Jimmy Wales Portends the Future

May 14, 2007 by jack petrie.

CresaPartners recently cohosted the May 8^th, 2007 iBreakfast featuring a discussion by Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia & Wikia.

The Online “Magazine Rack”

Most readers are familiar with Wales’ non-profit, Wikipedia, a collaborative, open-source, online encyclopedia. Wikipedia is one of the more obvious example of the recent trend towards networked collaboration among individuals and the resulting potential for greater efficiency and achievement. However, most people are unfamiliar with Wikia, which is a separate, for-profit company. If Wikipedia is the online encyclopedia, Wikia’s mission is to be the online magazine rack, with a title for every user interest along a very broad continuum and possessing a library’s volumes of supporting documents.

A Threat to Google?

As Fast Company detailed in its April, 2007 cover story, “Google’s Worst Nightmare“, Wikia’s other ambition is to provide the same Wikipedia-style democratization to the process of online search.Wales contends that the online search process has become commoditized: witness comparable results from any of the top three search engines. Where Wikia will differ is in providing four key criteria to the search process and results: 1) transparency – of content, algorithms and systems; 2) collaboration – providing search with a social and communal focus; 3) quality – improving the relevancy and accuracy of search results and 4) privacy – elevating user privacy protection. Wikia will launch later this year with a version that, like the early Grateful Dead, will admittedly “stink”, but improve with experience.

Miscellaneous Opinions

Wales was entirely entertaining and completely candid in revealing many of his beliefs that reflect his personal mission. Many of the concepts that he believes are unsustainable and will become extinct include: the black box model of source code (a.k.a., “security through obscurity”), algorithmic approaches to reputation (a la “Digg”), paid content models (i.e., About.com) and Digital Rights Management in general.

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