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Answers of all sorts

One problem with the Web as an information source is the question of authenticity. Anybody can put up a Web site and publish information that might or might not be factual. True expertise is difficult to verify on the Web.

Two solutions exist to the verification problem: standard reference sources and on-demand professional research services. Neither is likely to be found on a typical Web site, professional and authoritative though that site might be. The desire for reference-style answers has given birth to dedicated answer engines such as Answers.com (formerly Gurunet).

Google, recognizing that its users sometimes need a quick answer rather than a list of Web sites that might (or might not) contain that answer, has built answer-engine capability into its Web engine. In some cases Google delivers the answer directly; in other cases it links you to an outside site that displays your answer. Some of the answers supplied by Google include eminently practical information such as stock quotes, the weather, movie show times, calculator functions, word definitions, phone book information, delivery service tracking, and airport status.

The second solution to the verification problem, on-demand professional research, is provided at Google Answers. Google Answers is . . . well, the answer. Staffed by a large crew of freelance researchers in many subjects,
Google Answers lets you ask questions and receive customized answers for a price. How much? That’s up to you; an auction system is used whereby you request an answer for a specified price, and individual researchers either take on your question or not.

One nice touch: Google maintains a directory of previously asked and answered questions, sorted by topic. Browsing through the archives is a nice way to audition the quality of the service (it’s good), and you might find that your query has already been solved.