| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/ |
|---|---|
| Slogan | "A beginner's guide to using the internet" |
| Commercial? | No |
| Type of site | Learning |
| Registration | Required for official course content |
| Available language(s) | English (UK) |
| Owner | BBC |
| Launched | 1998 |
| Current status | Online |
BBC WebWise is the BBC's guide to the internet for computer novices. Created in 1998, it consists of a series of articles and videos as well as a computing course accredited by examining body OCR[1]. It also incorporates elements of another BBC website, BBC raw computers[2]. All BBC websites are required to link to WebWise when using content which requires a plug-in[3].
Contents |
BBC WebWise was created in 1998 to encourage new users to explore the internet, as part of a wider BBC campaign which included TV and radio programmes[4]. By December 1999 it consisted of articles, columns, a blog, message boards and a Q&A section[5]. A wide range of freelance writers were attached to the project, including Charlie Brooker and Bill Thompson[6] (resident columnist with WebWise until 2008[7]).
In 2004 WebWise launched a 10-hour accredited course, called Becoming WebWise[8].
WebWise was completely redesigned and relaunched in September 2010[9], with articles on a variety of computer-related subjects written by well-known technology writers such as Bill Thompson, Wendy M. Grossman and Jack Schofield. It also now contains new courses, a weekly column, and a large A to Z of technical terms.