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I'm just wondering what impact LookSmart's going PPC will have on WiseNut. Of course there's no certain way to know, but does anybody have any theories or ideas? What about sharing WiseNut results with the LookSmart partners -- anyone seen or heard of this yet? Just trying to figure out where WiseNut stands in this mess.
Given that, how do you see that they can approach making WiseNut popular? (if they decide to launch PFI)....the way I'm looking at is, is LookSmart has a lot of potential to do just as their name sounds.
However, given the reactions to their switch to PPC, I don't think that they have the marketing savvy to gain market share with WiseNut (at least in the US).
How can you convince 'joe user' who may still be using gasp Altavista, to make the switch to WiseNut? That's a tough sell...and the way the market looks, I'd bank on Google to figure that one out first.
My current guess is this: LookSmart dies out, and WiseNut fades further into obscurity (in the next 12 months).
I think that to make the average user who is using AltaVista or Google switch to WiseNut, you need to entice them with what they want: fast, quality results that are clean.
If LookSmart can take their head out of the sand, build WiseNut and take some of the money to promote the search engine, then it may not be doomed.
Ahem, what money?
They bought it with paper.....you remember that SEO firm, that went for $95 million? Less than a month later, that deal was worth $11 million...today, it's worth even less.
But, that company is still in business...I just don't see how flushing money is a good strategy for LookSmart. Especially given their stance on sites which are 'critical to relevance' in their former directory....only the big corporations.
Because let's face it: building an editorially sound, influence (commercially speaking) free engine built around algo and not $$$ takes a lot of money to make and promote. Sure, it's made.....but they dont' update much. That takes dollars, too. And all that work doesn't lead to profit...at least, not in the short run.
Joe user can get that advertised experience, anywhere. It's the other sites that make Google, for example, interesting....and your ability to find them quickly and easily (read in the top of the serps) and not ADs (like last night, *cough*).
One reason to use Google is that it is so easy to use the search because of the toolbar.
One measure of mindshare is deinately use, but you can also look at the number of people looking for [webmasterworld.com] a given engine as well. Going by that measure WiseNut has about 1/3 the mindshare of LookSmart and Teoma has about 1/7 the mindshare of LookSmart. Compare Looksmart to Google and Google barely shows on the radar screen.
Wisenut needs exposure and mindshare before they can charge for anything [and expect anyone to pay].
LS seem to believe they can provide a hedge against this by having their own search engine to syndicate their results on. Despite Wisenuts usage in Korea and Japan, their large index and their generally relevant results, they are not a mainstream search engine yet and have no market share to speak of.
Looksmart have announced that their "integration" with Wisenut will be completed by Q3 2002. Can it possibly be that they are actually going try to develop Wisenut into a mainstream search engine by the time their contract with MSN is due for renewal? I know this sounds unlikley, but then no none thought that looksmart would be dumb enough to dump on their old customers just to earn a bit more.
If so how will MSN take to having Looksmart as a competitor rather than a partner. A forward looking search engine with good financial backing (MSN), might feel it best to dump Looksmart, and when the price hits rock bottom buy them up for a song, thus eliminating the potential competition of Wisenut and gaining control of their own directory at the same time.
