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Wikipedia Projects to Rival Google by Launching its Own Search Engine
Wikipedia, the most sought-after online encyclopedia, plans to take on the topmost Internet Search Engine, Google. The founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales has plans to set up an Internet Search Engine in collaboration with Amazon.com. This Search Engine which will be developed by harnessing on its existing free open-source and user-based software technology has been slated to be launched on World Wide Web by early next year. The project has been named as ‘Wikiasari’ – the combination of ‘Wiki’ the Hawaiian term for ‘Quick’, and ‘Asari’ the Japanese term for ‘Rummaging Search’. Mr. Wales is contemplating on developing a commercial version of this Wikipedia Search Engine through Wikia Inc. This Search Engine project of Wikipedia has been possible though the multimillion-dollar funding courtesy Amazon.com and a group of Silicon Valley financiers. But, Amazon will extend its support in future to this Search Engine project of Wikipedia as well since it has collaboration with Wikia Inc.
According to Mr. Wales many drawbacks of Google Search Engine have become perceptible. Google may be very good at multiple types of search, but more often than not, it comes up with spam and irrelevant results. For example, the key phrase ‘Tampa Hotels’ will not produce any fruitful results in Google Search Engine. This apart, he says, quite a few spammers and commercial ventures have mastered the tricks of manipulating its computer-based algorithmic search program which pales in comparison to the editorial judgment of humans. Describing the modus operandi of Google Search Engine, he says it relies primarily on number of back links of particular site before giving any ranking. As a result, he adds, the topmost result in any Google search is the website which has the highest number of links pointing to it.
Mr. Wales says that their new search engine will be developed using free open-source software and hence, will overcome the existing drawbacks of Google Search Engine. Citing an instance, he says the basic tasks of a search engine are to make a decision on whether a page is good or bad. But, unfortunately, the computers are bad at making decisions and hence, the algorithmic search is bound to do it in an indirect way. He is pretty sure that Wikipedia’s Search Engine will follow a wonderful method for this process.
He says the key factor for a revenue model is to build a community of trust and since their reputation is already established by Wikipedia community, it will bring in advertising revenue and make Wikipedia’s Search Engine project successful. But, he agrees that catching up with the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN would be difficult. So, it remains to be seen whether Wikipedia’s plans against Google’s Search Engine bear fruits.