I Challenged ChaCha (and ChaCha Won)
ChaCha promises human-powered answers to any question you text in to its service. We decided to give it a friendly little test.
These days, the ChaCha ain’t just a dance. An Indiana company’s given new meaning to the word, setting up an interactive system that lets you text in any question, anytime, and get a human-powered answer back within minutes.
ChaCha’s been around since early ’08, but lately, it seems to be picking up steam: The company recently announced it had answered more than 150 million questions, securing its spot in Nielsen’s list of the nation’s 10 busiest text message-based services. We figured, then, it was about time we sent ChaCha some questions of our own.
Let the games begin.
Question #1: How do you send a text message?
ChaCha’s answer: Go to menu on your phone, find messages and click okay or enter to confirm your selection. Find new text messages and click.
Not bad, ChaCha…not bad. But ignoring the self-contradictory nature of our query can’t keep us down.
Question #2: What is the best question to ask a text messaging-based information service?
ChaCha’s answer: You should ask anything you want to know.
Touché. Here’s what I want to know:
Question #3: How do you answer a question that isn’t really asking anything?
ChaCha’s answer: Here at ChaCha, we do our best to analyze what the answer is our customer is looking for and deliver it to them! ChaCha on!
All righty, then. Time to get personal.
Question #4: Are you shy?
ChaCha’s answer: Nope, I am not shy. I am very outgoing.
This ChaCha seems to be cha-challenging me back. Time to turn up the heat.
Question #5: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
ChaCha’s answer: Woodchucks prefer burrowing to climbing trees. But they can chuck a lot of dirt, so if they COULD chuck wood, watch out!
Well-played, sir (or madam). There’s only one thing left to do, then: let ChaCha do my job.
The final question: What would be a funny closing line for an article about a text-based information service?
ChaCha’s answer: Maybe you could try a funny movie quote like this one from The Addams Family: Pugsley: “We’re not shy!” Wednesday: “We’re contagious!”
Hmm. Not gonna lie to you — I’m not so sure about that one. But ChaCha hasn’t steered me wrong yet, so…what the hell. It’s been real, compadres. ChaCha on.
Pugsley: “We’re not shy!” Wednesday: “We’re contagious!”
Keep up with JR Raphael on Twitter (@jr_raphael) or via jrstart.com.
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