Wikia: Lightning Could Strike Twice For Wikipedia Founders
I talked with Wikia CEO Gil
Penchina yesterday about the most recent re-design of the Wikia site. I wanted to know
their goals and what progress the company has made towards that vision. The site'’s
rebuild takes advantage of recent technology advances, uses a more Web 2.0 style
interface and has better navigation tools. According to Gil, these latest improvements
are geared to provide an overall better experience for Wikia users. Some of the aspects
that have been added are: simplified editing, voting functionality, a new skin, photo
tagging, YouTube video uploads, a simpler two column format and last but not least, a new
logo.
A Thriving Wikia
Sometimes I think we take the very best of the Web for granted. Wikia and its renowned cousin Wikipedia are often the most valuable sources of information we use, yet they always seem to be upstaged by more mercurial sites. Wikia is a for-profit company founded by Jimmy Wales, one of the Web’'s most renowned entrepreneurs and the founder of Wikipedia. Wikia was originally founded under the name Wikicities by Wales and Co-Founder Angela Beesley in 2004.
The Wikia communities create free content via the MediaWikia software. CEO Gil Penchina reiterated the vision of Wikia in our conversation yesterday: “To be the definitive, unbiased resource of the Web.” According to Penchina, Wikia is exactly on course with the growth rate Wikipedia has demonstrated and the site currently receives from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of visitors each day.
Wikia vs. Wikipedia
Aesthetics and Content View-ability
The Wikia site has always been rather striking and it remains so, in that sort of familiar Wiki way we have grown accustomed to. The two column format actually helps one to spatially organize the information better and therefore navigate more easily. Centering the content and moving the tools and edit functions to the right adds greatly to the user’s viewable content area. It takes a minute or two to get comfortable with, after being familiar with the 3 column layout, but it really does allow more space for the tons of categories and navigation links. New users will view the new skin, but all users have the option to revert to the traditional Wikia skin at any time.
New Skin
Tools and Web 2.0
Based on user feedback gained via polls, Wikia has supplied what their users voted as their most desirable improvements/additions. The core tools and links combined with graphical images and new elements have been consolidated on the right to simplify navigation, add function and to help new users to find their way around Wikia.
Tagging
I noticed that these tool elements can also be dragged and dropped to a user’s preference too. Outside of simplified navigation and reorganized spatial considerations, Wikia users will find themselves at home as processes have simply been streamlined and accentuated with the YouTube, sharing and voting aspects.
Tool Widget
Notes and Conclusions
These recent changes might seem a little underwhelming to many people, but it is very important to take note of what Wikia is in relation to our more “Hollywood” type communities. As Gil mentioned early in our conversation, the goal of this community is to become everyone’s resource for “unbiased” information and online experiences, within their personal interests. Gil told me that Wikia currently has over 40,000 pages of content relating to Star Wars alone and another 33,000 dealing with WOW. These subjects may not be for everyone, but the shear weight of all that information on relatively obscure topics is illustrative of a community dedicated to people and their passions.
I asked Gil if Wikia is where he thought it should be right now, and he related a question he asked Jimmy Wales when interviewing for his current position. Gil asked Wales if he thought lightning could strike twice in the same place, to which Wales obviously replied yes. Gil’'s answer to me reflected his genuine appreciation and amazement at yet another lightning strike at Wikia. These visions of Jimmy Wales’ occupy what could be argued as the true heart of user generated excellence. In the final analysis, Wikipedia and Wikia are about the hundreds of thousands of talented and inspired people who make up a great community. What is Wikia? Think of Wikipedia as a great reference book in an immense library, while Wikia is the library.
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Phil , I really think you have found yourself this time. The article is very informative and flows very well. I hope this leads to higher aspirations and good fortune that you deserve for being such a good person, in such hard times.
TopGun
Don Cantilena
Posted by: don cantilena | June 23, 2007 7:15 AM
This is probably one of the most difficult comments I had to write, Phil. Because… I love your article. Yes, it flows wonderful, yes it is very informative, but heck! This is your style, and it’s no surprise.
The surprise comes from Wikia. This cannot be serious! Is that landing page supposed to be a revolutionary design? Something that should appeal to the users and make them do… what?
I was expecting more!
The landing page looks cheap. It almost makes me believe that they want to make it to the top 10 Worst Web Pages in Web Pages that Suck. It totally lacks the WOW element of Wikia's content.
The choice of colors is most unfortunate.
That cheesy highlight on ‚ÄúFree culture starts right here.‚Ä? brings memories of lousy online sales letters that try to promote getting rich fast schemes.
The "join now" and "tutorial" buttons look like taken out of the cheapest icon sets available online. I cannot believe that a site, which is clearly profit focused and makes good money with its content, cannot afford a good designer to make that page appealing to the public.
I mean, Wikia will remain a resource for me, a very good resource, but right now, the landing page makes me want to run far, far away, to another site, with a more professional look and feel.
Posted by: Mihaela Lica | June 23, 2007 9:58 AM
Great article Phil. It got me to go over and check Wikia out and while I was at it I joined. I was thinking of creating a lolcats wikia. There is a Wikipedia page on lolcats but it is just information that can be added to but doesn't have the community component that Wikia has where active participation by its members comes in a more personal form.
A lolcats wiki on Wikia can be a place where people upload photos of cats with funny captions. The community then determines how the wiki will evolve. Subcategories could be created by geographic region or by cat breed.
Wikia adds the personal element which I like. I'll let you know if lolcats comes to be.
