Wikia: Another Search System Slipping
October 21, 2008
Valleywag reported here that Wikia, another potential “Google killer”, is shedding staff. Up to a third of the employees will be given pink slips if the news reports are in sync with reality. True, other companies are pulling their belts tighter. Wikia was on my radar because I heard Jimmy Wales explain how the service would be a better information service than other user-generated content services–almost a year ago. Wikia had a strong search spin as well. The most interesting point in the Valleywag write up was:
Wikia raised $14 million in venture capital from Bessemer Venture Partners and Amazon.com, the last of which came in December 2006; without a new infusion, it must surely be running low on cash.
I am toying with the idea of a search engine death watch. Should I put Wikia on the list of search engines in need of life support?
Stephen Arnold, October 21, 2008
Comments
3 Responses to “Wikia: Another Search System Slipping”
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
A search engine death watch sounds like a great idea.
May I suggest a Gartner magic quadrant with technology on the y axis and business on the x axis.
Andreas
[…] human search tool, Wikia, is getting rid of a third of its staff. Wagging the Long-Tailed Dog: Search Behavior & The Economy Share and […]
[…] human search tool, Wikia, is getting rid of a third of its staff. Wagging the Long-Tailed Dog: Search Behavior & The […]