We all benefit from the convenience and ease of the internet. We can pay our bills, keep in touch with friends and family all over the world, balance our checkbooks, and just like we saw on the Jetson’s, we can see and talk to people through a screen! Now, when we need help, instruction, or an answer immediately, we are only a click away from the aid of an expert. At present, one of the latest movements online is the real-time answer site. An appropriate expert is ready and able to deliver the help you need within minutes. From homework questions to automotive inquiries or pet questions to general questions, there are several internet sites that offer you the answers in real time, by real people.
There are several services to select from. However, who would you trust to answer your important query? Is it really an “expert” answering you or just someone either trying to make a buck or someone who only thinks they can be considered an expert in that category? Some online companies actually screen their answering “experts” and hire someone only after he or she passes a probation period and has been judged by a panel of already established experts. A few have no screening process whatsoever. In fact, Yahoo Answers works similarly like a chat forum or message board. Anyone can post a question and anyone can answer. If someone risks asking a seriously important question, especially through a no-fee site, the wrong or misguided answer one receives could be literally dangerous. If someone asks, “I missed my scheduled medication time this morning. Should I double up on my dosage?” Would you trust that potentially incorrect response? Would you feel more confident going through an open forum answer site or one that screens, tests, and hires their experts? The answer to that reminds me of the saying, “You get what you pay for.”
It may be difficult to decide which site to utilize. One must consider whether it is worth paying a small fee or trusting a free site. I decided to review a few of the frequently visited sites. Moreover, I wanted to uncover which ones screened their experts and which charged a fee for answers or not. I purposely reviewed questions and answers that I personally knew the correct answer for and if I did not know, I researched it. I based my evaluation on the accuracy and quality of answers, the professionalism involved, and what the process is for becoming an expert. I rated the sites an overall grade of A, B, C, D, or F.
The first site I looked into was Essortment.com (Pagewise) This site offers answers and articles by unscreened “experts.” Some of the answers I viewed were seriously disappointing. Many articles I read were poorly written and uninformative. There is also no information available as to anyone’s qualifications or experience.
There was actually a so-called “article” that was so poor, I almost fell out of my chair while reading it. This person was attempting to teach people how to train a dog to remain in the bed of a truck when mobile and in need to leave the dog alone while running errands. The only time this person recommended appropriately securing the dog by tying him or her down is for training purposes. This is supposed to give the pet parents/family the feeling of freedom to allow the dog to be unrestrained during actual travel time. It is FAR more dangerous for a dog (or even a person) to be in motion while unsecured or unrestrained during vehicle motion than when in park in a shopping mall! In summary, this particular person was beyond any expertise and offering dangerous suggestions.
Poor advice, information, and commentary giving such counsel as that one is a horrifying thought. Yet, it does happen on a daily basis. Everyday, intelligent people mistakenly take the guidance from utterly unqualified and inadequate resources. Things like this can happen anywhere, especially in cyberspace.
On the other hand, there are articles from some that are correct and do offer decent assistance. One example is of a piece I came across regarding fleas written by Penny Lamb – © 2002 Pagewise that can be viewed at: http://sdsd.essortment.com/insectfleacon_rnjr.htm. This article was informative and accurate. I didn’t give this site a rating because it turned out to be more of an article search engine than a live Q&A; site.
Next, I visited able2know.com. (http://www.able2know.com/) This site is free and with good reason. There were a few things that turned me off. One concern was that as a potential “customer,” I was unable to sample the site (only the questions are viewable) before deciding whether or not to register. An additional flaw was that all I had to do to become a question asker or an answerer was create a user ID and password. That was a huge red flag, in my opinion. After checking out the Terms of Agreement, it seemed quite simple to become either one with no need for approval or to prove my knowledge. Although, it was clear that within the various amount of categories available, most questions asked were genuine and seemingly authentic. This site also provides useful links within each category and subcategory. It is called the selective shopping & information portal.
Navigating through the site seemed uncomplicated. In addition, the “rules” for customers were easy to comprehend. It did not entail much reading or research to grasp the operation concept. Overall grade: C+
Pitsco’s askanexpert site (www.askanexpert.com) was my next stop. This site is also free and was probably the most impressive of all the free sites I visited. This site states that it connects you with hundreds of real world experts, ranging from astronauts to zookeepers. These experts have volunteered to answer questions free of charge. It also has a sub-slogan, “The kid friendly expert site.” Askanexpert also offers a variety of topics in which to choose.
