In addition to Google Answers, there are several other online
question-and-answer services. I have listed some of these below, with
brief descriptions (as published on the sites themselves). In each
case, the first URL that I've posted is the site's main page, and the
second is the site's "about us" self-descriptive page.
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AdviceTrader
http://www.advicetrader.com/home.asp
"AdviceTrader is a clearinghouse for advice, help, support and
information. We have over 1900 real credentialed Advisors currently
online, who are ready to answer your questions, on almost any
conceivable topic, for as little as 99 cents per question. Advisors
are rated and reviewed on their expertise.
How It Works:
If you know how to use eBay, then you know how it works. You can
either post your question and let Advisors bid on it, or ask an
Advisor to propose a price to answer your question, or have a live
chat session with an advisor. Its that simple.
Advice Trader: About Us
http://www.advicetrader.com/welcome2.asp
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Professional Researcher
http://www.pro-researcher.co.uk/
"Professional Researcher provides a coherent starting point for people
researching a broad range of subjects, however the site is intended to
have a business, politics and current affairs slant, with a particular
bias toward the UK.
We also provide online research services to help you find that elusive
information. We have a research product to suit your needs, whether
for a commercial venture, academic project or purely for personal
information."
Professional Researcher: Intro
http://www.pro-researcher.co.uk/intro.html
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GlobeAlive
http://www.globealive.com/
"At first glance, GlobeAlive.com works just like a regular search
engine. You enter your question or search topic into the question box
and click 'Go,' not unlike Yahoo or Google.
Here's the difference. Instead of getting a list of 'website matches'
for your search, you get a list of live people, most of whom are
available to chat right now on your topic.
After deciding which participant you want to chat with, simply click
the 'chat' button beside their listing. A chat window will pop up
allowing you to begin conversing. At the end of your chat session, you
simply close the window. A feedback page will appear, allowing you to
rate the person's response. You may also view the chat and save it for
future reference."
GlobeAlive: About GlobeAlive
http://www.globealive.com/about.jsp
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Wondir
http://www.wondir.com/wondir/jsp/index.jsp
"The premise behind Wondir is this: there are thousands of
organizations, corporations and service providers, and millions of
individuals throughout the world who want to help others by providing
information, guidance and expertise. There are many people who need
their help. But despite all the advances in the internet,
communications and search technology, it is still far too difficult
for these forces to connect. That is why we?re creating Wondir.
Wondir strives to be a simple yet effective way for people with an
information need to ask a question and get a good answer from those
sources who are out there, ready to help."
Wondir: Welcome to Wondir
http://www.wondir.com/wondir/jsp/index.jsp
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AllExperts
http://www.allexperts.com/
"Allexperts, created in early 1998, was the very first large-scale
question and answer service on the net!
We have thousands of volunteers, including top lawyers, doctors,
engineers, and scientists, waiting to answer your questions. All
answers are free and most come within a day!"
AllExperts: About Our Service
http://allexperts.com/central/service.shtml
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Ingenio
http://www.ingenio.com/categories/get_answers.asp?TF=1
"Ingenio provides immediate anytime access to knowledgeable advisors
who are standing by to take your call. You can save valuable time and
money by talking directly with an expert advisor over a private,
secure phone connection.
Search our directory to find the right person to give you advice. You
can view their background, feedback, credentials, price and photo.
Click "Call Now" next to the person you choose. Your phone rings.
Ingenio connects you to this person privately and safely by phone. You
pay the person?s per-minute fee for as long as you wish to speak on
the phone."
Ingenio: What is Ingenio
http://www.ingenio.com/documents/homepage/wik_pop.asp?TF=1
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Kasamba
http://www.kasamba.com/
"Have you ever needed the answer to an important question, but when
you searched the Internet, all you found were broken links and useless
pages of over-generalized information? Kasamba is a unique question
and answer service that matches people who have questions to the
people who are qualified to answer them. With Kasamba, you can
instantly locate a real person who is a professional in the field of
your question, and communicate with the Expert via web cam, audio,
chat or email.
