Big news: We’ve hit 7 million members!

Wow. This week we reached a huge milestone — 7,011,889 registered members! That’s an additional 1.3 million contributors since this time last year. We’ve come a long way since 2005, when there were less than 1,000 members on FAQ Farm (which later became WikiAnswers) — talk about exponential growth! We’re so happy that our community of answerers continues to thrive. We couldn’t be the world’s greatest Q&A resource without you.

p.s. Are you not a member of our community yet? Join today to start earning contribution points, trust points… and the satisfaction that you are helping to answer the world’s burning questions.

 

Our very own Answers.com rap!

Get this — Answers.com has its own rap! How many other websites out there can say that?

The catchy beat was recorded recently by Flex Mathews. Our former product manager Shaya met Flex in 2010 at the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. At the conference, Flex and his partner-in-crime, Kosha Dillz, started a freestyle rap after a panel discussion. Shaya took notice of the talent and asked if she could record the two freestyling the next day.

“I got the official idea to write the Answers.com song after seeing the video that Shaya made,” he said.

Turns out Flex was already a fan of Answers.

“I discovered Answers.com about four years ago when I worked a desk job at Walter Reed Army Medical Center,” he said. “I just used the site to look up the definitions of certain words, but didn’t start to use it as a actual information site until about two years ago. I have never gotten any wrong information from Answers.com, so I guess you can say that is what I like the most about the site. I really enjoy the staff as well.”

Well, we really enjoy y-0-u, Flex. We’re so honored to have you record a rap for us!

Pop in your headphones and listen to it right now:

https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F28281270 The Answers.com Rap by AnswersDotCom

A big thanks to Unreal Production who produced the music for Flex to rap over. Want more of Flex Mathews? Follow him on Twitter, check out his blog, YouTube channel and download some of his music here.

Answers.com as a source – for an entire book!

Many of you have used Answers.com for writing research papers, settling heated trivia battles or just plain browsing. But what about using Answers.com to write an entire book?

Harold Kirsh, a retired physician and longtime user of Answers.com, recently did just that. To write Thank You America, Kirsh referenced our “encyclo-diction-almanac-apedia” heavily using 1-Click Answers.

Thank You America, a reader-friendly overview of American history, follows the travels of Dr. Kirsh and his wife (more than 14,000 miles total!) as they visit every American president’s birthplace, burial site, and over one hundred associated museums and memorials. Among the highlights of their journey were: sitting in John Adams’ pew in his church, touring Truman’s library with Harry Truman himself, meeting the man who made FDR’s leg braces, and spending a day poring over scrapbooks with Eddie Jacobson’s 16-year-old daughter.

The result is a proud, heartfelt American journey, packed with historical gems and anecdotes.

“Almost all my Internet searches were performed by utilizing Answers.com,” Dr. Kirsh said. “When I began writing the book I found out how useful a function it was since I could easily improve my writing while on the word processor.” 1-Click Answers allowed him to define words, check spelling, find synonyms and reference American history articles.

Answers.com is very proud to be mentioned in the acknowledgements of Thank You America! For more information on Dr. Kirsh and his book, visit haroldkirsh.com.

Have you used Answers.com as a source recently? Let us know about it in the comments.

Answers.com Announces Successful Completion of Acquisition by AFCV Holdings, LLC

Answers.com, (NASDAQ: ANSW), creators of the leading answer engine Answers.com®, today announced that AFCV Holdings, LLC, a portfolio company of growth equity investor Summit Partners, has consummated the previously announced merger to acquire Answers.com.

On April 14, 2011, Answers.com’s stockholders approved the merger at a special meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to the definitive merger agreement between Answers.com and AFCV Holdings, dated as of February 2, 2011, Answers.com common stockholders will receive $10.50 per share in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, for each share of common stock they owned immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, other than shares owned by stockholders who have properly exercised appraisal rights. The holders of Answers.com’s Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock will receive cash consideration based on the number of the common stock into which those shares were convertible at the time of the merger.

Answers.com’s common stock will cease trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market at the close of market today and will be delisted.

Stockholders of record will receive a letter of transmittal and instructions on how to surrender their shares of Answers.com stock in exchange for the merger consideration. Stockholders of record should wait to receive the letter of transmittal before surrendering their shares.

