Google no longer using dictionary.com; now answers.com

[intelliot]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but the dictionary definitions for search terms on Google now link to information on answers.com instead of dictionary.com. Perhaps they've noticed dictionary.com's decline?

[Eric]

Hmmmm, well Intelliot, for me it still links to Dictionary.com, and I'm sure I have no problems with my cache.

[intelliot]

That's strange. It's answers.com here.

[Arisna]

I'm also still getting dictionary.com. o_o

[Eric]

No, wait, now it redirects to answers.com, weird. Well then again, it redirects to different sites for different words. O_o...
Maybe they haven't pointed all dictionary words to answers.com yet?

[aristox]

what does everyone here think about http://answers.com/ ??

I just found out about it a few days ago and I love it, it really rocks. it's "1-Click Answers" feature is great.

anyone here knows how long has it been up?

check it out if you haven't already. It's worth a try.

"Answers.com is also a start toward a new search paradigm... real instant information, not just links to pages where that information may, or may not, be found. I urge you to try it."

[Eric]

I like answers.com, many of it's articles on certain words are taken from Wikipedia, which I think is a good thing .
Choosing answers.com over dictionary.com was a wise decision on Google's part in my opinion, the wikipedia articles are a plus.
I don't know how long it has been up ...

[microdude431]

i usually get dictionary.com

[aristox]

Ok, i got it now. answers.com was launched 1/3/05, it is owned by GuruNet.

GuruNet's stock price has almost doubled since they launched answers.com, which speaks volume.

http://www.gurunet.com/press010405.jsp

[geekerati]

You guys were right about your observations. Here is some more about this topic. Enjoy! I like it too, very good results using it.

Google Links Up With Answers.com
By Nate Mook, BetaNews
January 28, 2005, 5:19 PM

Since its debut earlier this month, Answers.com has garnered rave reviews across the Web and, apparently, Google agrees. The search giant has begun redirecting its "definition" link that appears atop search results to the reference service, which offers quick answers to questions without requiring users to sort through a myriad of Web pages.

Built by GuruNet, Answers.com is a Web offshoot of the company's desktop application that has been retired after an unsuccessful attempt at targeting corporate users. GuruNet's new strategy is to ride the growing search wave by offering a complementary reference tool - an approach that's already beginning to work.

In addition to Google, Answers.com has found its way into Amazon's A9.com search engine, and hopes more search and media sites will follow suit.

"We don't perceive ourselves as competing against the search engines. They do what they do -- indexing as much of the web as they can -- very well," Jay Bailey, Director of Communications at GuruNet told BetaNews. "But while they are busy with the 'shotgun approach', providing every available page for you to sort through in your hunt for information, Answers.com gives you the answer."

The company says answers are compiled from over 100 encyclopedias, dictionaries, glossaries, and atlases. Some information sources are free, but the majority of content is licensed by GuruNet.

Although GuruNet has not announced a contractual relationship with Google, the company says it is pleased by the added exposure for Answers.com.

"We are delighted to see that Google views us as a valuable resource – a way to offer clear, concise "answers" as an option when that is what their users are looking for," said GuruNet's Bailey. "We truly hope that they continue to do so, and that we can, in turn, continue to merit the exposure by continuing to provide useful, reliable, fact-based answers."

Despite its new focus on the Web, GuruNet is offering a downloadable package to go with Answers.com. Currently in beta, 1-Click Answers provides tools for looking up words, including an IE Toolbar on Windows.

BetaNews