Just about anyone who is reading this blawg has used Google. But did you know that Google also has a service called answers.google.com? In the past, you may have paid an expert-finding service $100, $200, or even $1,000. If you were satisfied, it could have been worth the money. But you may not have been satisfied. Or you may just want to see if there is a cheaper way to find a good expert.
Answers.google.com may be your answer. (No pun intended.) Answers allows anyone to ask virtually any question. Google has over 500 individuals whom they have tested for their web searching abilities and are permitted to answer questions. If, for instance, you are looking for an expert on a special field in psychology, you can put that question out to answers.
The fascinating part about this is that you set how much you are willing to pay for an answer. Let's say you are willing to pay $50 for an answer (the minimum fee is $2.50, so you could even try that!). You give Google your credit card and your e-mail address. But you are protected from spam because your e-mail address is not posted on answers. Instead, you create your own alias – your own nom de computer. Although all of the prior searches are searchable, only your nom de computer is searchable. Your real name isn't.
I have enjoyed just browsing past questions on answers to see what's been coming up. I found, for instance, an attorney who uses the alias of AlexanderHilton (no space betwwen the first and second names). (I assume he's an attorney and that the name is an alias).
If you go on answers and search for AlexanderHilton (again, no spaces), you will see some of his prior searches. For instance, on March 7, 2003, he put out a request for "two or three highly credentialed and respected psychologists who we may retain as expert witnesses in the areas of parental alienation syndrome and child abuse." He noted that they had to be both renowned in their field and based in the United States. About two hours after he entered his search he had his answers. A searcher answered his question and one of the experts was even the physician who had first coined the phrase "parental alienation syndrome."
Answers allows people who ask the questions to rank the answers from one to five stars, Hilton rated the answer five stars. And how much did he pay for that search and information? $35.00! That's right. He paid thirty-five dollars for the answer! And Google says that if you don't like the answer, you don't have to pay for it. (No, I don't get a commission from Google. I just think it's a real out-of-the box tool for finding lots of information.)
Posted by ajlevy at June 4, 2003 5:50 PM