Difference between Google and Wikipedia

Google and Wikipedia are two different web platforms with diverse functions and roles in the digital world. Google is a multinational technology corporation that operates the world's most popular search engine. Wikipedia is a free, collaborative online encyclopedia where individuals from all over the globe may create, edit, and maintain entries on a wide range of subjects.

Read this article to find out more about Google and Wikipedia and how they are different from each other.

What is Google?

Google is a worldwide technology company created in September 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were earning their Ph.D. degrees at Stanford University. Since then, the corporation has grown to become one of the most prominent and dominant players in the digital world.

A Brief History of Google

Google began as a Stanford University research project named "Backrub" in which Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed an algorithm to analyses the relationships between webpages on the internet. The PageRank algorithm transformed web search by ranking pages based on their importance and authority, as determined by the number and quality of backlinks from other websites.

The duo incorporated their idea as Google Inc. in 1998, with the objective "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." The original version of the Google search engine was launched on the Stanford website, and it quickly gained popularity due to its improved search results and user-friendly layout.

Search Engine

Google's search engine is the company's main product and the foundation of its success. It transformed web search by giving extremely relevant and quick results. The search engine discovers and indexes online pages using web crawlers (Googlebot), resulting in a vast database known as the Google Index. Google's algorithms analyze the index to show the most relevant search results when users input a query.

Advertising Platform

Google's business strategy is based mainly on advertising. The majority of its revenue is generated by its advertising networks, particularly Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords). Google Ads allows businesses and advertisers to build advertisements and bid on specific keywords, allowing their advertisements to appear alongside relevant search results or on partner websites inside Google's display network.

The advertising business is based on a pay-per-click (PPC) system, in which advertisers only pay when users click on their advertisements.

Impact on the Internet and Society

Google has had a massive impact on the internet and society. Its search engine has become synonymous with accessing information online, and "Googling" has become a widespread verb. Google's products and services have altered how people engage with the internet, making information, communication, and productivity more accessible and efficient.

What is Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is a free, collaborative online encyclopedia that aims to provide people all over the world with information on a wide variety of topics. It is based on open collaboration principles, allowing users to create, edit, and update articles collectively. Wikipedia's innovative approach to content development has helped it become one of the Internet's largest and most popular reference websites.

Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia on January 15, 2001. It evolved from the previous Nupedia project, which used a more traditional editorial method with expert reviewers. Nupedia's slow article creation procedure inspired the creation of Wikipedia, an open wiki platform that allowed anybody with internet access to add to entries. The term "Wikipedia" is a combination of "wiki" (a collaborative website) and "encyclopedia."

Content Creation Process in Wikipedia

• Article Creation − On Wikipedia, anyone can create a new article. New articles are reviewed to ensure they correspond to Wikipedia's notability rules and content policies.

• Article Editing − Any user can modify existing articles. Contributors can make changes, correct mistakes, add new information, or update old content.

• Revisions and History − Each article on Wikipedia has a complete revision history, which allows users to follow changes over time and see who contributed to the article.

Difference between Google and Wikipedia

The following table highlights the major differences between Google and Wikipedia −

Characteristics	Google	Wikipedia
Content Quality	Varied, includes reliable and unreliable info	Strives for accuracy and verifiable sources
Content Type	Web pages, images, videos, news, etc.	Articles on a wide range of topics
Advertising	Generates revenue through ads and services	Non-profit, relies on donations for funding
Editing	Not open for public editing	Open for public editing by registered users
User Base	Universal user base, billions of users	Global community of contributors
Content Licensing	No specific licensing	Content under Creative Commons licenses
Content Curation	Algorithmic ranking based on relevance	Collaborative editing and quality control
Content Source	Indexes and displays existing web content	Created and edited by volunteers
Ownership	Owned by Alphabet Inc. (formerly Google Inc.)	Operated by Wikimedia Foundation

Conclusion

In conclusion, Google is a search engine that retrieves information from the Internet, whereas Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia where individuals cooperate to develop and curate content on a variety of topics.