Eutrusca
22-09-2005, 12:29
Need Answers? Ask Anybody (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/technology/circuits/22answer.html?th&emc=th)
By PETER WAYNER
Published: September 22, 2005
When David Sarokin finishes his day job as an environmental scientist in Washington, he heads home to a second batch of questions. He is one of several hundred humans who work for Google, answering questions from users who aren't satisfied with their results from the automated engine that made Google famous.
The queries that users bring to Google Answers (answers.google.com) touch on all parts of life, but they usually cannot be reduced to a few keywords. One incoming freshman at Bates College in Lewiston, Me., for instance, asked for help finding a parking spot near campus. A stargazer asked the name of the two planets rising early in the northwest sky, and a homeowner wanted a "romantic and literary" name for a new house.
Google Answers is one of several services creating an online commons for impromptu research. Ingenio.com, for example, markets the services of traditional professionals like tax lawyers and computer technicians. And some sites, like Wondir.com, maintain a no-fee exchange of questions and answers - though tipping is permitted.
On Google Answers, Mr. Sarokin scans the list of new questions frequently and chooses those he feels he can answer. In some cases he uses his scientific background, but in others he just relies on a well-honed talent as a general researcher.
"We get questions both merely odd, and others pretty incomprehensible, and I tend to steer clear of both," he said. "But now and then, I can't resist."
The oddest of all, he says, had him trying to determine what female vampires wear and "how to defend oneself, as the questioner felt the need to do so would soon arise."
For this answer, Mr. Sarokin received 75 percent of the $4 that the questioner paid Google. The questioner sets the price, and the researchers must decide whether the fee merits the time they are likely to invest in providing an answer.
The questions stay active for 30 days, and the user can increase the fee if no one seems interested. If the answer is excellent, a questioner can add a tip not shared with Google - a practice that about three-quarters seem to follow, according to one survey by the researchers.
Mr. Sarokin once earned $120 for researching the need for a scientific expedition floating in the pack ice in the Arctic. Another effort brought $25 for turning up data on the number of computer crimes committed in 2004. Google imposes a cap of $200 on the fee, and it is not uncommon for people to offer the maximum if they need the answer quickly and want to grab the attention of the researchers.
Colin Colby, the Bates freshman who needed a parking space near campus, said he was happy to pay $200 for an answer that came within 72 hours with the name of a woman who had parking spaces to rent. Melissa Mayer, director of product management for consumer products at Google, says the service is still an experiment. A more complicated bidding system was rejected, she said, because of the time involved. "A long bidding process can increase turnaround and decrease the raw efficiency," she said.
Ingenio.com - a marketplace for legal and career advice as well as answers on business, personal finance, health and fitness, and computing - sets value a different way. Rather than posting questions generally, visitors can choose an adviser likely to be suited to their problem, then send a query and await a callback. The advisers' per-minute rates for phone consultation are listed. (To try the service, click on Site Map at the bottom of the home page, then click on Live!Advice Directories.)
Chris Camisa, who lives near Chicago, offers technical support to Windows XP users for $1.49 a minute. He takes calls even when he's out at night, by cellphone, if someone "needs support immediately and he's willing to pay for it."
Ingenio helps users choose the best adviser by compiling feedback ratings from past users, like the feedback on eBay. Mr. Camisa's track record of helping people with Windows XP problems, though not unblemished, is impressive: the overall rating from his more than 1,700 customers is five out of five stars.
Not all of the research sites charge. On Wondir.com, anyone can respond to a question, but there is no fee; the site allows those responding to list a PayPal account for tips. In addition, those answering questions can compete for weekly prizes - this week, a tote bag - on a changing set of criteria. One week, the winner may have the fastest response time. On another, it may be the person with the highest approval rating. The site derives revenue from text ads, generated by Google, related to the subject of a query.
