The Google acquisition train keeps on rolling.
Jotspot, the wiki company announced today that they are being acquired by Google. Terms of the deal are undisclosed but I suspect that this might have cost less than YouTube.
Jotspot is a wiki maker that has taken the wiki (user created website) model and extended it into user created applications such as spreadsheets, calendars and photo galleries. They’ve also made them easier to use in the process. I tested Jot back at Epinions and loved their toolset, but they wanted to host the data exclusively, which is a tough sell for most corporations.
Some good news and bad news with the acquisition. First, if you are an existing user, your account will be free. New users, on the other hand, will have to wait until integration into Google’s infrastructure is complete. This misses a golden opportunity of using this publicity to obtain new users, but ensures that the service isn’t crushed under the weight.
Congrats to the Jotspot on the acquisition, you’ve got a great product and by making your product free, more people will use it. The wiki model really is wonderful and making it easier to use will bring wikis to more people.
Here is the announcement on Google’s Blog. Get more info at Jotspot’s FAQ and blog. More commentary at Get a New Browser and SEW and TechCrunch.
If you want to learn more about the company or wikis in general, Scoble recently interviewed Joe Kraus, CEO of Jotspot, on his PodTech show.
[Full disclosure: I’m currently consulting with another wiki company, Wetpaint]