PMI Internet

An increasing number of internet users want more than just a list of websites from their search engine. These users want accurate information presented in the most efficient way possible. To meet this demand, a new breed of search engine has emerged which retrieve information from the internet and present it directly to the user. This means no more scanning through a five-page Wikipedia article just to find out how many teams there are in the NBA. The new Q&A engines present you with the specific answer, which in this case is “30.” 

Swingly is one of these new Q&A engines. Unlike ChaCha and other similar services, it’s not human powered. It’s a machine-based interface which draws from a massive database of searchable questions and answers. Swingly works best when you ask it facts. Opinion-based questions like “Who is the best basketball player in the NBA?” will lack conclusive answers. Also, questions to Swingly should be asked in complete sentence form, rather than a list of keywords, like you might use for Google. 

Although Swingly is machine-based, it still utilizes social media elements. For example, users can submit additional questions that would be answered by the facts provided in a Swingly answer. Also, users can “Like” a good answer, similar to Facebook and other services. 

This new style of search engine will undoubtedly change the way users find information online. While Swingly is one of the more interesting of the Q&A engines, there are many others with similar functions. Examples include ChaCha, Askville, Replyz and Answers.com. The internet experts from PMI are anxious to see which of these services catch on with users in the inevitable Q&A engine battles which lie ahead.