Web.com

Article summary

Web.com was an American dot-com company that provided a website builder, along with website hosting, domain name registration, web development, and various digital marketing services. It served as a partner for very small to small-sized businesses and entrepreneurs, assisting them in establishing and expanding their online presence. The company was founded in 1999 by Darin Brannan in Jacksonville, Florida as Website Pros Inc.. In early 2008 it took its current name after acquiring Atlanta-based company Web.com, which was founded in 1981 by Waldemar Fernández and was formerly known as Interland, Inc. In 2018, Web.com was acquired by Siris Capital Group. In 2021, Web.com merged with Endurance Web Presence to form Newfold Digital, a joint venture between Clearlake Capital and Siris Capital Group. In 2025, Web.com was merged into Network Solutions.

Key claims

1. date of foundation: 1999 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of foundation: 1981 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. employees: 3,500 employees — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of foundation is "1999". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of foundation is "1981". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the employees is "3,500 employees". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377034510