Search the internet Wikipedia style

A while ago I wrote a piece on social search engines, internet search sites where the results are controlled by consumers, not companies or computers. The idea behind these is to try and stop so-called "black hat optimisers" - web technicians who ensure their sites appear at the top of search results by using all manner of dirty tricks.

Today Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wells launched his own take on the social search engine, Wikia Search. Unlike Wikipedia - which is run as a not-for-profit venture without any advertising (one of its major flaws, in my opinion) - Wells is hoping to achieve commercial success with this project, something the investors who provided $17m in funding will be demanding. 

Although Wells has said he expects to take 5% of the search market within two years - no mean feat in a crowded and saturated marketplace - mainstream success will depend on whether he can build the same size of community he has with Wikipedia, currently the world's 8th most popular site.

By allowing users to rate search results, the engine will automatically provide results which consumers have found useful. I'm unsure the site ever hit the tipping point, however; breaking the Google habit will not be easy. But it may change the outlook of the search giants, who seem curiously out of step with the increasing demand for consumer control. If Google, Yahoo and MSN see an appetite for this kind of functionality, they're sure to provide it themselves.