Posted by: Ellen | June 23, 2007 11:06 AM
You go Ellen, I knew you would love the information input and output value there.
MIG, I actually agree with you about that one aspect. I actually scrutinized the tools and the aesthetics of the internal pages much more and to be honest, considered the landing page as a secondary consideration. You make a good point though, as landing gives and impression of the "airport" and subsequently the city too for first time users.
Top, you know you are the best man. I appreciate you as always. Richard and R/WW are really the pinnacle home for anything analytical about the Web. You should contribute your virtually unlimited technical experience to this venue. Thanks Top! Always, Phil
Posted by: Phil Butler | June 23, 2007 12:15 PM
We all know and love Wikipedia. Anything Wiki and backed by Wales should succeed in the end.
Posted by: digitalnomad | June 23, 2007 12:29 PM
Is this some sort of bad joke? It looks like the blandest of bland WordPress blogs.
I followed the "featured" link to the Yu-Gi-Oh section and found a nearly empty page. Then I noticed that it was not a link to the Wikia page but a link to where the image is hosted! I just wasted two clicks!
I tried doing a search for "Pokemon" and I got a ton of links for sites that were not wikia. What's up with that?
So, what about copyright issues? Wikipedia is non-profit but this one is for profit. I smell some lawsuits!
Bleh...
Posted by: HMTKSteve | June 23, 2007 12:38 PM
The growth according to the chart is impressive. I like the new log much better.
Posted by: digitalnomad | June 23, 2007 12:44 PM
I love Wikipedia* The wealth of info at yer fingertips at any time of day or night is amazing*
I will certainly look at Wikia*
Cheers Phil!! Billy ;))
Peace*
Posted by: BillyWarhol | June 24, 2007 12:22 PM
Hi Steve, Nomad, Billy! Steve, I did not know you were so enamored with Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon man! I am sorry there are some bad pages tho and will relate that to them. I tend to agree in re: the landing page Steve, but my internal pages are using the new skins and they look great.
I was impressed with the comparison chart too Nomad. Wikia has been rated as one of the fastest growing sites out there and also won the Webware thingy award of late.
I use Wikipedia a lot too Billy and Wikia is great for some of my interests. Gil asked me if i made many pages, which I sadly have not had time to do. (I was embarrassed to tell him but houndogging betas is time consuming). Thanks guys and send Wikia your feedback.
Posted by: Phil Butler | June 24, 2007 8:00 PM
There are so many sites out there with great content. I spend a lot of time just reading, AND THERE IS STILL A LOAD MORE...
This kind of site, well, I don't think I will bother to be honest.
Posted by: Alan Marks | June 25, 2007 3:10 AM
Is anyone aware if Wikia is making strides to tailor its application for certain industry sectors. I agree the interface could look better, my bigger question still is will Wikia simply earn revenue from advertisements now and forever. I know they have a good amount of capital handy, all that we are seeing is a face lift from it.
Posted by: Jeff | June 25, 2007 10:48 AM
So much promise, so little substance.
It wasn't useful. All results refer to the 1st page since most folks only look that far.
1) Pinky & the Brain (searched "Pinky Brain") Links about the show, plus nonsense from uncyclopedia, a joke site. Semi-useful. B-
2) Fonzie - Websites not in English; no way to filter them. Mainly spelled "Fonzi". References to Happy Days and jumping the shark. Foreign sites were distracting. B+
3) Marlo Thomas - Wikia noted "Free to Be You and Me" not "That Girl". B+
4) Scotia (not Nova), a small NY city. Only returned Nova Scotia info. Changed search to "Scotia New York"; still didn't get the right city. F
5) Edward Gibbon - wrote "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". 1st return from uncyclopedia. Further down better but not even High School level. C
Overall Grade: C+
As research, it fails badly. Scholarly content is not free, but I expect not to get wrong answers. Wikia didn't measure up.
Posted by: jes | June 25, 2007 4:02 PM
I tend to agree Jes, as this "Beta" version of their internal search unerringly seems to point to Uncyclopedia's often goofy takes on some pretty scholarly subjects.
I will relate your excellent observations to Gil and I am more than sure they are working on this already but need feedback like yours.
Also, it is important to note that though the information is there, indexing and making it easily accessible is quite another thing. I have not talked to them about this but I expect the "high profile" stuff is being worked on first in a decending order of magnitude towards all content.
Just my thought and as always, I appreciate your feedback.
Always,
Phil
Posted by: Phil Butler | June 26, 2007 10:23 AM
Your article is very convincing. I haven't heard of Wikia before, so I checked it out. I must admit it did not make a good impression on me. I don't know how the old layout used to look like, but this new one is very common, it lacks contrast, and it doesn't live up to the expectations I had after reading your article. Some of the links were not working. I tried a few searches, but I don't see why to use Wikia in the future.
Posted by: Simonne | June 27, 2007 7:09 AM
Looks like sites like Wikia, Mahalo, InfoCream and ChaCha will give us good options for search in the future.
Posted by: Alex | July 6, 2007 8:41 PM
Yes Alex - Search Wikia is striving to create a natural language search engine as well. I have followed this for some time and the development is somewhat more slow than for the others you mentioned so far.
I was scheduled to talk with Jimmy Wales about this and some other issues, but we had to reschedule. I hope we can get some information soon about their progress, but I do not want to just use my own information for this.
Thanks for all the great, insightful comments.
Posted by: Phil Butler | July 12, 2007 11:00 PM