WikiProducts:About
WikiProducts is an internet platform upon which product knowledge can be gathered and structured. Product knowledge can be understood to include any information that is interesting to both consumers as well as manufacturers. The intention behind Wikiproducts is to promote a structured, public discourse with respect to consumer products.
WikiProducts will create a platform for information on products that is currently either inaccessible to the public or enjoys only restricted public access – this despite its potentially large influence on buying decisions. In this respect, political, environmental, social, and health related issues form the core of product descriptions.
Wikiproducts sets itself apart from existing consumer organisations (e.g. Stiftung Warentest) to the extent that it is not solely dependent on experts for its product evaluations, but makes use of new communication technologies to access the consumer product knowledge already available in the general public. The Wiki-technology used for Wikiproducts is characterized as follows:
- Content can be directly amended or edited by anyone
- Every entry is saved and recorded in an archive
- Each product article includes a discussion forum
Wikiproducts encourages a transparent and democratic discourse by promoting the broad and uncomplicated participation of all carriers of product knowledge.
In February 2007, the “International Forum for Product Knowledge” was founded in St.Gallen, Switzerland. The "Forum" is a non-profit association pursuant to articles 60-79, ZGB (Swiss Civil Code).
