Wikipedia has been one of the biggest successes in the history of the Internet. So has Google. So on paper it makes some sense that combining the two would result in a service that would also be hugely popular. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out so well for Wikia Search. The wiki-style search engine started by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, is closing down, Webware first reported earlier today.
In confirming the news, Wales attempts to deflect the bad news by pointing to the success of Wikia.com, Wikia Search’s parent, in terms of growth over the past two years. But towards the end of his post, he concedes that Wikia Search has not had the success the company had hoped for. But the biggest factor in his decision to shut it down was apparently the economy. “In a different economy, we would continue to fund Wikia Search indefinitely,” Wales writes. He goes on to state that he believes in the power of search on the Internet and makes a General MacArthur-esque vow to return to the field in any way he can. Wikia Search worked like other search engines, except that anyone could alter the results, like they would an entry on Wikipedia. The idea was apparently good enough for Google also to take a stab at it with SearchWiki, a less-customizable take on the idea that is now a part of Google’s core search experience. When Wikia Search launched, some touted it as the “Google Killer.” Hype doesn’t get much bigger than that on the Internet, and not surprisingly, Wikia Search could not live up to it. Google Search has simply gotten so dominant that not even the other big players, Yahoo and Microsoft, are able to compete with it in a meaningful way.
It’s similar to the way in which Wikipedia has grown so dominant that it’s eliminated the need for Microsoft’s Encarta and is making it difficult for Google’s own take on the idea, Knol, to flourish. Wikia Search also suffered from some branding issues. It seems to have settled on “Wikia Search,” but it’s previously been called “Search Wikia” by us and others. And I’ve been told by the company that both names were correct at various points. According to its own stats on the site, there have been over 11,200,000 queries on Wikia Search over the course of its life. No matter the state of the economy, it’d take a lot more than that to “kill” Google.
Vodafone is readying the HTC Magic phone, the second model based on Google's Android platform to reach the UK market, for next month. In a brief statement to Pocket-lint, Vodafone said that the short delay (the phone was originally due to be launched in April) was caused by a last minute hardware change. Mobiletoday says that the new phone, named HTC Magic Pioneer, will be available for as little as £25 on monthly contracts. This compares well with T-Mobile's £31.50 contract but a quick look at Vodafone's tariff list shows that £25 does not provide with unlimited internet. Vodafone Users have to spend £35 per month to get unlimited mobile internet and email. Mobiletoday also reports that T-mobile is in talks with HTC to release a third Android smartphone. Talkandroid however says that Vodafone UK has already confirmed that the Magic can be pre-ordered as from the 17th of April for £30 per month. The package is expected to include 600 minutes, unlimited SMS, Internet and email. On the other hand, T-Mobile offers 700 minutes rather than 600 minutes for £35.
The future of AdSense is one that is much debated. The following is a look at some of the most prominent and promising ideas circulating about how Google AdSense will, and can, evolve from what it presently is. These ideas concern changes to specific uses of AdSense, the growth of AdSense and changes that would affect advertisers and site publishers who utilize AdSense.
First, in reference to the specifics of AdSense programming, algorithms are steadily becoming more powerful and developing greater capabilities. This has been seen in the Google search engine itself and the same results are expected to eventually affect AdSense. Those advertisers, who manipulate their content, allowing irrelevant high paying keywords to appear, will be faced with a major problem. They will have to contend with placing appropriate keywords in their content.
More protection for AdWords advertisers is projected for the future. This protection will address click fraud. Google currently acknowledges that click fraud is a key issue with the AdSense program and that it must be attended to. At the moment, those sites that experience high levels of traffic are able to disguise IP addresses and fraudulently increase the amounts of clicks on their site. ‘Smart pricing’ is one tool that could keep click fraud from occurring. This tool allows a set value of clicks to be placed on any one ad. If that value is surpassed, no further revenue will be made.
The growth of AdSense is global, offline and online. Google is investigating ways to integrate AdSense into other forms of media. AdSense usage would be extended to newspapers, television, movie screens, etc. This may be technologically possible in the future, though right now it seems less factual and more fiction-based. Google currently has access to an array of over 150,000 international advertisers. These advertisers could be given the ability to penetrate offline markets in different countries. Likewise, offline distributors may be allowed to create an AdWords format to advertise in content, in search and offline. But the major wave-maker in advertising technology is RSS. This technology has the possibility to send targeted ads directly to users, without navigation away from their current site. ‘Interactive television’ and similar products have been attempting to perfect this technology for a while. However, the Internet serves as a more appropriate medium, because of the absolute interactive potential the Internet possesses.
Advertisers utilizing AdSense could see more available options. One of these would be the ability to control where your contact is being displayed. This option would translate into the ability to block your product from being displayed on sites that host AdSense ads if you feel that the content does not relate to your product. On the flip side, Google has already introduced site-targeted CPM. This allows AdSense advertisers to place ads on a site regardless of whether the content is related to the product or not.
Publishers who use AdSense are almost demanding more available options. Google could offer publishers the ability to specify their own keywords. If this were to occur, publishers would be in more control of the ads being displayed on their site. While Google has been reluctant to offer this option, it is technologically possible. Also, publishers have begun to request clear specifications of AdSense’s pricing policy. Google has yet to offer an explanation of why this information is not made public, but industry insiders do not believe that Google will release any specific pricing information in the near future.
Another feature that AdSense could eventually offer publishers is allowing them to view links generating clicks. Along with the links, publishers could also view the specific keywords that were used in the links when they were clicked on. But this feature could threaten the AdSense system. The issue that arises is an opportunity for AdSense-only websites to be created, with the obvious goal of generating revenue. These sites would be devoid, or ignore, any content which is supposed to be the backbone behind AdSense ads.
At the end of the day, most of the discussed applications, tools and techniques are nothing more than mere speculation. Google is bound to surprise the industry with new features, some that are anticipated and others that would have never been thought possible.
