URL | FindArticles |
---|---|
Commercial? | Yes |
Type of site | Reference |
Registration | Optional |
Owner | CBS Interactive |
Created by | LookSmart |
Launched | 2000 |
Current status | Online |
FindArticles is a website which provides access to articles previously published in over 3,000 magazines, journals, and other sources.[1][2] Many articles are freely accessible, but the site also offers a large amount of premium content, which is provided through the HighBeam Research database and is only available with a free trial or a monthly fee.[1] In total, FindArticles controls over 11 million resource articles, going as far back as 1998.[3][4][5]
The site was founded in 2000 as a partnership between LookSmart, which authored the search technology, and the Gale Group, which provided the articles.[3][4] The two companies had first partnered to provide content in August of that year, and FindArticles.com soon resulted.[6] As it grew, FindArticles moved away from an all-free model driven by advertising[4][7] to the current admixture of free and paid content.
The site remained a part of LookSmart throughout the various changes in that company until it was sold to CNET Networks for $20.5 million on November 8, 2007, as part of a larger sell-off of LookSmart properties.[5][8] Looksmart's need to offload non-critical assets in the wake of poor corporate performance, along with CNET's commensurate desire to expand its library of offerings, motivated the deal.[5] FindArticles' SEO value - i.e., the frequency with which its articles appear as search engine results - likely factored into the final purchase price.[5][9]
FindArticles is now part of the BNET division of CNET Networks.[2]
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