FindArticles
{{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.{{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 }}{{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}}{{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}} The site offered free and paid content through the HighBeam Research database. In 2007, FindArticles accessed over 11 million resource articles, going back to 1998.{{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 }}
As it grew, FindArticles moved away from an all-free model driven by advertising{{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}}{{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}} to a mixture of free and paid content.
History
= 2000–2007: Founding and growth =
FindArticles was founded in 2000{{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}} as a partnership between LookSmart, which authored the search technology, and the Gale Group, which provided the articles for a fee.{{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}}{{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}}
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.{{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}}
In September 2004, HighBeam Research announced that it would make 1 million premium articles from its database accessible via FindArticles.{{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}} By May 2005, FindArticles contained more than 5 million articles in its database.{{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}}
In November 2006, FindArticles reported over 17.6 million unique visitors to their site.{{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}} In April 2007, LookSmart partnered with Blinkx to power FindArticles
= 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.{{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}}{{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}}
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. FindArticles' SEO value—i.e., the frequency with which its articles appear as search engine results—likely factored into the final purchase price.{{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}}
FindArticles had been part of the BNET division of CNET Networks and is currently owned by CBS Interactive.