I don't find it odd that Wikia is seeking venture capital, or that they would obtain a sum of this magnitude from Amazon, rather than a Venture Capital firm.

The Wikia folks are likely better off with this source of funds than from a VC firm.

Yes it is possible that Amazon will "want money back" but then again, this is a relatively trivial investment for Amazon, and they might gain significant indirect benefits from associating with wikia, and the folks working there.

On the other hand, it seems to me that the wiki concept fits the non-profit better than the traditional for-profit corporate . Once the of seeing your work published wears off, or becomes utterly commonplace, I wonder how many people are going to continue to contribute to for-profit wikis, so that someone else can make money off their creative efforts?

Needless to say, I have the same question about Yahoo's Answers, and many other hot concepts that are all about making money off the creativity of unpaid minions.