Matthew Koll, chief executive of Wondir, says the simplicity of the approach means that advice often arrives quickly. The system fields about 10,000 questions a day, and Mr. Koll says about 40 percent are answered within 10 minutes. Why do people take part? Mr. Koll cites three main types of answer providers: people who get "a good feeling out of helping others," those who "have a passion for a subject and they like engaging in a subject" and those with "something to promote." Mr. Koll says he welcomes the last group as long as people are open about their interests. He sees nothing wrong "if someone gets on and answers some plumbing questions and says, 'BTW, if you can't handle it yourself, here's my number.' "
Wondir's approach is also different because it makes little distinction in knowledge between the questioner and the answerer. "No one is proclaimed to be an expert," said Michelle Hardenbrook, a moderator on the site. That means, of course, that "anyone can answer any question even if the person answering hasn't got a clue what they are writing or even if the information they are giving is totally inaccurate."
Other systems are more serious about expertise. Google Answers does not promise that the researchers have any particular talent other than the ability to find answers quickly on the Internet. But many of those allowed to answer questions are described by Google as professional researchers with a talent for writing concise summaries.
Susie Cannon, a medical technologist in Phoenix who fields queries on Google Answers, said by e-mail: "I enjoy answering medical questions. I don't know all the answers, but my background serves me well in searching for the answers."
Google, like all of the sites, posts prominent disclaimers about the limits of the service. Even Ingenio, which promotes the expertise of its information providers, advises those coming to the site to "use their own judgment" to decide whether to consult a professional directly.
Choosing the right price per minute is an important challenge for the providers. Many indicate that they do not try to profit on the information they sell through Ingenio, but use it to attract clients who pay better for tasks like preparing a business's tax returns.
Many advisers at Ingenio speak with a certain admiration for the psychics and relationship advisers who sell their time on Ingenio's cousin, Keen.com. Those advisers seem to field 5 to 10 times the calls of the tax or computer advisers while charging about twice as much - $3 to $4 a minute, and some even $7.99.
Ted Kleinman, a tax adviser at Ingenio, admits to a bit of envy, but points out that he profits from the psychics' success. "Some of them have called me for tax help," he said.
By PETER WAYNER
Published: September 22, 2005
When David Sarokin finishes his day job as an environmental scientist in Washington, he heads home to a second batch of questions. He is one of several hundred humans who work for Google, answering questions from users who aren't satisfied with their results from the automated engine that made Google famous.
The queries that users bring to Google Answers (answers.google.com) touch on all parts of life, but they usually cannot be reduced to a few keywords. One incoming freshman at Bates College in Lewiston, Me., for instance, asked for help finding a parking spot near campus. A stargazer asked the name of the two planets rising early in the northwest sky, and a homeowner wanted a "romantic and literary" name for a new house.
Google Answers is one of several services creating an online commons for impromptu research. Ingenio.com, for example, markets the services of traditional professionals like tax lawyers and computer technicians. And some sites, like Wondir.com, maintain a no-fee exchange of questions and answers - though tipping is permitted.
On Google Answers, Mr. Sarokin scans the list of new questions frequently and chooses those he feels he can answer. In some cases he uses his scientific background, but in others he just relies on a well-honed talent as a general researcher.
"We get questions both merely odd, and others pretty incomprehensible, and I tend to steer clear of both," he said. "But now and then, I can't resist."
The oddest of all, he says, had him trying to determine what female vampires wear and "how to defend oneself, as the questioner felt the need to do so would soon arise."
For this answer, Mr. Sarokin received 75 percent of the $4 that the questioner paid Google. The questioner sets the price, and the researchers must decide whether the fee merits the time they are likely to invest in providing an answer.
The questions stay active for 30 days, and the user can increase the fee if no one seems interested. If the answer is excellent, a questioner can add a tip not shared with Google - a practice that about three-quarters seem to follow, according to one survey by the researchers.
Mr. Sarokin once earned $120 for researching the need for a scientific expedition floating in the pack ice in the Arctic. Another effort brought $25 for turning up data on the number of computer crimes committed in 2004. Google imposes a cap of $200 on the fee, and it is not uncommon for people to offer the maximum if they need the answer quickly and want to grab the attention of the researchers.
