September 21, 2005 (Cincinnati, OH) -- A year ago, most Internet users were scratching their heads and trying to figure out what the strange word Wikipedia meant.

Today, Wikipedia, a collaborative and user-created free online encyclopedia, is one of the hottest new applications on the Internet, according to Intelliseek's BlogPulse, which tracks daily posts from an index of more than 16 million blogs. 

According to BlogPulse.com, consumer references and blog links to Wikipedia have increased steadily in recent months, fueled by increased blog traffic and a need for real-time updates about breaking news events.  Blog references to Wikipedia have tripled, in fact, since Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in late August.  More than twice as many bloggers now refer to the term "Wikipedia" as they do to the traditional "encyclopedia," and bloggers mention Wikipedia six times more frequently than they mention Encyclopedia Britannica's web site.

Fills a 'tipping point'
"There's no question that Wikipedia is finding an important 'tipping point' on the Internet," said Pete Blackshaw, Intelliseek CMO. "Blog discussion and commentary clearly suggest that this tool represents an indispensable resource for informed blog postings and conversations."

Key factors contribute to Wikipedia-related buzz, according to BlogPulse:

• Influential, top blog authors are embedding Wikipedia links in their blog postings, exposing the site to wider audiences. A half-percent of all blog posts at BlogPulse.com, in fact, now typically cite Wikipedia.
• Major news events, especially July's London subway bombings and Hurricane Katrina in August-September, boosted Wikipedia's use as a source of immediate and thorough background. As a result, Wikipedia has emerged as more reliable and timely than other encyclopedias or knowledge databases.
• The rise of Consumer-Generated Media. Because Wikipedia involves thousands of collaborative authors and contributors, many of them are passionate about accuracy and focused, thoughtful usage, increasing the level of trust among users.
• International appeal. Of the growing number of foreign-language Wikipedias (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Dutch & Swedish), blog citations to the German-language Wikipedia increased the most, nearly doubling in the past six months.

"Wikipedia is filling users' needs for a comprehensive and current directory of resources and facts on a wide range of subjects, and it does so as a potent cross between an Encyclopedia Britannica and a Yahoo! Directory with continuous updates," said Sundar Kadayam, Chief Technology Officer of Intelliseek and product manager of BlogPulse.

In the same time that BlogPulse detected a boost in Wikipedia mentions, Alexa.com also logged a surge in Wikipedia's ranking, rising from No. 143 to No. 53 rank among all web sites in the last six months.

Media contact: Sue MacDonald, 513-618-6716

 

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