WebProNews

Okay, no, not really—but the encyclopedia anyone can edit is looking to add video to its offerings, according to Technology Review (via RWW).

To launch in the next 2-3 months (by the end of the summer), Wikipedia’s new system will allow users to contribute and even edit clips for articles, posting the entire clip or only portions. Wikipedia itself will only allow videos from the Internet Archive, Metavid and Wikimedia Commons.

No video editing software is necessary to post full or partial clips, but “One of the requirements for any video added to the site is that it be based on open-source formats.”

The project also includes developing Web tools to create smooth methods for transferring and editing videos. When a Wikipedia editor finds relevant snippets, he will be able to preview them, and set the “in” and “out” points, without having to worry about file conversions. “Presently, the work flow is pretty atrocious” for people trying to download, convert, and edit video, says [Kaltura software engineer Michael] Dale, citing the notoriously confusing array of incompatible video formats now in use. With the new Wikipedia system, “people will be able to easily inject media into pages, in a way that wasn’t possible before,” he says.

Kaltura, an open-source “video solution provider” (Sigh. Buzzwords.), which has been a partner with Wikipedia since January 2008.

What do you think: a good move or yet another opportunity for spam on Wikipedia?

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