Wikipedia Founder to Launch User-Driven Search Engine

The Wikia Corporation, a for-profit company created by Jimmy Wales, the founder of the popular user-driven encyclopedia Wikipedia.org, has announced plans to launch a new search engine, financially backed by none other than Amazon.com. The new engine will be powered by you: the user - similarly in the way that Wikipedia is powered by contributions, updates and support of its users.A user-driven search engine would be unlike anything ever seen before in the search market. Google and Yahoo, which are primarily powered by computers and spiders, are excellent at weeding out those who "cheat the system," but because they can't think like a human, have a tough time determining whether or not a site is "good" or "bad". Human-powered search and directory sites such as the struggling DMOZ.org, have also fallen short, as many have been abused by site editors who are often biased when determining search rank and listing status.When humans are involved there is always a chance for error or bias, but the community model, which allows for corrections and multiple-input and review opportunities, as is available at Wikipedia.org, gives the opportunity for multiple points of view, resources and additional information. Hopefully, this opportunity for community input will help The Wikia Corporation's newest project to become successful.This latest project is also a tad different from Wikipedia in that it will definitely be a for-profit venture. With Amazon.com already waiting anxiously in the wings to finance the venture and a host of other technology companies also getting in line to be a part of this project, making a profit won't be a problem. Google and Yahoo have both proved that advertising is the revenue model for search, and Wales says Wikia will definitely be following that same path. They are banking that the unique user-driven aspect of the new engine as well as the already solid reputation of Wikipedia will be enough to attract users away from the other "big guys" on the search engine block.However, some say that it is the commercial aspect and focus of this latest project that will deter many Wiki-supportive users. When advertising was even suggested on Wikipedia, many users balked at the idea, asking why they should contribute for free to a project that someone else will gain profit?Another potential hurdle could be the whole "popularity" aspect of a user-driven system. What is popular is not necessarily "useful" or "meaningful." For example, when the whole Jolie-Pitt baby debacle was in the forefront of the news, it took over prominence on chat boards, blogs and other user-driven services. If that were to happen with a popular site on a user-driven search model, we may very well end up with a lot of sites ranking very high that mirror trends in popular culture, rather than a resource network of useful sites.And what about the abuse factor? Surely SE spammers and rank cheaters will get a kick out of a user-driven model that they can twist and mold to yield them the best results. Will Wikia provide a means to ferret out these cheaters to maintain the integrity of the search?There is a LOT of potential to this idea of a user-driven search, so many opportunities and new doors that could be opened. While it is a sort of Pandora's Box in many ways, perhaps it should be opened as an experiment to reveal both the benefits and the "evils" of such a system so that it can be perfected, improved and hopefully used wisely in the future. If it is done right and with focus, Wikia could have a real winner on their hands - and a possible competitor to Google.

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