• by Tameka Kee , January 4, 2008

ChaCha has unveiled the newest iteration of its free, human-powered search engine, a mobile option that lets users text their questions in plain English to the short code 242242, and have answers texted back to them. And the Sundance Film Festival has signed on as the first major organization to use the new service, deeming ChaCha the "Official Text Answers Service of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival."

During this year's festival, Sundance visitors will be able to get real-time info about screenings, Park City events and restaurants, and answers to the all-important "which films are already sold out" question via ChaCha-powered text messages. The Indianapolis-based search engine has also set up a daily text alerts service which festival goers (and enthusiasts who can't attend) can use to get info on which films are generating the most buzz, festival weather reports and trivia.

According to Brad Bostic, ChaCha's president and co-founder, Sundance had been in search of an information source that would complement the printed festival materials--one that would offer rapid access to dynamically updated info and be easier on the environment. "The printed film guides are nicely put together, but they're lacking in depth. And the on-site info booths often have long lines," Bostic said. "ChaCha can give searchers info that they can't get in print and that they don't have to wait for."

To promote use of the service, ChaCha will have branded merchandise like coffee cup insulators and mobile phone E-Grips at Sundance, as well as on-site signage and calls-to-action in the printed film guides.

For ChaCha, the Sundance deal is evidence to refute some critics who say that the search engine's human-powered model isn't scalable or profit-oriented. Bostic added that the company was also developing strategic partnerships with regional mobile service providers like Cincinnati Bell--which was the carrier that ran a beta version of the texting service in October 2007.

And while ChaCha may expand to offer ad-sponsored text services, the company will proceed carefully to ensure that mobile users don't get unsolicited or irrelevant ads. "Mobile access is highly coveted and it doesn't take much to lose that trust," Bostic said. "So we need to be extremely sensitive to the user experience."

Bostic said that the search engine has some 30,000 guides nationwide, ready to answer searchers' questions--and has built up such a large network of information-gatherers partly because offering mobile search had always been part of the engine's long-term plan. ChaCha launched as a desktop-based service in 2006.