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Ars Technica

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Ars Technica
File:Ars Technica logo.png
Ars Technica as of January 28, 2009.
Ars Technica main page as of January 28, 2009.
Type of site
Technology news & information
OwnerCondé Nast Publications
Created byKen "Caesar" Fisher
RevenueSee below
URLhttp://arstechnica.com/
CommercialYes

Ars Technica (Template:PronEng), Latin for "Art of Technology"[1] is a technology-related website that caters to computer 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.[2] The site was independently owned until it was acquired by Condé Nast Publications in May 2008.[3] 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 10x10-2 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 [4]. Similar charges surfaced again in July 2007[5], and May 2008[6].

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.

Revenue

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

  • Affiliate sales commissions (including "Sale" notices posted under the news section)[7]
  • Advertising on Ars Technica (through Federated Media, approx. US$20 CPM)[8]
  • User subscription fees
  • Sale of Ars Technica-branded merchandise

On May 19 2008 it was announced that the site had been acquired from Ars Technica, LLC (the holding company formed of its founders)[9][10] by Condé Nast Publications.

See also

References

  1. ^ "About Ars Technica". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  2. ^ "Ars Technica Subscription Agreement". Ars Technica. 2003-12-26. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  3. ^ "Geeks Crash a House of Fashion". New York Times. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  4. ^ IP Democracy
  5. ^ duncanriley.com » Does Ars Technica rip every story without credit?
  6. ^ ParisLemon: Another Classic Rip-Off Job By Ars Technica
  7. ^ Insane Dell Inspiron coupon deal (US$750 off US$1499), take two
  8. ^ Ars Technica - Federated Media Publishing
  9. ^ "Ars Technica acquired by Condé Nast: the low-down". Ars Technica. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
  10. ^ "Breaking: Condé Nast/Wired Acquires Ars Technica". TechCrunch. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
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