Ars Technica

Infobox Website
name = Ars Technica



caption = Ars Technica main page as of 2007-10-18.
url = http://arstechnica.com/
commercial = Yes
type = Technology news & information
registration =
owner = Condé Nast Publications
author = Ken "Caesar" Fisher
launch date = 1998
current status =
revenue = See below

Ars Technica (pronEng|ˌɑrz ˈtɛknɨkə, Latin for "Art of Technology")cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/site/about.ars|title=About Ars Technica|author=|publisher=Ars Technica|date=|accessdate=2008-03-16] is a technology-related website that caters to PC enthusiasts, covering technology, science, and gaming news along with editorial comment and analysis. Started in 1998 by Ken "Caesar" Fisher, Ars Technica is headquartered in Malden, Massachusetts. [cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/etc/subscribe/premier-agreement.html|title=Ars Technica Subscription Agreement|date=2003-12-26|accessdate=2006-12-25|publisher=Ars Technica] The site was independently owned until it was acquired by Condé Nast Publications in May 2008. [cite web|title=Geeks Crash a House of Fashion|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/19/business/media/19carr.html|date=2008-05-19|accessdate=2008-05-20|publisher=New York Times]

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."

Ars Front Page

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 2006, when IPDemocracy.com blogger Cynthia Brumfield accused Ars Technica of using material from her site without attribution [ [http://www.ipdemocracy.com/archives/001363dubious_blogosphere_web_journalism_ethics.php IP Democracy ] ] . Similar charges surfaced again in July 2007 [ [http://www.duncanriley.com/2007/07/17/does-ars-technica-rip-every-story-without-credit/ duncanriley.com » Does Ars Technica rip every story without credit? ] ] , and May 2008 [ [http://www.parislemon.com/2008/05/another-classic-rip-off-job-by-ars.html ParisLemon: Another Classic Rip-Off Job By Ars Technica ] ] .

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 Mac 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

"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-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 OpenForum

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 200 of their selection. [ [http://rankings.big-boards.com/?p=5 Forums Rankings - all software forums, all languages language, website ranking by posts ] ]

Revenue

Ars Technica's operating revenue derives from the following sources:
*Affiliate sales commissions (including "Sale" notices posted under the news section) [ [http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050412-4805.html Insane Dell Inspiron coupon deal (US$750 off US$1499), take two ] ]
*Advertising on Ars Technica (through Federated Media, approx. US$20 CPM) [ [http://www.federatedmedia.net/authors/arstechnica Ars Technica - Federated Media Publishing ] ]
*User subscription fees
*Sale of Ars Technica-branded merchandiseOn May 19 2008 it was announced that the site had been acquired from Ars Technica, LLC (the holding company formed of its founders) [cite web | url = http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080519-ars-technica-acquired-by-conde-nast-the-low-down.html | title = Ars Technica acquired by Condé Nast: the low-down | publisher = Ars Technica | date = 2008-05-19 | accessdate = 2008-05-20] [cite web|title=Breaking: Condé Nast/Wired Acquires Ars Technica|url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/05/16/breaking-conde-nastwired-acquires-ars-technica/|date=2008-05-16|accessdate=2008-05-16|publisher=TechCrunch] by Condé Nast Publications.

References

External links

* [http://www.arstechnica.com Official website]
* [http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums Ars OpenForum]