Wikiwand
| File:Wikiwand Logo.png | |
| File:Wikiwand Logo Real 2.png | |
| Type of business | Private, Startup company |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco Bay Area |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | Lior Grossman, Ilan Lewin |
| Employees | 10+ |
| URL | www |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Online |
| Native client(s) on | iOS |
Wikiwand is a proprietary software interface developed for viewing Wikipedia articles[1] available for several popular web browsers as a free browser extension or mobile app. It adds a proprietary interface with custom navigation, advertisements, and sponsored articles.[2]
History
Wikiwand (originally WikiWand) was founded in 2013 by Lior Grossman and Ilan Lewin.[3] Officially launched in August 2014,[4] the interface includes a sidebar menu, navigation bar, personalized links to other languages, new typography, and access to previews of linked articles.[5] The list of contents is constantly displayed on the left-hand side.[6] The interface also includes display ads and sponsored articles. On July, 2020, a sample Wikiwand webpage had 6 display ads and 36 sponsored articles. Five display ads are in the main content section of the article, one is in the left-hand side navigation bar, and the sponsored articles are below the article content. [2]
According to Grossman, "It didn’t make sense to us that the fifth most popular website in the world, used by half a billion people, has an interface that hasn’t been updated in over a decade. We found the Wikipedia interface cluttered, hard to read (large blocks of small text), hard to navigate, and lacking in terms of usability."[7]
In May 2017, Ilan Lewin left Wikiwand where he was serving as CTO.[8]
In January 2019, Lior Grossman left Wikiwand where he was serving as CEO.[9]
Availability
The interface is available on Chrome, Safari and Firefox as well as via Wikiwand's website. In March 2015, Wikiwand released an iOS app for iPhone and iPad.[10] An Android app is currently under development.[11]
Business model
In 2014, Wikiwand was able to raise $600,000 to support the development of the interface. It has stated that it intends to raise revenue through advertising[7] and donate 30% of its profits to the Wikimedia Foundation.[7][12]
References
- ^ Jillian Wong (21 August 2014). "'WikiWand' Gives Wikipedia Clean New Layout For A Better Reading Experience". Taxi. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Dieges & Clust - Wikiwand". Wikiwand. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "WikiWand". CrunchBase. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "WikiWand". Twitter. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Martin Brinkmann (14 August 2014). "WikiWand is a modernized Wikipedia frontend". ghacks.net. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "WikiWand makes Wikipedia beautiful". TNW. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ a b c "Web App WikiWand Raises $600,000 To Give Wikipedia A New Interface". techcrunch.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ "Ilan Lewin's LinkedIn Profile". Ilan Lewin. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Ilan Lewin's LinkedIn Profile". Lior Grossman. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ Zach Epstein (18 March 2015). "New free iPhone app transforms Wikipedia into a stunning interactive experience". Yahoo. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ "Wikiwand for Android". Wikiwand. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ^ "About - Wikiwand". Wikiwand. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015.
External links
