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Wednesday, November 15, 2000
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Web Company Founded by Columbia U. Opens a 'Beta Version' of Its SiteBy SCOTT CARLSON
Fathom, the for-profit knowledge company started by Columbia University, has for months been trumpeting the names of major academic and research institutions that have signed on to help build its Web site, which the company said would host a collection of articles and discussions about major scholarly and popular topics. But the folks at Fathom were mum about when the rest of the world would be able to see and use the site. As of today, however, the site is live -- sort of. The general public can now see a working beta version of Fathom, starting with a collection of 450 original features and 80,000 reference articles. The site preview coincides with the announcement that yet another partner has signed on to the Fathom project -- the University of Michigan, the first big public university to join. "Fathom was interested in great public institutions, because it's important that Fathom not be perceived as exclusive or exclusionary in any way," says Ann G. Kirschner, the company's president. She adds that, for the time being, Michigan will probably be the last academic partner from the United States or Britain, as Fathom will probably start courting future partners from other parts of the world. Other institutions already in the project include the American Film Institute, the British Library, the Cambridge University Press, Columbia, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Natural History Museum in London, the New York Public Library, RAND, Science Museum, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, the University of Chicago, the Victorian and Albert Museum, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. A tour of a preview version of the site reveals a sharp, straightforward design. The site opens with a timely lead feature -- in this case, an article about the ethical perils of political polling -- along with less-prominent features about pandering politicians and information technology as it relates to democracy. There are several hundred such features on the site. Many are text articles, but some are video or audio presentations, discussions, and lectures. Most of the features were written by professors and researchers from the 14 member institutions. Ms. Kirschner says that, for the time being, professors from other institutions won't be able to contribute articles or research to the project. Fathom's "knowledge trails," which could be the signature feature of its site, are also a prominent part of the site's design. The trails connect articles from different disciplines through common topics, where various trails intersect. For example, the "History of Science" trail intersects the "Constructing Race in Context" trail at the article, "The Meaning of Race in Science and Society." Company officials say the trails are an attempt to put knowledge in context. At each article, the site gives users the option to continue reading articles along a particular trail or, if the article is an intersection, jump to a different route. "When I was at the university 20 years ago, I thought of the English department, the art-history department, and the physics department as silos, relatively closed off from one another," Ms. Kirschner says. "I think there is much more movement now, much more of a multidisciplinary way of looking at a subject, and Fathom is really a reflection of that." Fathom expects to make a profit by selling books and marketing online courses. But Ms. Kirschner won't discuss its financial details, including what the partners have spent on the project to date or what percentage of tuition Fathom will charge for distance-education courses that the site lists. Prominently placed alongside each feature are the titles of a few "recommended books" -- titles suggested by the faculty member -- for those who want to study the topic further. Users can purchase the scholarly tomes from Fathom with the click of a mouse. Those who want to pursue the topic in greater depth can click on a list of recommended distance-learning courses and get information about tuition and readings. Users can also employ a search engine on Fathom to find specific distance-learning courses, or they can browse for courses under various subject headings. However, some subjects -- such as "Race" or "Ethnicity and Gender" -- don't feature entries yet. For example: After reading the article "Reporting the Horse Race: To Poll or Not to Poll?" by Steven S. Ross, a professor of journalism at Columbia University, Fathom users can sign up for an "Introduction to Politics" course from the University of Washington. They can also purchase Mr. Ross's book, Spreadstat: How to Build Statistics into your Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheets. "What we're continually doing -- and it's where the "fathom" metaphor comes from -- is we're bringing you deeper and deeper into a subject," Ms. Kirschner says.
Background articles from The Chronicle:
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 In survey, dozens of Marquette U. students admit to voter fraud Yale U. will extend "need blind" admissions policy to foreign undergraduates Nobel laureate causes a stir by suggesting that sunshine triggers sexual arousal Brigham Young U. students leave Jerusalem after conflicts in region hinder travel Germany gets its first private law school Protest against Philippine president includes strikes at 14 universities In a first, a species is named in an electronic publication Web company founded by Columbia U. opens a "beta version" of its site |
Copyright © 2000 by The Chronicle of Higher Education