Answers.com relationship scrutinized again upon release of tool
A new tool was released last week intended to bring revenue to Wikipedia from advertising on a partner site, Answers.com. However, the occasion prompted renewed scrutiny of the relationship and the business practices of Wikipedia's partner.
On Tuesday, Jimbo Wales added a link to the new Wikipedia edition of the 1-Click Answers tool on the Wikipedia:Tools page, which covers various external tools related to Wikipedia. The tool in question allows users to click on words in any program on their screen and bring up content from Answers.com related to the term, in this case specifically from Wikipedia. It also comes with a toolbar where you can type in terms and do the same thing.
On the Answers.com website, the tool is available for download from a dedicated page. However, it is not mentioned on the primary page that lists the free downloads available from the site. In addition, the Wikipedia edition is offered only for Windows, unlike the regular tool which also provides a version for Mac OS X.
The arrangement was first revealed last October and became the focus of some controversy in the Wikipedia community (see archived story). The partnership was the subject of a press release and the value of Answers Corporation stock briefly spiked upward after the announcement. According to the agreement, some of the revenue from the tool would be passed on to the Wikimedia Foundation. A 60-day trial period is contemplated, although it was originally anticipated to start at the beginning of the year.