ChaCha (search engine)
Encyclopedia
ChaCha is a search engine
that specializes in answering questions through a technique known as the human search engine
. ChaCha was created by Scott A. Jones
and Brad Bostic. The company is based in Carmel, Indiana
, a suburb of Indianapolis
, United States
.
The name ChaCha comes from the Mandarin Chinese word, cha , which means "to search."
, the entrepreneur
behind Amazon.com
. By January 2008 AP
reported that ChaCha had 5,000 freelance guides with no less than 500 working at any one time. Washington Post partner mogonews.com reported that ChaCha's first round of equity financing was actually US$14 million plus a US$2 million grant from 21st Century Technology Fund. ChaCha announced on March 17, 2009 a new round of equity financing totaling US$12 million while also laying off 25 employees and reducing the 56 remaining salaries by 10 percent.
In July 2010, ChaCha Inc. was recognized as one of the “2010 Hottest Companies in the Midwest” by Lead411.
In August 2011, ChaCha launched its text messaging-based service in the United Kingdom
available via short code 85852.
, making it approximately the 68th largest site in the United States. As of August 2011, ChaCha had answered over 1.7 billion questions.
to learn from the results provided by their independent contractors. The system offered a chat on the left side of the page where users could chat
with the guides and conclude their search. The center of the page contained results that a guide could add or remove (later users could also add or remove these results). The right side of the page contained ads that were relevant to the search.
Desktop search was phased out in April 2008 in favor of mobile products.
to promote its My Coke Rewards
program to users interested in NASCAR
racing. Fox News reported that ChaCha planned by mid 2008 to charge users $5–$10 per month once they exceeded 10 queries.. However, currently, no additional fees have been implemented, nor have any plans been officially announced by any reliable source.
In November, 2008, ChaCha launched its SMS
Advertising Platform at ad:tech
New York
.
In March 2009, ChaCha reported 30 million "impressions per month" and "3.6 million users" since January 2008. An ESPN article stated that ChaCha gets about 1,000,000 questions each day according to their tipsheets. A former Yahoo executive opened an New York
office for ChaCha in hopes of increasing advertising.
Guides are paid on a per-query basis. Generalists and Specialists can expect to make between $0.10 and $0.20 for each question answered, while Expediters and Transcribers earn $0.02 per question. Vetters earn $0.01 for each question fielded.
In April 2009, ESPN
's Rick Reilly
spent some time working for ChaCha for an article on ESPN The Magazine
. Reilly says:
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
that specializes in answering questions through a technique known as the human search engine
Human Search Engine
A human search engine is a search engine that uses human participation to filter the search results and assist users in clarifying their search request...
. ChaCha was created by Scott A. Jones
Scott A. Jones
Scott A. Jones is an American inventor. Scott graduated with honors from Indiana University in 1984, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in computer science.-1980s:He is known for his work in the early days of voicemail...
and Brad Bostic. The company is based in Carmel, Indiana
Carmel, Indiana
Carmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States located immediately north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The population was 79,191 at the 2010 census, and is one of the most affluent communities in the Midwest....
, a suburb of Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The name ChaCha comes from the Mandarin Chinese word, cha , which means "to search."
History
The alpha version of ChaCha was launched on September 1, 2006. A beta version was introduced on November 6, 2006. ChaCha said 20,000 guides had registered by year's end and that it had raised US$6 million in development funds, including support from Bezos Expeditions, a personal investment firm owned by Jeff BezosJeff Bezos
Jeffrey Preston "Jeff" Bezos is the founder, president, chief executive officer , and chairman of the board of Amazon.com.-Early life and background:...
, the entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
behind Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. By January 2008 AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that ChaCha had 5,000 freelance guides with no less than 500 working at any one time. Washington Post partner mogonews.com reported that ChaCha's first round of equity financing was actually US$14 million plus a US$2 million grant from 21st Century Technology Fund. ChaCha announced on March 17, 2009 a new round of equity financing totaling US$12 million while also laying off 25 employees and reducing the 56 remaining salaries by 10 percent.
