Open content
Open content, coined by analogy with "open source," (though technically it is actually share-alike) describes any kind of creative work including articles, pictures, audio, and video that is published in a format that explicitly allows the copying of the information. Content can be either in the public domain or under a license like the GNU Free Documentation License. BambooWeb, Nupedia, and all Wikimedia projects are open content (see BambooWeb:Copyrights). "Open content" is also sometimes used to describe content that can be modified by anyone; there is no closed group like a commercial encyclopedia publisher responsible for all the editing.
Like the debate between the titles "open source" and "free software", open content materials can also be described as free content, although technically they describe different things. For example, the Open Directory is open content but is not free content. The main difference between licenses is the definition of freedom; some licenses attempt to maximize the freedom of all potential recipients in the future, while others maximize the freedom of the initial recipient.
Common content are ones licensed in the Creative Commons. They are called open content only if they are licensed as share-alike (one of the CC's options).
Open content projects (in alphabetical order)
Related topics, not open content
Licenses
See also
public domain, free content, free software movement, open content movement, copyleft, open access, public domain resources, semi-public domain resources, public domain image resources, collaborative writing.