When I checked out their “about our experts” section, I found this quote: “Not to be overlooked is the experts’ VAST KNOWLEDGE of specific subjects. Most of these experts have spent years of their lives immersed in a particular profession or field of study. That makes them experts. To the rest of us, who may be casually interested in their field, they can offer VALUABLE INSIGHT and information. Some of the noble professions represented by our experts are: university professors, doctors, moms, lawyers, scientists, computer specialists, educators, police officers… the list goes on. Some of our experts even have MULTIPLE HEADS. No, they aren’t mythological creatures; we mean that not just one person responds to your questions, but a staff of several specialized experts.”
In order to become “an expert” on this site, this is what the site states: “Carefully read the text below. Then, if you still want to be an expert, send us a detailed e-mail message. Include the type of expertise you have, your qualifications, and any other helpful information.
What you need:
1. Expertise! Your expertise can be in a particular hobby, career-related, or something totally obscure. But it must be genuine expertise. Before we accept you as an expert, we’ll need to review some credentials and/or references.
2. E-mail, at the very minimum. However, we prefer experts to have their own Web sites. This gives us a better feel for your level of knowledge and ability to respond to questions. Also, we like to see solid educational content on your site.”
It shows an impressive effort. One of the benefits of becoming a volunteer expert is not only the personal satisfaction of helping others in need, but also numerous people can view the link to your site every week. Link exchange and traffic to your site is part of the payment. The only reason I did not give this site a better grade is that I was not able to ascertain answers given from experts without signing up. Thus, I give this site a B+
The next site I explored was Google Answers. (www.GoogleAnswers.com) This site was markedly decent. I researched some of the responses by their hired “researchers” and most deemed accurate. There are other registered members (not hired researchers) that can leave comments or further suggestions. The plus is it is made known to the customer that registered users are not qualified to provide what counts as to whom they’re paying to answer their question. In addition, the customer is not charged and does not have to pay for comments because they are not from a researcher employed by the site. They also offer a money back guarantee if not satisfied with the expert answer they receive. They are given the chance to re-list for another expert researcher to answer. If the customer is still not satisfied, they are fully reimbursed minus the .50 cent listing fee. The customer chooses the price they are willing to pay for an answer. Basically, (and understandably) most customers offering a higher rate are more likely to not only receive a great answer, but a quick one, too. It is a logical theory if you consider wait staff employees and others that earn mostly from tips or commission. You work hard for your pay and rely on the customers to pay you for that work and for your time. Legitimate people working on these online Q&A; sites work hard to help people and should be compensated for it. Overall Grade: A-
On the whole, I noticed numerous silly questions in most of the free “open forum” sites. I found numerous dim-witted questions such as: “I just bought a new car. Any ladies out there want a ride?” “What should I name my new fish?” I even read one that asked, “Why are feet so ugly?” Such questions are ridiculous and take up space for those seeking serious responses to real questions. If I were to visit one of these answer forums to ask a legitimate question and saw the absurd behavior, I would seek help elsewhere immediately. The childish and spurious questions posted was approximately 90%. There is no screening of questions or answers and remind me more of a teen chat room than anything else. Another concern with that class of site is the amount of inaccurate and sometimes inappropriate responses. Most have proven to be a joke and a big waste of one’s time.
It is my conclusion that sites requiring a screening process prove to be more credible. Apparently, there is more merit to the sites that take the time to screen, evaluate, and require proof of legitimate knowledge of the category one is applying for. The companies that hire an expert only if acceptable test requirements are passed are much more likely to receive paying customers. As well, the customer is much more probable to receive helpful, trustworthy answers. When one is seeking to find out if it is truly necessary to purchase an expensive automobile part, it is undoubtedly with hopes they are asking an experienced auto mechanic. When seeking pet advice, which expert does one choose? If and when experts’ qualification profiles are made visible to the customer and one profile reports, “being a pet owner all my life” versus another stating he or she is an experienced veterinary professional, one would clearly choose the latter. That is a no-brainer.
An expert who has been verified as legit in opposition to those in a free, open forum method where anyone can answer (including an inexperienced person posing as an “expert”) is undeniably more resolute. In essence, it comes down to a site’s overall professionalism and how, if at all, the company hires their experts. I assumed owners care about their company’s reputation and future success. Nevertheless, after assessing some of the most futile, amateurish sites I’ve ever seen, I remembered how one should never assume.
