GuruNet Spins Off Answers.com – A Reference Driven Search Engine
GuruNet Corporation today announced the release of Answers.com, a site-and-software combination providing instant reference answers rather than lists of search engine links. GuruNet Corporation, through its Answers.com site, plans to generate revenues from ads placed alongside its topic entries, rather than from the subscription fees it previously charged for the use of its premium service.
Currently Answers.com is running a donation advertisement for the Red Cross of America, it is not known yet exactly what other forms of advertising will be implemented, but chances are something search driven (will we see a Google/Overture bidding war?).
“Changing market conditions in the area of paid search have allowed us to share our products with a broader audience, and we’re excited to open it up, for free, to broad usage,” explained GuruNet CEO Bob Rosenschein. “Students, teachers, professionals and users of all ages will enjoy our streamlined interface. We expect to generate revenues as many search engines and content sites have done successfully, with ads and sponsored links.”
Answers.com includes information on over a million topics, drawn from a database of over 100 reference sources. Most recently, GuruNet added content from Wikipedia, the expansive, collaborative encyclopedia written and maintained by thousands of contributors across the globe. This enhancement provides Answers.com with a new level of relevant, up-to-date information, for a complete package unavailable in other encyclopedias, glossaries and atlases.
