"The shutdown of Wikia Search, an attempt to apply Wikipedia-style ideas (ie, free work) to create an open source, commercial search engine, came as no surprise […] collaboration and community has proved no solution to real-world issues."

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Read me first: Shutdown of Wikia Search proves empty rhetoric of collaboration, says Seth Finkelstein | Technology | The Guardian

I think there were two factors that doomed Wikia Search. First of all it’s gigantic undertaking and what’s more why should volunteers let themselves being exploited to make others rich?