UBS Investment Bank has acted as exclusive financial advisor and Kramer, Levin, Naftalis and Frankel, LLC as legal advisor to Answers.com. Jefferies and Company, Inc. has served as financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Professional Corporation as legal advisor to AFCV Holdings.

Original press release here.

Message to the community on the heels of the announced acquisition of Answers.com.

Hi Everyone,

We recently announced that Answers.com has agreed to be acquired by AFCV Holdings, LLC, a portfolio company of Summit Partners (press release at http://ir.answers.com//releaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=547336).

Over the last several days we’ve heard your concerns about how this partnership might impact our community, and we’d like to begin addressing those concerns here:

  • Answers.com, including ReferenceAnswers, WikiAnswers, and our international sites, are expected to continue to operate and be as functional as they have been, and are not expected to be affected by this acquisition.
  • We expect to maintain a robust Community Development program following the close of the acquisition to continue to support and strengthen our community.
  • Current projects and new tools that are in process are expected to continue as planned following the closing of the acquisition.
  • We believe that AFCV recognizes and appreciates what the community has worked together to create and that they respect the collaborative power of wikis and the way that our community drives quality content.
  • AFCV has committed to learning from us and listening to the Supervisors and the broader Answers.com community.

We at Answers.com feel this acquisition is a very positive move for the site, for the company, and for you. Our intention is to continue to be strongly focused on building the site and the community. We look forward to closing this acquisition, and hope that as a result, we will be able to strengthen infrastructure, develop better tools, and increase the resources that we have to grow the site and encourage more people to answer each others’ questions with higher quality answers. We don’t foresee significant changes for the volunteer supervisors or the volunteer community as a result of this acquisition.

On a final note, Answers.com would not be what it is today without the energy, creativity, commitment, dedication and hard work of our wonderful community. It is difficult for us to truly express the appreciation we have to all of the contributions you have made to our growth and success.

We look forward to this next chapter of Answers.com sites and the exciting journey we all will share together.

Thank you for the questions, comments, and good wishes. Keep them coming and we will do our best to keep you updated as more information becomes publicly available.

Bob Rosenschein & Bruce Smith

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Required Legal Notice

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Answers Corporation (“Answers.com”) intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a preliminary proxy statement and a definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the merger described in the announcement referenced above. The definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to the stockholders of Answers.com. Before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the merger, stockholders are urged to read the proxy statement and the other relevant materials when they become available because they will contain important information about the merger. The proxy statement and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Answers.com with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or at Answers.com’ website at http://ir.answers.com/sec.cfm. In addition, stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by contacting The Blueshirt Group at (212) 551-1453.

Participants in the Solicitation

Answers.com and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Answers.com in connection with the merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of Answers.com is set forth in its proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on July 27, 2010 and Answers.com’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 8, 2010 and subsequent amendments. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the merger will be included in the proxy statement that Answers.com intends to file with the SEC.

Safe Harbor Statement

Some of the statements included in this announcement are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future market opportunity and future financial performance. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Important factors may cause our actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the risk that the merger may not be consummated in a timely manner, if at all; the risk that the merger agreement may be terminated in circumstances that require us to pay AFCV a termination fee or reimburse AFCV for certain expenses incurred by it in connection with the merger; our ability to maintain or improve monetization; our ability to maintain or improve traffic; a decision by Google or other search engines to block our pages from users’ search results or otherwise adjust their algorithms in a manner detrimental to us, as experienced in July 2007; a potential termination of our Google Services Agreement; a failure of Answers.com to experience continued growth in accordance with our expectations; the effects of facing liability for any content displayed on Answers.com; potential claims that we are infringing the intellectual property rights of any third party; an increasingly competitive environment for our business; and other risk factors identified from time to time in our SEC filings. Any forward-looking statements set forth in this announcement speak only as of the date hereof. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

Answers.com Agrees to be Acquired for $127 Million in Cash: $10.50 per Share

Answers.com, (NASDAQ: ANSW), creators of the leading answer engine Answers.com®, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by AFCV Holdings, LLC, a portfolio company of growth equity investor Summit Partners, for a total cash consideration of approximately $127 million. AFCV will acquire all outstanding shares of Answers.com common stock, Series A convertible preferred stock and Series B convertible preferred stock. Under the terms of the agreement, Answers.com common stock shareholders will receive $10.50 in cash for each outstanding share of common stock they own. The holders of Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock will also be entitled to receive cash consideration based on the number of the common stock into which those shares are convertible at the time of the merger.

