Wikipedia founder set to launch Google rival

Tech News

By Stevie Smith Jan 7, 2008, 15:52 GMT

The Google search engine might presently by the world’s first choice when it comes to rooting through the Internet, but that’s something that Wikepedia founder Jimmy Wales hopes to change in the next couple of years. Jimmy Wales set to challenge Google with Wikia search engine. Credit: Claudia Caprara.

Jimmy Wales set to challenge Google with Wikia search engine. Credit: Claudia Caprara.Wales, who is responsible for introducing the online community to user-created encyclopaedia Wikipedia in January of 2001, is now looking to offer up a user-created alternative to Google with the unveiling of the Wikia search engine, reports the Financial Times.Wikia will rely on users providing star-based result recommendations (up to 5 stars) to help others gauge the helpfulness and relevance of locations returned by their searches. Wales hopes the system will help shape future search results on Wikia to keep users connected to only the very best information.Furthermore, Wikia will also allow contributing users to nurture the reliability of their recommendations and increase their reputations through the search engine via the feedback of others. However, Wales believes that it will require a minimum of two years before Wikia is able to carve an online presence capable of competing with existing leaders in the search engine field.Wales has offered that it his intention to use Wikia "to build a completely freely licensed, open-source search engine," that will be more transparent than the likes of Google and other rival search destinations – all of which withhold their search ranking algorithms.In an attempt to prevent Wikia from falling foul of spammers looking to direct traffic through to their specific Web sites, those looking to contribute ratings to the new search engine will only be able to do so if willing to sign up to the service and disclose their identities in the process.

Your Talkback on this Story

Note posts made on our older Talkback system will still show below. However, new posts can only be made via the new system (above). We will export the old comments to the new shortly. You can still comment as a guest on the new system but it also allows you to login using various social network and other accounts.

Other features coming soon.

Talkback

page: 1

Paul MullerJan 8th, 2008 - 04:12:55

I went to Wikia-Search this morning to have a look.
It appears you have to have yet another password and user ID and be a 'member' to use the service.
I won't touch sites like that with a bargepole, so goodbye Wikia-Search.
And why didn't they name it 'WikiSearch'? Or 'WikiS'? It's easy to say 'I Googled to...'. Who is going to write, 'I Wikia-Searched to...'? Or say, 'I wick-ee-ah-searched'?

Report this comment

page: 1

Tech

Wikipedia founder set to launch Google rival

Tech News

Your Talkback on this Story

Talkback

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Tech

From Sites We Like

Latest PopEater News

Latest Cinema Blend News

Latest Tech Herald News

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print