{{Short description|Website providing access to press articles}} {{Infobox website | name = FindArticles.com | favicon = | logo = FindArticles logo.png | caption = | commercial = Yes | type = Reference | registration = Optional | owner = CBS Interactive | author = LookSmart | launch_date = 2000 | current_status = | revenue = | url = [http://findarticles.com/ FindArticles.com]{{cbignore}} }}
'''''FindArticles''''' was a website which provided access to articles previously published in over 3,000 magazines, newspapers, journals, business reports and other sources.<ref name="ResourceShelf">{{cite web |url=http://www.resourceshelf.com/2007/11/09/looksmart-sells-findarticles-to-cnet-networks/ |title=LookSmart Sells FindArticles to CNET Networks for $20.5 Million in Cash |access-date=2008-07-18 |last=Price |first=Gary |last2=Kennedy |first2=Shirl |date=2007-11-09 |work=Resource Shelf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623004622/http://www.resourceshelf.com/2007/11/09/looksmart-sells-findarticles-to-cnet-networks/ |archive-date=2008-06-23 }}</ref><ref name="BtoB">{{cite web|url=http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/FREE/629265722/1109/FREE|title=Bnet.com branches out: CNET business information site bulks up its content offerings|last=Schwartz|first=Matthew|date=2008-02-11|work=BtoB Online|publisher=BtoB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721090157/http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080211%2FFREE%2F629265722%2F1109%2FFREE|archive-date=2011-07-21|url-status=dead|access-date=2008-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cyzone.cn/article/3718.html|title=CNET spends $20.5 million on news site FindArticles|date=2007-11-09|website=www.cyzone.cn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214174423/http://www.cyzone.cn/article/3718.html|archive-date=2019-02-14|access-date=2019-02-14}}</ref> The site offered free and paid content through the HighBeam Research database.<ref name="ResourceShelf"/> In 2007, ''FindArticles'' accessed over 11 million resource articles, going back to 1998.<ref name="Wired">{{cite web |url=http://blog.wired.com:80/business/2007/11/cnet-buys-finda.html#previouspost |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118111118/http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/11/cnet-buys-finda.html#previouspost |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-01-18 |title=CNet Buys FindArticles From a Similarly Regrouping LookSmart |access-date=2008-07-18 |last=Russell |first=Terrence |date=2007-11-08 |work=Wired Blog Network |publisher=Wired }}</ref>
As it grew, ''FindArticles'' moved away from an all-free model driven by advertising<ref name="AAI">{{cite web|url=http://www.antitrustinstitute.org/Antitrust_Resources/Cases___Issues_in_the_NEWS/index.ashx|title=Cases and Issues in the News|publisher=American Antitrust Institute|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503021903/http://www.antitrustinstitute.org/Antitrust_Resources/Cases___Issues_in_the_NEWS/index.ashx|archive-date=2008-05-03|url-status=dead|access-date=2008-07-18}}</ref><ref name="HWUL">{{cite web|url=http://www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/irn/irn71/irn71.html|title=A-Z New Websites|last=MacLeod|first=Roddy|date=August 2000|work=Internet Resources Newsletter|publisher=Heriot-Watt University Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815062848/http://www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/irn/irn71/irn71.html|archive-date=2000-08-15|access-date=2008-07-18}}</ref> to a mixture of free and paid content.<ref name="VentureBeat" />
== History ==
=== 2000–2007: Founding and growth === ''FindArticles'' was founded in 2000<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/findarticles.com|title=FindArticles.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools|website=whois.domaintools.com|access-date=2018-12-16}}</ref> as a partnership between LookSmart, which authored the search technology, and the Gale Group, which provided the articles for a fee.<ref name="AAI" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources|last=Tomaiuolo|first=Nicholas|publisher=Information Today, Inc.|year=2004|isbn=0910965676|pages=[https://archive.org/details/weblibrarybuildi00toma/page/19 19]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/weblibrarybuildi00toma/page/19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/PI/aboutus/index.jhtml|title=About FindArticles|website=FindArticles.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021002222936/http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/PI/aboutus/index.jhtml|archive-date=2002-10-02|access-date=2019-02-15}}</ref>
By early-August 2000, the ''FindArticles'' database contained more than 862,000 articles and by September 2000, the database contained more than 1 million articles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/FindArticles.com+Embraces+Free+Content+Trend.-a066581869|title=FindArticles.com Embraces Free Content Trend.|last=Jacso|first=Peter|date=2000-11-01|website=The Free Library by Farlex|access-date=2019-02-14}}</ref>
In September 2004, HighBeam Research announced that it would make 1 million premium articles from its database accessible via ''FindArticles''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/News/News-Item/HighBeam-Research-Partners-With-LookSmart-7052.htm|title=HighBeam Research Partners With LookSmart|date=2004-09-03|website=EContent Magazine|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040928194320/http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleReader.aspx?ArticleID=7052|archive-date=2004-09-28|access-date=2019-02-26}}</ref> By May 2005, ''FindArticles'' contained more than 5 million articles in its database.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/reviews/looksmart-review/|title=LookSmart review: LookSmart|last=Patterson|first=Ben|date=2005-05-10|website=CNET|language=en|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190226042613/https://www.cnet.com/reviews/looksmart-review/|archive-date=2019-02-26|url-status=live|access-date=2019-02-26}}</ref>
In November 2006, ''FindArticles'' reported over 17.6 million unique visitors to their site.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2007/04/04/looksmart-blinkx/|title=LookSmart Partners with Blinkx|last=Nicole|first=Kristen|date=2007-04-04|website=Mashable|language=en|access-date=2019-04-23}}</ref> In April 2007, LookSmart partnered with Blinkx to power ''FindArticles''<nowiki/>' video search results.<ref name=":1" />
=== 2007–present: CNET purchase and CNET ownership === ''FindArticles'' 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 9, 2007, as part of a larger sell-off of LookSmart properties.<ref name="Wired"/><ref name="VentureBeat">{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2007/11/08/cnet-buys-findarticlescom-from-looksmart-for-205-million/ |title=CNet buys FindArticles.com from LookSmart for $20.5 million |access-date=2008-07-18 |last=Eldon |first=Eric |date=2008-11-08 |work=Venture Beat}}</ref><ref name="200710K2">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1077866/000119312507242517/d10q.htm|title=LOOKSMART, LTD. 2007 Form 10-K Annual Report|publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Wired" /> Both ''Mashable'' and ''Wired'' speculated that the final purchase price was predicated on ''FindArticles''' SEO value—i.e., the frequency with which its articles appear as search engine results.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="Mashable">{{cite web |url=http://mashable.com/2007/11/07/cnet-acquired-findarticles/ |title=CNet Acquires FindArticles: Part of its Refocus? |access-date=2008-07-18 |last=Nicole |first=Kristen |date=2007-11-07 |work=Mashable}}</ref>
''FindArticles'' had been part of the BNET division of CNET Networks<ref name="BtoB" /> and is currently owned by CBS Interactive.<ref name=":0" />
==Notes== {{reflist}}
{{CBS Interactive}}
Category:Internet properties established in 2000 Category:Online publishing companies of the United States Category:Bibliographic databases and indexes Category:Defunct CBS Interactive websites