Dear Fj,
Firdt, let me say that this service runs now on Beta. It means this is
not the final versions, and things are still being tested, changed and
modified.
This is a complex answer, like most things in life. The first factors
that speaks against "google answers" is that several other firms that
have offered advice through the Internet have collapsed in the last
few years. You can see here - in google's own directory -
http://directory.google.com/Top/Reference/Ask_an_Expert/For_a_Fee/ -
several names that have disaappeared or became phone-based services,
whose "advices" are from psychics and sex-therapists.
In other words, the first question one might want to ask is how much
demand is there for such a service. This is not clear. First, you
might be able to find yourself most of the information (for free).
Second, the information you are not able to find, might be also
blocked for google researchers. Third, the net provides the benefit of
anonymity. Many money making sites sell sometimes illegal or immoral
goods, such as drugs/medications, porn, school-term-papers, gamblings
services.
These are the points that lead us to a conclusion that google answers
might follow its brethren in the field of "expert advices for a fee".
There are several factors that lead us to believe google answers might
become a success. First, it is not in full activity yet (as I said, it
is still in Beta version), but already has steady traffic, that I hope
would grow.
Since you asked for numbers, I checked the number of live questions in
each category (subtracting the Miscellaneous category). Many, alsmost
a third, are business questions, followed by computer/techonology
questions. These are from clients that are willing to invest
research-work worth sum, in order to get quality research.
As for your question regarding returning costumers, I know of several
returning costumer - but have no access to google Answers' databse to
have the percentage you ask for. I done a search for my costumers,
though, revealed that about half of them were returning costumers -
they used the system for different questions more than one time. This
is a nice start, wouldn't you say?
I didn't understand the term "gained" here, I think you ask whether
the price affects the way questions are answered/commented, and the
answer is - of course. Researchers would dedicate time and effort into
a question in a correlation with its price. You may notice, that of
the unanswered questions, many are high-priced (but are questions that
cannot be answered), and many others are $2-$5 questions, that with
the sutracted fee from Google might not be worth to some people even
to spend the time just typing an answer.
I don't want to give a "favourite" question, just to note that I
really enjoyed working on my questions. If you'll check out my
profile, you'll see that I didn't answer many questions here - because
I pick questions also by interest - I wouldn't answer a question that
doesn't intregue me.
Now I get to another asset: Google researchers. Almost any other site
I was in excepted me immidiately as a researcher. Google screen
researchers, even throughout the process and after they have accepted,
if they are not in standard. I don't know the researchers (Internet
anonymity...) but from those I've met online, there are many
professional researchers, librarians amd database specialitists.
The high standards in Google Answers apply also to the type of
answers. A Google researcher is expected to answer only questions
which are not illegal or immoral - no porn and monkey business here
(so I hope). These high standards might prevent the detrioration of
the service into a homework center for lazy kids and porn center for
bored men.
Last asset is of course the Google brand, which people already know
and search in anyhow.
I am not a prophet, but - yes, Google Answers could become a success
despite the problems in the answer-for-a-fee market. |