Kasamba provides:
Instant Access to Highly Specialized Experts
Real Time Communication with Experts
Free Tools for Experts to Manage All Professional Activities"
Kasamba: What is Kasamba?
http://www.kasamba.com/help/h_new/kasamba_what.asp
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Research-o-Matic
http://www.research-o-matic.com/
"Research-O-Matic works for you. Our team of Researchers gathers the
information you need while you can focus on other matters."
Research-o-Matic: Sample Questions
http://www.research-o-matic.com/home/samplequestions.htm
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In addition to the general-information sites listed above, there are
sites which specialize in answering certain kinds of questions. Here
are a few.
Medical questions:
Ask the Doctor
http://www.afraidtoask.com/askdoc/
Legal questions:
FreeAdvice
http://freeadvice.com/
Home improvement questions:
HomeTips
http://www.hometips.com/help.html
Parenting questions:
AskBaby
http://www.askbaby.com/
Business and engineering questions:
Intota
http://www.intota.com/
Infomarkets
http://infomarkets.com/
Tech questions:
AnswerSquad
http://www.answersquad.com/
Psychic advice:
Keen
http://www.keen.com/
Cooking questions:
Ask a Chef
http://www.askachef.com/
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Here you can get help in locating "expert" sites where you can find
information, seek advice, or ask questions:
AskA+ Locator: Alphabetical Listing
http://www.vrd.org/locator/alphalist.shtml
Ask an Expert Sources
http://www.cln.org/int_expert.html
Google Directory: Reference > Ask an Expert
http://directory.google.com/Top/Reference/Ask_an_Expert/
Yahoo! Directory: Services > Web-Based Knowledge Exchanges
http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/Communication_and_Information_Management/Internet_and_World_Wide_Web/Web_Based_Knowledge_Exchange/
A list of fee-based information services is maintained here:
Econtent Research Center: Fee-Based Information Services
http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/ArticleIndex.aspx?CategoryID=10
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I hope this has given you an overview of the kinds of services that
are currently out there. Regarding the matter of evaluating the
quality of the service, I suggest that, before committing yourself to
paying for anything, it's good to examine a sample of the product.
Most online answer services (including Google Answers) have an archive
of questions that have been answered in the past. By choosing a
category in which you are knowledgable, you can evaluate the
appropriateness of the answers, and (in the case of fee-based
services) get a good idea of whether or not the answer you are likely
to get would be worth your money.
Many services permit you to select a researcher, and post a question
specifically to that person. While Google Answers does not have a
formal method of doing this, it is easy to earmark a question for a
certain researcher. For instance, if you have browsed through Google
Answers and have found that you like the work of a researcher whose
username is samplename-ga, you can post "To be answered by
samplename-ga only" in the subject title or the question body. Other
researchers will generally honor such a request.
Some customers like to evaluate a service by posting a test question
on a subject with which they are quite familiar. The answer given in
response can easily be checked for accuracy if you already have a good
knowledge of the field.
An independent evaluation of Google Answers was carried out by some
librarians from Cornell University. This report may be of interest to
you:
D-Lib Magazine: Google Meets eBay
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june03/kenney/06kenney.html
Cornell University: Google Meets eBay: Reactions to Google Answers
http://www.library.cornell.edu/iris/research/google/google-reactions-final.pdf
An article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal in 2002 evaluated
several online answer services, including Google Answers. I answered
one of the "test questions" without knowing that it was a test. Here's
a copy of the WSJ article:
FreePint Forum: Cranky Consumer
http://web.freepint.com/forum/bar/read.php?i=20811&PHPSESSID=2a6f6ecd2ee2b6505a9a2dbe5bf146b8
The WSJ test question, and my answer:
Google Answers: 2 Research Questions
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=71809
I hope this is helpful. If anything is unclear or incomplete, please
request clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before
you rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
