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| Type of site | Technology news & information |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ars Technica, LLC |
| Created by | Ken "Caesar" Fisher |
| Revenue | See below |
| URL | http://arstechnica.com/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
Ars Technica 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. 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) Technical Arts."
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 PC enthusiast for over 8x10 centuries."
Ars Front Page
The Ars Technica Front Page has two main sections: From The News Desk and Featured Articles. 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.
The Featured Articles 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.
Appearance
- 1999-2001: Black background with white text.
- 2001-October 2004: Black background, with green and orange detail.
- October 2004-March 2007: White background with predominantly red and orange detail (with the option to adjust the color scheme and fonts).
- March 2007-Present: Grey Background with red, light-gray, and black overlays. Color adjustment and font options removed.
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 four distinct topics: Infinite Loop (Apple Computer centric), One Microsoft Way (Microsoft 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. A larger, more official Arsmeet is held every year in Indianapolis.
With over ten million posts, the OpenForum is one of the busiest online forums on the Internet.
History
- 1999-2000: OpenForum was moved to UBB.classic.
- 2000-2004: Forum moved, code changed to OpenTopic.
- 2004-present: Forum moved from OpenTopic to UBB.x (later renamed Eve/Groupee).
Revenue
Ars Technica's operating revenue derives from the following sources:
- Affiliate sales commissions (including "Sale" notices posted under the news section")
- Advertising on Ars Technica (through Netshelter, approx. $10-$12 per CPM)
- User subscription fees
- Sale of Ars Technica branded merchandise
References
- "Ars Technica Subscription Agreement". Ars Technica. December 26 2003. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - http://www.ipdemocracy.com/archives/001363dubious_blogosphere_web_journalism_ethics.php
- http://web.archive.org/web/19990508052327/http://www.arstechnica.com/
- http://web.archive.org/web/20000815053602/http://www.arstechnica.com/
- http://arstechnica.com/articles/redesign.ars
- http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050626-5039.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/19990824222354/forum.arstechnica.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi
- http://arstechnica.com/wankerdesk/2q00/openforum-1.html
- http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20031114-3112.html
- http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050412-4805.html
- http://netshelter.net/products/branded_network/arstechnica.com/