The Encyclopedia Britannica’s new web site, www.britannica.com, crashed yesterday due to the huge demand generated by the company’s announcement on Monday that access was now free. The company said it could not handle the number of hits – estimated at between 12 million and 15 million – it received on the first day. Previously Britannica had been offering access rights for $5 per month from its eb.com site, but competition from Microsoft Corp’s Encarta and other lower-end offerings made its paid-for pricing strategy untenable. The new site, which also includes news and magazine articles, will be supported by advertising.
