The TV IV
Encyclopedia
The TV IV is a MediaWiki
-powered website
that was launched in July 2005 as a response to TV Tome
becoming TV.com
. It is in the top thirty wikis on the web in both size and views. Because English-speaking users generate the website, the content is primarily on English-language television program
s, but all content is welcome.
Another major focus is American-program scheduling and DVD releases. The TV IV's main page includes a listing of all new programs airing in the USA over the next two days and all TV DVDs being released on the following Tuesday as well as links to archives of both these data sets going back through 2006. In addition to the front page information the site includes current programming grids for both broadcast and cable networks and highly detailed future schedule grids for the broadcast networks. It also has historic primetime schedule grids going back to the beginnings of network television.
Due to its semi-narrow focus and not needing to adhere to a rigid database structure The TV IV is able to easily accommodate more trivial pages that couldn't easily be placed (or are unwelcome) on many other reference sites. In fact some of the wiki's most viewed pages are these non-traditional reference pages that work well in the wiki format such as music lists and timelines.
-heavy TV reference sites such as tv.com
.
, Kristen Bell
, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
, Edie Falco
, Jason Bateman
, Patrick Stewart
, Sarah Chalke
, Summer Glau
and Will Arnett
.
MediaWiki
MediaWiki is a popular free web-based wiki software application. Developed by the Wikimedia Foundation, it is used to run all of its projects, including Wikipedia, Wiktionary and Wikinews. Numerous other wikis around the world also use it to power their websites...
-powered website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that was launched in July 2005 as a response to TV Tome
TV Tome
TV Tome was a U.S. based website devoted to informational guides for English-language television shows and the people involved in their production. It was run mainly by volunteer editors, with the assistance of user contributions...
becoming TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
. It is in the top thirty wikis on the web in both size and views. Because English-speaking users generate the website, the content is primarily on English-language television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s, but all content is welcome.
Features
The TV IV has articles on all aspects of television with the major emphasis on programs. The site has no notability requirements and allows articles to be created for any program, episode, character, or aspect of a program, making it an often listed alternative to Wikipedia for information that doesn't fit Wikipedia's requirements. As of August 2008, it has over 3,500 program articles.Another major focus is American-program scheduling and DVD releases. The TV IV's main page includes a listing of all new programs airing in the USA over the next two days and all TV DVDs being released on the following Tuesday as well as links to archives of both these data sets going back through 2006. In addition to the front page information the site includes current programming grids for both broadcast and cable networks and highly detailed future schedule grids for the broadcast networks. It also has historic primetime schedule grids going back to the beginnings of network television.
Due to its semi-narrow focus and not needing to adhere to a rigid database structure The TV IV is able to easily accommodate more trivial pages that couldn't easily be placed (or are unwelcome) on many other reference sites. In fact some of the wiki's most viewed pages are these non-traditional reference pages that work well in the wiki format such as music lists and timelines.
Reception
The TV IV has been hailed as a good use of a wiki format due to the large but specific topic and the potentially large fan base to draw from. It has also been touted as a good alternative to other FlashAdobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
-heavy TV reference sites such as tv.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
.
IVy Awards
Since 2006, the TV IV has been awarding The IVy Awards winners have included: Hugh LaurieHugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
, Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
, Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
, Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
, Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
, Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke
Sarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
, Summer Glau
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
and Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
.