Cha-Cha: Adding the Human Element in Searching

For about a year or so, I've been using a service called Cha-Cha. Some of you may have already heard of it, but many probably haven't. Essentially, Cha-Cha is a human-powered search engine which works roughly as follows:

You text a question in normal english to 242242. The question gets routed to a "Guide," who is essentially somebody signed into their computer at home, working for Cha-Cha. The Guide scours the net on their own, and responds to the original question with a corresponding link to their source. Also, Guides can see the asker's recently asked questions, adding the ability to see context for questions. The result is a remarkably efficient search for somebody who can't access a computer. The best part is that there are no fees outside of the cost of sending a text on your phone (so if you have unlimited texting, its free).

I thought it was a cool alternative search function, since the actual person involved can use discretion as to what you are actually looking for, and not just send you popular sites.

Another service that is similar to this is offered by Google.

This site: http://how2dostuff.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-get-answers-by-texting-google.html tells you exactly what commands to send to the number 466453 (G-O-O-G-L-E).

By texting GOOGLE from your phone, you can receive definitions, weather, sportscores, movie times/locations, translations, stock info, and much more.

Like Cha-Cha, it is free, except for the standard text fee.