LookSmart takes over Zeal

September 2000

Web directory and search company LookSmart will integrate user reviews and ratings into its website listings through the acquisition of the community-driven directory Zeal.

Zeal Media Inc. was founded in 1999 by Brian Goler and Kevin Berk, and is based in Culver City, California. Searching at Zeal yields results that are pre-screened and rated by other users. The highest rated websites appear at the top of every category, giving the searcher direct access to the sites the so-called "Zealots", i.e. the Zeal community members, believe are the best on the Web.

Zeal listings will be used in LookSmart's international directory services along with its own listings, professional reviews and selections.

On Looksmart Zealot user reviews will be limited to non-commercial sites. It is unclear to us whether a site like Pandia will be considered "commercial" or "non-commercial" in this respect.

"LookSmart's strategy is to be the ubiquitous directory for all of the Internet by offering partners superior products and monetization," says Evan Thornley, chairman and chief executive officer of LookSmart. "The acquisition of Zeal dramatically extends our leadership in directory products. Zeal's technology recognizes the power of community involvement while overcoming the pitfalls associated with community directories."

Zeal already includes reviews made by the Looksmart editors on the Zeal site.

Looksmart is currently working hard to become the major search directory service on the Web. Unlike the present king, Yahoo!, Looksmart is not so much focusing on bringing traffic to its own website. Instead it is lending its database to other sites on the Net.

According to LookSmart, its databases currently reach more than 64 million U.S. Internet users through partnerships with Microsoft's MSN, Netscape Netcenter, AltaVista, Excite, TimeWarner, Sony, Macromedia, Road Runner, Cox Interactive Media and US West. LookSmart's search directories are also distributed through BT and other global partners to countries throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim.

Looksmart won a major victory in the competition against the Open Directory Project (ODP) this year, by convincing Alta Vista to switch its directory offering from a combined Looksmart/ODP database, to a pure Looksmart directory. One reason for this is probably that Looksmart demands a fee from websites that want to be listed. The Looksmart partners get a part of this.

• Looksmart.com
• Zeal
• LookSmart Expands Web Directories With Zeal (Newsbytes)
• Zeal press release
• Traffick on Zeal

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