16 June 2009 | Author: J. Cave SEO Consultant
Just weeks after Microsoft's much-covered launch of decision engine Bing, another service with similar ideas has stepped onto the scene.
Hunch, the brainchild of Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, comes with a difference, however. Despite Bing's title as 'decision engine', the service remains mostly geared towards search whereas Hunch aims to truly help users make decisions.
You may have seen similar - yet not as sophisticated - offerings before. Hunch is something of an evolutionary leap from popular web 2.0 problems solving networks like Yahoo Answers, Mahalo Answers and the deceased Google Answers.
An example decision that Hunch can help you make: suppose you are considering moving in with your partner but can't decide if it's a good idea. Based on what Hunch has already determined about you - and the collaborated information it has gathered from its other users - Hunch will ask you questions such as how long you've been together, whether or not you can afford to move out if things go wrong and how in love you are. Based on this information, Hunch will tell you whether to hold off or make the move.
Of course, not all questions concern big life decisions. Suppose you have a cheese craving but can't decide which cheese to purchase - a regular dilemma for cheese lovers across the globe. Based on a number of questions such as the type of cheese, cheese origin, whether or not you will be drinking wine and what your price range is, Hunch will make a recommendation of three cheeses as well as one wildcard cheese for you to choose from.
More impressively, Hunch actually gets to know its users. The engine asks visitors an initial 42 questions, ranging from "have you sky dived" to the more risqué "are you more likely to: spoon or be spooned?" Based on your responses, the questions you go on to ask and the data it has gathered from its 40,000 beta users, Hunch will build up a profile of you that it can use to answer your future dilemmas.
Founder Caterina Fake - who previously co-founded Flickr and worked at Yahoo Answers - believes around 40 per cent of topics can be monetised. For example, in product purchase dilemmas - e.g. "which high def Blu-ray player should I get?" - Hunch will place an affiliate link to product on Amazon below its answer, meaning the service could be pulling in the cash if successful.
Given Hunch's earning potential, the interest it has sparked across the media and the coverage 'decision making search engines' will receive thanks to Bing's $80 million advertising campaign, it's likely this isn't the last we'll hear about this new startup. Of course, that's just a hunch.
New decision engine has a Hunch it can help
Just weeks after Microsoft's much-covered launch of decision engine Bing, another service with similar ideas has stepped onto the scene. Hunch, the brainchild of Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, comes with a difference, however. Despite Bing's title as 'decision engine', the service remains mostly geared towards search whereas Hunch aims to truly help users make decisions.
You may have seen similar - yet not as sophisticated - offerings before. Hunch is something of an evolutionary leap from popular web 2.0 problems solving networks like Yahoo Answers, Mahalo Answers and the deceased Google Answers.
An example decision that Hunch can help you make: suppose you are considering moving in with your partner but can't decide if it's a good idea. Based on what Hunch has already determined about you - and the collaborated information it has gathered from its other users - Hunch will ask you questions such as how long you've been together, whether or not you can afford to move out if things go wrong and how in love you are. Based on this information, Hunch will tell you whether to hold off or make the move.
Of course, not all questions concern big life decisions. Suppose you have a cheese craving but can't decide which cheese to purchase - a regular dilemma for cheese lovers across the globe. Based on a number of questions such as the type of cheese, cheese origin, whether or not you will be drinking wine and what your price range is, Hunch will make a recommendation of three cheeses as well as one wildcard cheese for you to choose from.
More impressively, Hunch actually gets to know its users. The engine asks visitors an initial 42 questions, ranging from "have you sky dived" to the more risqué "are you more likely to: spoon or be spooned?" Based on your responses, the questions you go on to ask and the data it has gathered from its 40,000 beta users, Hunch will build up a profile of you that it can use to answer your future dilemmas.
Founder Caterina Fake - who previously co-founded Flickr and worked at Yahoo Answers - believes around 40 per cent of topics can be monetised. For example, in product purchase dilemmas - e.g. "which high def Blu-ray player should I get?" - Hunch will place an affiliate link to product on Amazon below its answer, meaning the service could be pulling in the cash if successful.
Given Hunch's earning potential, the interest it has sparked across the media and the coverage 'decision making search engines' will receive thanks to Bing's $80 million advertising campaign, it's likely this isn't the last we'll hear about this new startup. Of course, that's just a hunch.
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