 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2018) |
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Type of site | |
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| Available in |
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| Owner | IAC |
| URL | www |
| Launched | February 1997; 28 years ago (1997-02) |
Reference.com is anonline encyclopedia that organizes content that uses a question-and-answer format. Articles are organized into hierarchical categories.
BeforeIAC restructured the site following an acquisition in 2008, Reference.com comprised multiple reference works, and disclosed its sources.
Reference.com was launched by InReference, Inc in February 1997.[1] The site was later acquired by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. In 2005, Lexico announced that Reference.com would begin offering searches ofWikipedia content.[2]
The popularity ofDictionary.com had been greatly boosted byGoogle's practice of offering a link at the top of their search results that goes to the Dictionary.com definition.[citation needed] This exclusive relationship was terminated without explanation to the public when the Google links were redirected to definitions atAnswers.com. (In December 2009, the Answers.com links were replaced with Google's own dictionary.) Google added a Dictionary.com definition link for certain search words in a non-exclusive relationship (along with links to definitions from a few other commercial reference websites). On 3 July 2008,IAC acquired Lexico Publishing Group, LLC and its three properties: Thesaurus.com, Reference.com, and Dictionary.com.[3][4]
Reference.com reproduced content from external sources.[5] The site's sources included other online dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a search of terms found on other websites such as Wikipedia and theCIAWorld Factbook. The site could also searchUsenet groups and othermailing lists.[6][7]
The encyclopedia had articles from such sources as the 2004Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, theCrystal Reference Encyclopedia, and later theEnglish Wikipedia. Itsonline dictionary indexed theAmerican Heritage Dictionary,Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary, theJargon File, theKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary,Acronym Finder,Stedman's Medical Dictionary,Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, theOn-line Medical Dictionary, andWordNet. Itsthesaurus was based on multiple versions ofRoget's Thesaurus. The site'sweb directory was an interface to theOpen Directory Project, and itsweb search feature usedGoogle Search. An interface toGoogle Translate was added in 2008.[8]
Reference.com in 2010 topped the list compiled byThe Wall Street Journal ranking websites by how many third-partytracking cookies were added to the user's computer. Reference.com added 234 tracking cookies when encountering a first-time user.[9]
