intelligence devoted to this, and wanting to say, "Get a—!" But no, no, that's the last thing I would say to fans! Amazing, truly amazing what these people have pulled together."[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ "About Battlestar Wiki". Battlestar Wiki Blog. 2007-01-19. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  2. ^ Joe Beaudoin Jr. (2007-12-26). "Wait a frakkin' minute… didn't we celebrate her 29th birthday LAST year?". Battlestar Wiki Blog. WordPress. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  3. ^ Joe Beaudoin Jr. (2008-01-28). "Our 3000th article…? Penis lanterns ftw!". Battlestar Wiki Blog. WordPress. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  4. ^ "Battlestar Wiki buy-out… not gonna happen". Battlestar Wiki Blog. 2008-01-27. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  5. ^ "SyFriday: Living Life Out In The Open". Sy Fy Portal. 2008-02-01. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  6. ^ "User:Ngarenn". Battlestar Wiki. 2006-06-07. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  7. ^ "Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques". Battlestar Wiki. 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  8. ^ a b Toton, Sarah (2007-04-27). "Reimagining Fan Culture: The Long Journey of Battlestar Galactica" (pdf). MIT. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  9. ^ Sarah Toton. "Sarah Toton". Emery University. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  10. ^ Zack Barangan (2007-11-16). "Best Battlestar Galactica Fan Sites". AOL Television. AOL. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  11. ^ Staff Writer (2007-11-19). "SyFy Portal Named One Of 10 Best Sites". SyFy Portal. The SyUniverse Group. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  12. ^ "Battlestar Wiki". Illusion TV. Illusion Television. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  13. ^ Jeffrey Carver. "Wikis and Pedias and Obsessions, Oh My!". Pushing a Snake Up a Hill. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
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