“This is a great outcome for our shareholders,” said Bob Rosenschein, Founder, Chairman and CEO. “After an exciting six years as a public company, we are very pleased to achieve considerable value for our investors. The acquisition price of $10.50 per share represents a significant cash premium of approximately 33% over our 90-day volume-weighted average closing stock price.”

Mr. Rosenschein continued, “This agreement is also a positive for our community members. The integrity and commitment of our company to our products remain unchanged, as we continue our mission of creating the ultimate destination for answers.”

The board of directors of Answers.com has unanimously approved the merger with AFCV Holdings, LLC and recommends that the stockholders of Answers.com vote to adopt the merger agreement. Answers.com expects to hold a special meeting of stockholders to consider and vote on the proposed merger and merger agreement as soon as practicable after the mailing of the proxy statement to its stockholders.

The transaction has fully committed financing and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the approval of Answers.com stockholders and receipt of regulatory clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.

UBS Investment Bank is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLC as legal advisor to Answers.com. Jefferies & Company, Inc. is serving as financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation as legal advisor to AFCV Holdings.

See full press release here.

MediaPost finds Answers (.com)

What’s behind Answers.com? MediaPost’s Online Media Daily has the details as explained by Bob Rosenschein, founder and CEO  of the questions and answers site: Searching For Answers (.com)

Here’s a summary from this weekend’s article about Answers.com – what’s been happening and where we’re going in 2011:

  • The company provides licensed content from 250 encyclopedias and dictionaries for free. Two weeks ago, the company added the Random House Word Menu containing related words — not only synonyms, but concepts.
  • Both the user interface and the backend system will get an overhaul this year. An automatic reputation management system is in the works. It measures statistical factors such as capitalization and spelling to estimate the quality of a community-contributed answer.
  • A new user interface dubbed “Project Aqua” will roll out in the coming months. New social features will help users tie their Answers.com activity into their social graphs.

Read the full article at MediaPost.

Answers.com’s Top Questions for 2010.

Hope you’re proud of yourself! You sure did accomplish a whole lot this year. You and the rest of the Answers.com community, which now includes over 5 million registered members, have now answered more than ten million questions.

Considering the top questions throughout the year, it seems you really did accomplish a whole lot offline too. Answers.com was the place to go for answers about thousands of topics, but the biggest area we were able to address was: What are you trying to do?

Top jobs questions

Top relationship questions

Top cooking questions

Top time questions

But the top lookups on Answers.com weren’t all questions, and they weren’t all about accomplishing something. Answers.com users came to read about topics for schoolwork, education-planning, background-checking or just plain interest.

For the record, Facebook and YouTube beat sex, but sex beat love. Let’s not look too deeply into that.

Top people

The top two people are the very symbols of exploration, wide-ranging interests, and deep and wide knowledge. The third – well, he’s just trendy:

Top science

Remember 11th grade science? Neither do I. That’s probably why so many science topics made the list site-wide; the following took the lead:

Top history

Interesting descending order, don’t you think?

Top university majors

Well, more like top lookups that make it seem like college students out there are researching possible majors:

It’s been a wonderful year for Answers.com: Our product team saw hundreds of features through, our content team integrated thousands of new topics and videos into our reference library, and you, the community, continue to amaze us every day.

As the clock ticks towards 2011, we thank you for the questions, answers and other contributions you have given over this past year. Looking forward to another year together, fulfilling all our curiosity!

Answers.com ranked 9th fastest growing in NY Metro Area.

Yet another reason to be proud of Answers.com‘s amazing growth over the past years:

Answers.com Ranked Ninth Fastest Growing Company in NY Metro Area on Deloitte’s 2010 Technology Fast 500™

Answers.com ranked ninth in the NY Metro Area on Technology Fast 500™, Deloitte’s ranking of 500 of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. The site also came in as the 10th fastest growing company in the Internet industry on the list. Rankings are based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth during the period from 2005 to 2009. The site grew its revenues 910 percent during this period.

Here’s Bob Rosenschein representing Answers.com at the Fast 500 Awards Ceremony, with Mark Davis of Deloitte:

Congrats!