ChaCha - the New Human Powered Search Engine

A new search engine named ChaCha has been released onto the world wide web and has already become an instant success. ChaCha promises to provide more results that are more relevant to the user than other search engines like Google.

Unlike Google, which depends on complex mathematical equations and algorithms to sift through the billions of Web Pages on the internet to give results to queries, while also factoring other factors such as page views and links, ChaCha, while also providing the normal computer based search, is unique. It is unique because it employs people, termed "guides", to help search through a number of pages related to your search query and provide a list of what is relevant to you.

The site is an fresh and exciting way to search for information. The site has a very user friendly interface, with your choice to search the web, news, images, videos or audios and the top right hand side of the page.

Using the Search with Guide option is not only fun, it's also very easy. On the page, there is a tab on the left hand side of the page which opens up and is used to chat with the Guide while you search. Anyone can sign up free and get paid to be a Guide on ChaCha provided that you are over 18, are authorized to work in the US, have a fast internet connection and have basic English skills. There are thousands of guides already signed up, but it is pretty obvious that ChaCha will need more as the site continuously attracts more people. To sign up, click on the feedback button at the bottom of the site.

The first time I searched ChaCha with a guide, I searched for the term apple. It took quite a number of attempts to connect to a guide, but once I finally did I was connected to one called JeremyM. He was polite, helpful and very effective. As apple is a good term to test because you don't know whether I'm trying to find information about the fruit of the Computer Company, I enquired to JeremyM about the nutritional values on apples. My ChaCha guide was fast effective bringing me three sites that had exactly what I was wanting in less than a minute.