Colin Colby, the Bates freshman who needed a parking space near campus, said he was happy to pay $200 for an answer that came within 72 hours with the name of a woman who had parking spaces to rent. Melissa Mayer, director of product management for consumer products at Google, says the service is still an experiment. A more complicated bidding system was rejected, she said, because of the time involved. "A long bidding process can increase turnaround and decrease the raw efficiency," she said.
Ingenio.com - a marketplace for legal and career advice as well as answers on business, personal finance, health and fitness, and computing - sets value a different way. Rather than posting questions generally, visitors can choose an adviser likely to be suited to their problem, then send a query and await a callback. The advisers' per-minute rates for phone consultation are listed. (To try the service, click on Site Map at the bottom of the home page, then click on Live!Advice Directories.)
Chris Camisa, who lives near Chicago, offers technical support to Windows XP users for $1.49 a minute. He takes calls even when he's out at night, by cellphone, if someone "needs support immediately and he's willing to pay for it."
Ingenio helps users choose the best adviser by compiling feedback ratings from past users, like the feedback on eBay. Mr. Camisa's track record of helping people with Windows XP problems, though not unblemished, is impressive: the overall rating from his more than 1,700 customers is five out of five stars.
Not all of the research sites charge. On Wondir.com, anyone can respond to a question, but there is no fee; the site allows those responding to list a PayPal account for tips. In addition, those answering questions can compete for weekly prizes - this week, a tote bag - on a changing set of criteria. One week, the winner may have the fastest response time. On another, it may be the person with the highest approval rating. The site derives revenue from text ads, generated by Google, related to the subject of a query.
Matthew Koll, chief executive of Wondir, says the simplicity of the approach means that advice often arrives quickly. The system fields about 10,000 questions a day, and Mr. Koll says about 40 percent are answered within 10 minutes. Why do people take part? Mr. Koll cites three main types of answer providers: people who get "a good feeling out of helping others," those who "have a passion for a subject and they like engaging in a subject" and those with "something to promote." Mr. Koll says he welcomes the last group as long as people are open about their interests. He sees nothing wrong "if someone gets on and answers some plumbing questions and says, 'BTW, if you can't handle it yourself, here's my number.' "
Wondir's approach is also different because it makes little distinction in knowledge between the questioner and the answerer. "No one is proclaimed to be an expert," said Michelle Hardenbrook, a moderator on the site. That means, of course, that "anyone can answer any question even if the person answering hasn't got a clue what they are writing or even if the information they are giving is totally inaccurate."
Other systems are more serious about expertise. Google Answers does not promise that the researchers have any particular talent other than the ability to find answers quickly on the Internet. But many of those allowed to answer questions are described by Google as professional researchers with a talent for writing concise summaries.
Susie Cannon, a medical technologist in Phoenix who fields queries on Google Answers, said by e-mail: "I enjoy answering medical questions. I don't know all the answers, but my background serves me well in searching for the answers."
Google, like all of the sites, posts prominent disclaimers about the limits of the service. Even Ingenio, which promotes the expertise of its information providers, advises those coming to the site to "use their own judgment" to decide whether to consult a professional directly.
Choosing the right price per minute is an important challenge for the providers. Many indicate that they do not try to profit on the information they sell through Ingenio, but use it to attract clients who pay better for tasks like preparing a business's tax returns.
Many advisers at Ingenio speak with a certain admiration for the psychics and relationship advisers who sell their time on Ingenio's cousin, Keen.com. Those advisers seem to field 5 to 10 times the calls of the tax or computer advisers while charging about twice as much - $3 to $4 a minute, and some even $7.99.
Ted Kleinman, a tax adviser at Ingenio, admits to a bit of envy, but points out that he profits from the psychics' success. "Some of them have called me for tax help," he said.