A summary of search related news items that occurred this week including Wikipedia launched Wikia Search which most reviewers found disappointing, Chris Winfield provides 10 simple steps to social media success in 2008, network Solutions provides another reason to hate them with their newly instituted practice of automatically registering domain names users search for and then hijacking the price, Ask's CEO Jim Lanzone leaves the company to join venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures, and finally, Google introduces Google Checkout Trends which provides insight into what people are buying and selling online.

Monday

• Wikipedia's Wikia Search Launches - Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has finally launched the alpha release of their search engine Wikia Search to the public. Most who have reviewed the new service thus so far say it is pretty bad. This includes Michael Arrington of TechCrunch who says, "it may be one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had the displeasure of reviewing." Ouch!. Tony Ruscoe of Google Blogoscoped says, "when I tried a few sample queries, I was as disappointed." Even Jimmy Wales realizes it is not good right now when he comments on a TechCrunch posts - "It’s a project to *build* a search engine, not a search engine. We’ve been telling everyone that constantly. I’m sorry Michael’s disappointed, but having said that, we didn’t build it for him, but for people who think that openness, transparency, and participation are more important than slick releases."
  

• 10 Simple Steps To Social Media Success In 2008 - As social media becomes more of an integral part of online marketing strategies, creating viral content and promoting it is only a fraction of the equation. Chris Winfield provides 10 steps marketers can take to unsure that they strengthen their online footprints and become part of the network of social media sites. In summary, the steps include connecting, mastering a forum, cutting down and moving up, meet a Digger a day, get universal, think globally, focus, answer, join the conversation and review the year. For more on what each of these entails, visit Search Engine Land to read the article in its entirety.

• Another Reason Why Network Solutions Sucks - Network Solutions is stirring up controversy with a newly instituted practice of automatically registering domain names users search for and then jacking up the price during ICANN's return grace period. WebProNews reports that when domain searches are conducted on Network Solution's site in which domains are not registered, Network Solutions registers the domain it immediately and offers it for sale for $34.99, nearly $30 above the going price, depending on where you buy. Critics call it "extortion," but Network Solutions calls it a service to protect customers from the practice of "front running." The extra charge is, assumedly, the protection fee. Just another reason why I am glad I use DirectNIC having dumped Network Solutions years ago.
  

• Jim Lanzone Leaves Ask.com  - Search Engine Watch reports that Ask's CEO, Jim Lanzone, will leave the company to serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Redpoint Ventures, a venture capital firm. He will be replaced by former Match.com CEO Jim Safka, who has been leading IAC's venture capital arm, Primal Ventures, since April. He will retain that role as well. Lanzone had been VP of product management at Ask.com since 2001, and was then promoted to CEO in 2006 when previous CEO Steve Berkowitz left to join Microsoft.
  

• Google Introduces Google Checkout Trends - Most are already familiar with Google trends, a handy tool that allows one to track and compare what people are searching for on Google. Now Google has launched a similar tool that can give you some insight into what people are buying and selling online - Google Checkout Trends. The tool aggregates the sales data of Google Checkout merchants and charts it in a matter of seconds. Additional "trends" style tools from Google include Google Hot Trends and Google Reader Personalized Trends.