I’m not sure have you got a chance to try out ChaCha, but basically they are providing users with custom search results. Their idea is to combine generic, algorithm-based search results with the content hand-picked by ChaCha’s community of search experts. And now, as you can guess for yourself, they’re going mobile.
The new service works pretty simple and all you have to do is text your question to 242242 and wait for an answer. A live person, the so called ChaCha guide, will answer you for free. That’s actually free at this stage for the U.S. (as far as we know), and we’ll have to wait and see how much they’ll charge in the future. In the meantime, you can check out their press release after the break.
PRESS RELEASE – In a landmark move, ChaCha announces a new service that allows users to text questions of any kind to 242242 (ChaCha on a phone keypad) and to receive text answers on their cell phone. The answers are sent by a live person, called a ChaCha guide. The service is currently available as a free trial.
“This really changes everything,” said ChaCha CEO Scott A. Jones. “The ability to ask any question on your mobile phone at any time and receive the answer from a knowledgeable person was unheard of until now. We’re giving everyone with a text-enabled cell phone instant access to information at their fingertips. Knowledge is power, and now every mobile phone just got a lot smarter with ChaCha’s text answers service.”
The convenience of ChaCha’s new mobile answers service is unparalleled because it offers answers that people can’t easily find otherwise when they have questions on the go. To get a brief answer to any question from your cell phone, simply text your question to 242242 as if messaging a friend. Because the questions are being answered by skilled people who are trained to use ChaCha’s powerful internal search tools, questions can be asked as if you are posing them to a friend – even with typical text slang – and ChaCha will provide accurate answers quickly.
With ChaCha, users don’t have to remember any special formatting or rules. For example, you could ask, “I’m at the corner of 42nd & Broadway in New York City. Where can I get a cup of coffee?” Or even “Where can I get some great sushi in Palo Alto, CA?” Text shortcuts, misspellings and slang can easily be understood by a human.
“What I find interesting about ChaCha’s cell phone service is it helps you use the power of the Web even though you don’t have an expensive smartphone,” said Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst for the Enderle Group. “This isn’t about getting people to buy an expensive phone and service; it’s about making any phone, from the smartest to the simplest, more useful.”
With ChaCha, users can ask questions on a variety of topics, including:
- Dynamic information – sports scores, movie times, airline delays, weather, etc.
- Local information – cheapest gas, shopping, recycling, pharmacy locations and more
- Current events – business news updates, stock updates, world news, etc.
- General information – names and phone numbers for local businesses and residences
- Trivia – movie quotes, song lyrics, celebrity gossip and more
“Now that the world’s biggest community of real-time guides and our powerful technology platform are in place, we have put our technology to use in the mobile device,” Jones said. “On the cell phone, users can benefit tremendously from the assistance of another knowledgeable human who can do research for them – especially when they don’t have the resources, such as a computer, to do the research on their own. ChaCha is here to help when help is needed.”
As an integral part of this launch, ChaCha will be the “Official Text Answers Service of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.” This partnership allows ChaCha to provide a revolutionary service that allows festival goers to text in questions about screenings, festival events, local restaurants – anything connected with the Sundance Film Festival – and get dynamic, relevant answers from ChaCha guides. As the “virtual information booth,” ChaCha will provide exclusive real-time information about the audience pulse, length of wait lines and other dynamic and relevant information. To learn more, visit http://www.chacha.com/sundance/alerts.
ChaCha’s compelling text service is currently being offered as a free trial.
For more information about ChaCha’s new text service, visit http://www.chacha.com/textChaCha or simply text your question to 242242. ChaCha guides are waiting for your questions.