[wordup] New Google Service

[Adam Shand]

Via: http://csof.net/node.php?id=115
From: https://answers.google.com/answers/main

Google Provides All The Answers   
Submitted by Gene on Friday, April 26, 2002 - 09:07    

Google has a new application called Google Answers where you can submit
a question for a 50 cent listing fee, and set a price you are willing to
pay if someone succesfully answers it (from $4 - $50). Google takes 25%
of the cut of that fee.

In order to become a researcher you have to fill out a form where you
write a paragraph about why you want to become a researcher and answer 5
sample questions. They have some guidelines for prospective researchers.
Your answers are rated by the question submitter and if you fall below a
certain rating, your researcher status is revoked.

Neat idea. I like the idea of smart people hanging out at home answering
questions and making a living off of it. But here's a few problems I see
so far:

* $50 doesn't seem like a very high top end, but it's in beta so maybe
  they'll adjust this.
* The questions aren't organized into categories... makes it very hard
  to find questions related to your knowledge base to answer. Yes, it's
  in beta, but this should be a basic requirement.
* 25% seems an absurdly high cut to take for such an automated system.

>From the general FAQ:

    The Researcher will be an expert at locating hard to find
    information on the web.

Methinks Josh should sign-up now.