FindArticles
 | |
Type of site | Reference |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Dissolved | 2025 |
| Owner | CBS Interactive |
| Created by | LookSmart |
| URL | FindArticles.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Defunct. Domain name sold to unrelated company. |
FindArticles was a website which provided access to articles previously published in over 3,000 magazines, newspapers, journals, business reports and other sources.[1][2][3] The site offered free and paid content through the HighBeam Research database.[1] In 2007, FindArticles accessed over 11 million resource articles, going back to 1998.[4]
As it grew, FindArticles moved away from an all-free model driven by advertising[5][6] to a mixture of free and paid content.[7]
In 2025, the domain was sold to Web Orange, a Hong Kong based company who produce advertising-supported content unrelated to the original site.[8] Critics have cautioned it is AI generated and the journalist are fake personas.[9]
History
[edit]2000–2007: Founding and growth
[edit]FindArticles was founded in 2000[10] as a partnership between LookSmart, which authored the search technology, and the Gale Group, which provided the articles for a fee.[5][11][12]
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.[13]
In September 2004, HighBeam Research announced that it would make 1 million premium articles from its database accessible via FindArticles.[14] By May 2005, FindArticles contained more than 5 million articles in its database.[15]
In November 2006, FindArticles reported over 17.6 million unique visitors to their site.[16] In April 2007, LookSmart partnered with Blinkx to power FindArticles' video search results.[16]
2007–2025: CNET purchase and CNET ownership
[edit]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.[4][7][17]
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.[4] 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.[4][18]
FindArticles was part of the BNET division of CNET Networks[2] owned by CBS Interactive.[10]
2025–present: Web Orange
[edit]In 2025, the domain was sold to Web Orange Limited, a privately held company registered in Hong Kong. The content is new and not affiliated with the original site. It is funded through advertising and commercial partnerships.[8] According to Vince Nero, it is a "phony news site" with AI generated content attributed to "fake journalists with the same names as well-known journalists at respected outlets".[9]
Notes
[edit]- 1 2 Price, Gary; Kennedy, Shirl (2007-11-09). "LookSmart Sells FindArticles to CNET Networks for $20.5 Million in Cash". Resource Shelf. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- 1 2 Schwartz, Matthew (2008-02-11). "Bnet.com branches out: CNET business information site bulks up its content offerings". BtoB Online. BtoB. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ "CNET spends $20.5 million on news site FindArticles". www.cyzone.cn. 2007-11-09. Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- 1 2 3 4 Russell, Terrence (2007-11-08). "CNet Buys FindArticles From a Similarly Regrouping LookSmart". Wired Blog Network. Wired. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- 1 2 "Cases and Issues in the News". American Antitrust Institute. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ MacLeod, Roddy (August 2000). "A-Z New Websites". Internet Resources Newsletter. Heriot-Watt University Library. Archived from the original on 2000-08-15. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- 1 2 Eldon, Eric (2008-11-08). "CNet buys FindArticles.com from LookSmart for $20.5 million". Venture Beat. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- 1 2 "About Us". FindArticles.com. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- 1 2 Nero, Vince (May 2026). "Vince Nero's Post". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
- 1 2 "FindArticles.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools". whois.domaintools.com. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
- ↑ Tomaiuolo, Nicholas (2004). The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources. Information Today, Inc. pp. 19. ISBN 0910965676.
- ↑ "About FindArticles". FindArticles.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-02. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
- ↑ Jacso, Peter (2000-11-01). "FindArticles.com Embraces Free Content Trend". The Free Library by Farlex. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- ↑ "HighBeam Research Partners With LookSmart". EContent Magazine. 2004-09-03. Archived from the original on 2004-09-28. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
- ↑ Patterson, Ben (2005-05-10). "LookSmart review: LookSmart". CNET. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - 1 2 Nicole, Kristen (2007-04-04). "LookSmart Partners with Blinkx". Mashable. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- ↑ "LOOKSMART, LTD. 2007 Form 10-K Annual Report". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- ↑ Nicole, Kristen (2007-11-07). "CNet Acquires FindArticles: Part of its Refocus?". Mashable. Retrieved 2008-07-18.