Wolfram Alpha = Wikipedia killer?

Seems like everyone inside and outside the industry has pegged Wolfram Alpha as the next Google killer – you know, like Cuil. That really turned out well for the prognosticators, no?

It seems like every new engine with any kind of a backstory is going to be a Google killer. Hell, Twitter added a search function and all of a sudden it’s going to leave Google for dead. The prospect of any of these becoming a huge threat to Google is unlikely – unless they come up with a prettier and more profitable advertising model to sell to the big publishers.

This latest one, I will say, is a fun concept. It’s more of a raw, absolute information source that provides anything from population stats to the answer to question #13 on your math homework. You want the makeup of a caffeine molecule? Here you go. Population of New York? Have at thee.

On reflection, though, that’s not Google. Google is scads of information from different sources. It’s fact and opinion, it’s shopping and freeloading, recent news and ancient history. Wolfram won’t be a Google killer, because Google isn’t raw information on a given topic.

But Wikipedia is. And Wolfram Alpha is at least on the path to being a complimentary resource to Wikipedia for its users, if not one day the new primary stop for information on a topic.

Granted, it’s different kinds of information and in a different format. Wikipedia also has a pretty unassailable natural search position, whereas not only is WA not likely to get indexed well as a competitor, it’s not really set up for SEO success. Nor, as an organization that (currently) runs only on donations, does Wikipedia really follow a standard competitive model.

But that doesn’t mean with its quick-access interface, user friendly controls and the right mix of media buzz, that WA can’t start chipping away at Wikipedia direct load traffic or, with the right partnerships and exposure, become a heavily cited resource in the social sphere – another Wikipedia-dominated venue.

At a bare minimum, it’ll attract a completely new crowd of homework cheaters that Wikipedia’s currently not structured to win over with its lack of mad math skills. But it could grow to be much, much more – and catch a completely different site than the typical target off guard

Mom says there are no posts that are like me. I am unique.

Tags:   Google · Google sucks · twitter · win · wolfram alpha Share on Twitter

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