In July 2010, ChaCha Inc. was recognized as one of the “2010 Hottest Companies in the Midwest” by Lead411.
In August 2011, ChaCha launched its text messaging-based service in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
available via short code 85852.
Traffic and growth
ChaCha has experienced significant growth since it was launched in September 2006. The site is currently verified to have broken the 17 million-unique-visitors mark according to QuantcastQuantcast
Quantcast is a California based company that provides publishers and marketers with the ability to understand, deliver and reach their best audiences at a massive scale...
, making it approximately the 68th largest site in the United States. As of August 2011, ChaCha had answered over 1.7 billion questions.
Desktop search
ChaCha had originally been founded with the intention to offer human-guided search from within a web browser and for the search engineSearch engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
to learn from the results provided by their independent contractors. The system offered a chat on the left side of the page where users could chat
Online chat
Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
with the guides and conclude their search. The center of the page contained results that a guide could add or remove (later users could also add or remove these results). The right side of the page contained ads that were relevant to the search.
Desktop search was phased out in April 2008 in favor of mobile products.
Mobile Search
Users send an SMS message with their question to 242-242, where Guides will then answer it. Standard messaging fees may apply, but ChaCha will not charge additional fees.Voice search
ChaCha launched its beta version of a call-in search service on April 1, 2008, while discontinuing its less effective guided web search. Users call a toll-free number (800-2ChaCha) to have a human answer their questions via SMS messaging.Mobile marketing
In July 2008, ChaCha launched its first mobile marketing campaign with Coca-ColaCoca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
to promote its My Coke Rewards
My Coke Rewards
My Coke Rewards is a customer loyalty marketing program for Coca-Cola soft drinks. Customers enter codes found on specially marked packages of Coca-Cola products on a website. Codes can also be entered "on the go" by texting them from a cell phone...
program to users interested in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing. Fox News reported that ChaCha planned by mid 2008 to charge users $5–$10 per month once they exceeded 10 queries.. However, currently, no additional fees have been implemented, nor have any plans been officially announced by any reliable source.
In November, 2008, ChaCha launched its SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
Advertising Platform at ad:tech
Ad:tech
ad:tech is an international series of digital advertising and technology conferences and exhibitions for the interactive marketing community. Produced by ad:tech expositions, LLC, ad:tech hosts events in New York, San Francisco, London, New Delhi, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and Tokyo...
New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In March 2009, ChaCha reported 30 million "impressions per month" and "3.6 million users" since January 2008. An ESPN article stated that ChaCha gets about 1,000,000 questions each day according to their tipsheets. A former Yahoo executive opened an New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
office for ChaCha in hopes of increasing advertising.
Guides
ChaCha uses independent contractors called Guides. There are four main types of guides: Generalist/Specialist, Expeditor, Transcriber, and Vetter. Expeditors categorize questions, convert them into standard form, provide direct responses for certain question types, and also make sure that an answer doesn't already exist for that question. The purposes of a Generalist, "the original and basic ChaCha Guide role," are to: determine what the customer's question is, find an answer to the question using the Internet, format the answer into a text message, and add "magic" to the answer which gives it a human quality. Specialists are a more selective group of guides. They have all of the same purposes as a Generalist but they sign up for specific categories of questions based on their interest in and knowledge of those categories. The duty of Transcribers is to listen to questions recorded by customers who call into 1-800-2ChaCha and then convert the recorded message into text form so that Generalists and Specialists can answer them.Guides are paid on a per-query basis. Generalists and Specialists can expect to make between $0.10 and $0.20 for each question answered, while Expediters and Transcribers earn $0.02 per question. Vetters earn $0.01 for each question fielded.
Press
The Wall Street Journal’s personal technology columnist, Walt Mossberg, characterized ChaCha as having "fast, accurate, useful answers" in his April 24, 2008 column If You Have ChaCha and a Cellphone, You Have Answers.In April 2009, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Rick Reilly
Rick Reilly
Richard "Rick" Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008 where he is a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine...
spent some time working for ChaCha for an article on ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
. Reilly says:
External links
- ChaCha.com - official website