Do the ChaCha

ChaCha is service that provides answers to questions via text message on your cell phone. This is a powerful idea as it really puts information at your fingertips at anytime. ChaCha's service isn't just any old search engine either. Real people rather than algorithm provide the answer to your query. Currently, the searcher at ChaCha is often using Google to answer a query. But they are creating their own database of answers to questions. Also, since it is driven by human intelligence, ChaCha can provide analytic answers to questions rather than just a relevancy ranked list of results. Did I mention ChaCha's service is free other than your standard text messaging rates? Their revenue is derived from directing users to services, i.e. the nearest sale on a particular item and advertising derived from their tracking of users query history.

This is the type of service that must cause us to rethink traditional reference and adapt with changes in technology. Due to services like ChaCha people will come to expect fast answers to questions on the go available at anytime and any place. As such, we must look to answering patrons reference questions not only at the desk, but via text e-mail and other means. If libraries can develop effective strategies to do just this we would have a decided advantage in protecting our users privacy in not mining our users records for targeted advertising.

You can find out more about ChaCha here.

 http://www.chacha.com/


Or Listen to a story from American Public Media's Marketplace here.


 http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/08/21/cha_cha/