A new service called Wikiseek has been launched by search engine company SearchME that could give Yahoo or Google a run for their money. Built with Wikipedia's permission, Wikiseek indexes and searches the contents of referenced sites within Wikipedia.
Implications - According to Wikiseek, the innovative search engine makes use of "Searchme's category refinement technology" in order to provide "suggested search refinements based on user tagging and categorization within Wikipedia." The result is that those results that are eventually received are "more relevant than conventional search engines." As a result, searches made through Wikiseek are ultimately far less likely to produce results that are cluttered with SEO-abusing sites and spam advertisements. Nifty!
Wikiseek
Wikipedia + Google
Trend Themes
1. Content-based Search Engines - Wikiseek's use of Wikipedia's referenced sites sets a new trend for content-based search engines.
2. User-generated Categorization - Wikiseek's use of user tagging and categorization within Wikipedia sets a new trend for user-generated categorization in search results.
3. Relevant Search Results - Wikiseek's focus on providing more relevant search results sets a new trend for search engines that prioritize quality over quantity.
Industry Implications
1. Search Engines - The search engine industry can take advantage of Wikiseek's use of Wikipedia's referenced sites as a new way to provide more relevant results.
2. Online Encyclopedias - Wikiseek's partnership with Wikipedia creates a new opportunity for online encyclopedias to expand and improve search capabilities.
3. Digital Advertising - Wikiseek's focus on filtering out spam and SEO-abusing sites creates a new opportunity for digital advertising companies to improve their targeting techniques.