Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-20644-20141110180435/@comment-1038387-20141115220933

Even though not all wikis on Wikia have the social aspects (seriously, no need for quote marks on that), Wikia is the only wiki farm that offers them on-site. In that aspect, Wikia is unique.

The change to "wikia" is a marketing strike, thare's no denying that. Not all changes have to be done for technical reasons. Brand name recognition is important.

Ads generate nice income, but don't get your name in lights. As a brand, they can reach out to companies, have special promotions, etc. And offer more services and surprises to (North American) fans. None of the other wiki farms do that (at that scale).

Will I change the wikis I'm at to "wikia"? Probably not. Will I call a wiki hosted by Wikia a wikia? Probably not (it doesn't roll off the tongue as easy as "wiki"). Do I understand why they want to do this? Most definitely. Contributors don't pop up out of nowhere. You need to rake in fresh people.