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Wikipedia Founder Working on User-Powered Search

An anonymous reader writes "Jimmy Wales, founder of the Wikia corporation, has revealed plans to offer a user-driven search engine. Ars Technica reports that the plan is to leverage user preferences to pick the 'best' site for any given search term, while at the same time utilizing advertising for commercial gain. The article admits this may not be the ideal solution: 'Users may be reluctant to contribute to the betterment of a commercial site that may end up being bought by a bigger company. Consider, for example, the tragic death of TV Tome, a comprehensive community-driven television content guide that was eventually bought by CNET and transformed into a garish, excessively commercialized Web 2.0 monstrosity of significantly less value to users.' Just the same, Wales seems very enthusiastic in the Times Online article highlighting this venture."

1 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Advertising by Millenniumman · · Score: 0, Redundant

    No. He's complaining about the business model where many web companies put ads on their sites rather than charge people using them.

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    Stupidity is like nuclear power, it can be used for good or evil. And you don't want to get any on you.