''FindArticles'' was a

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wi ...

which provided access to articles previously published in over 3,000 magazines, newspapers, journals, business reports and other sources. The site offered free and paid content through the

HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was head ...

database. In 2007, ''FindArticles'' accessed over 11 million resource articles, going back to 1998. As it grew, ''FindArticles'' moved away from an all-free model driven by advertising to a mixture of free and paid content.

History

2000–2007: Founding and growth

''FindArticles'' was founded in 2000 as a partnership between LookSmart, which authored the search technology, and the

Gale Group Gale is a global provider of research and digital learning resources. The company is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, west of Detroit. It has been a division of Cengage since 2007. The company, formerly known as Gale Research and the Gale G ...

, which provided the articles for a fee. 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. In September 2004,

announced that it would make 1 million premium articles from its database accessible via ''FindArticles''. By May 2005, ''FindArticles'' contained more than 5 million articles in its database. In November 2006, ''FindArticles'' reported over 17.6 million unique visitors to their site. In April 2007, LookSmart partnered with

Blinkx RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...

to power ''FindArticles''' video search results.

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 ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

for $20.5 million on November 9, 2007, as part of a larger sell-off of LookSmart properties. 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 Seo or SEO may refer to: * Search engine optimization, the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines Organisations * SEO Economic Research, a scientific institute * Spanish Ornithological Society (''Socied ...

value—i.e., the frequency with which its articles appear as search engine results—likely factored into the final purchase price. ''FindArticles'' had been part of the

BNET ''BNET'' was an online magazine dedicated to issues of business management. It was owned by CBS Interactive and was a part of its business portfolio alongside ZDNet, TechRepublic, SmartPlanet SmartPlanet was an online magazine that cover ...

division of CNET Networks and is currently owned by

CBS Interactive Paramount Streaming (formerly CBS Digital Media Group, CBS Interactive, ViacomCBS Streaming), a division of Paramount Global, oversees the company’s streaming technology and offers direct-to-consumer services, free, premium and pay. These incl ...

Notes

{{CBS Interactive Internet properties established in 2000 Online publishing companies of the United States Bibliographic databases and indexes Defunct CBS Interactive websites