Last but not least: Wikipedia strikes back
Shortly before Christmas—as a holiday gift, so to speak—we received word that Google is experimenting with an online encyclopedia. The main target of this initiative is, of course, Wikipedia, the go-to source for filling in the gaps in all of our knowledge.
Shortly before Christmas, as a festive gift so to speak, we received the news that Google is tinkering with an online encyclopedia (see
). The main target of this campaign is of course Wikipedia, the knowledge gap plugger for us all. Now Wikipedia is returning the favor with an attack on Google's home turf: Jimmy Wales, the founder of the free encyclopedia, wants to launch a search engine called "Wiki Search". The difference to other such projects: The pages entered are to be indexed by human rather than machine hands, according to the Abendzeitung Heute newspaper. A separate company has been founded for Wiki Search that is independent of Wikipedia - and it is expected to bring cash into Wales' coffers. Understandable: while the Google guys made the dream of a dishwasher's career come true with their former garage company, Wales deserves a lot of credit, but his encyclopaedia is always struggling with financial problems. It remains to be seen whether Wiki Search will make the big bucks: According to Today, search guru Danny Sullivan doubts that Wiki Search can hold a candle to Google: Wales is probably underestimating his project. It will be interesting to see how the battle ends. And hope that Wikipedia's image will not suffer as a result. After all, it is already fashionable to criticize Google as a power-hungry giant. Wales should not suffer the same fate.
). The main target of this campaign is of course Wikipedia, the knowledge gap plugger for us all. Now Wikipedia is returning the favor with an attack on Google's home turf: Jimmy Wales, the founder of the free encyclopedia, wants to launch a search engine called "Wiki Search". The difference to other such projects: The pages entered are to be indexed by human rather than machine hands, according to the Abendzeitung Heute newspaper. A separate company has been founded for Wiki Search that is independent of Wikipedia - and it is expected to bring cash into Wales' coffers. Understandable: while the Google guys made the dream of a dishwasher's career come true with their former garage company, Wales deserves a lot of credit, but his encyclopaedia is always struggling with financial problems. It remains to be seen whether Wiki Search will make the big bucks: According to Today, search guru Danny Sullivan doubts that Wiki Search can hold a candle to Google: Wales is probably underestimating his project. It will be interesting to see how the battle ends. And hope that Wikipedia's image will not suffer as a result. After all, it is already fashionable to criticize Google as a power-hungry giant. Wales should not suffer the same fate.
