Wikia to Take on Google, Yahoo!

Wikia to Take on Google, Yahoo!

Techtree News Staff, Mar 11, 2007 1000 hrs IST

Founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has announced grandiose plans to build a search engine to take on heavyweights like Google and Yahoo!.

Founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has announced grandiose plans to build a search engine to take on heavyweights like Google and Yahoo!, says a Reuters report.

At a conference in Tokyo this week, Wales declared that Wikipedia's commercial counterpart, Wikia, plans to grab around 5 percent of the lucrative Internet search market.

Using the term 'black boxes' to describe search giants, Google and Yahoo! - as they rarely ever disclose their ranking algorithms, Wales argued that collaborative search technology can indeed change the power structure of the Internet.

Citing Wikipedia's example, Wales said users can actually work together to improve search engines, and that constant improvement would make search technology less susceptible to spam.

Founded in 2004, Wikia hosts group publishing sites on wide ranging topics. While it offers its tools for free to users, sites that are built using its resources are required to be linked to Wikia, which makes its money mainly through advertising.

And unlike Wikipedia, Wikia is typically geared towards niche audiences.

At the conference, Wales exuded confidence that using the same root software as Wikipedia, Wikia might eventually end up carrying more content than its popular counterpart.



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USER COMMENTS

Best of luck! I have been wondering why wikia has not entered the competition yet... Good Luck!

by Pawan Kumar Rao, Bangalore, on Mar 13, 2007 04:25 PM, Report abuse   Reply

wow today i came to know that there is something like WIKIA. The Wikipedia's commercial counterpart.

by Markandey Singh, Bangalore, on Mar 12, 2007 09:49 AM, Report abuse   Reply

OSS Rocks!

by Anuj Prateek, Pilani, on Mar 12, 2007 01:13 AM, Report abuse   Reply

lets seee how much sucess he gets as both google & yahooo are heavyweight best luck

by ricky, cal, on Mar 11, 2007 11:19 PM, Report abuse   Reply

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