Instant Reference Library Becomes Free: 1-Click Answers

Gurunet Corporation, well-known for its subscription-based service Gurunet, has just announced a slightly simplified, but most importantly, free version of their fact finding software. This web service is available to PC and Macintosh users and requires only a short and simple download and installation process. The service may also be tested directly on the web through Answers.com, the memorable domain name that Gurunet Corporation surprisingly was able to register for its service.

The 1-Click Answers logo

 

 

A long-time loyal user of Gurunet (I remember eagerly signing up way back when its precursors Atomica and SlingShot were launched), I quickly set out to explore 1-Click Answers.

1-Click Answers claims to maintain an up-to-date repository of a million topic pages that can be accessed by clicking on any word, in any context and in any application. Users just need to hold down their Alt-key (a different key for Mac users) and click their left mouse button once. This keyboard-mouse combination may be altered if necessary. In addition to this method Answers may also be found by using an Internet Explorer toolbar or a small, floating bar that may be docked to the left or right hand side of the screen.

1-Click Answers provides facts in various categories

The service pulls its topics from over a hundred reputable and established online reference sources like

• English dictionaries (Houghton Mifflin, Merriam Webster)


• translating dictionaries (Wizcom Technologies)


• thesauri (Roget)


• lexica (WordNet)


• acronyms and abbreviations (Stands4)


• sign language (WHO2?)


• fact books and encyclopedias (CIA - The World FactBook, Wikipedia, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Computer Desktop Encyclopedia)


• business information, headlines and stock charts (CBS MarketWatch, Inlumen, Investopedia)

It's certainly worth it to find out what other kind of facts you can dig up using Answers: medical and historical facts, country and local information, current weather, measurement and currency conversions. The Answers.com website has a convenient How Do I page to give you ideas.

Contextual Analysis and Suggestions
When users alt-click on a word, 1-Click Answers also fetches a few of the words surrounding the desired topic. This ensures a more relevant result. If the word typed was spelled incorrectly, the service will courteously suggest a topic that comes close, asking "Did you mean.... ?"

Reverse Look-Up
A very useful addition to the Answers feature set is its "Mentioned In" section, located at the bottom of topic pages. It lists all pages that contain that topic. This allows users to easily find other relevant pages.

Covert Ads
Of course there's a catch to the epithet "free". 1-Click Answers is partly funded through its affiliate business partner program.

However, not all links are clearly marked as sponsored items. The Answers personality page about the current US President, for example, not only mentions WHO2? as a source, but also links to an external page that doesn't at all seem to have anything to offer that could be relevant in relation to the topic searched for.

The bottom logo links to one of Answers' presumed affiliate partners

Now, I understand that site maintenance, resources, bandwidth etc need to be paid for, but please let's keep a clear distinction between editorial, factual content and advertisements, especially with services like this one. By calling these covert ads "relevant and unobtrusive", Gurunet Corporation doesn't add much good to its own reputation and credibility. I wasn't able to find a clear, public statement from Gurunet Corporation about its advertising policy. They'd better put one up shortly.

Comparison With Gurunet
Gurunet answers are displayed in a separate, proprietary browser window (based on the IE rendering engine); results from a 1-Click Answers query are presented in the default browser window. Gurunet offers the option to save and organize personal topics, a feature I personally haven't used much during the past couple of years. There's a slight difference in presentation between the two services, but I found it very easy to get used to the new user interface. The reverse look-up feature is certainly an excellent improvement.

Checking Out
I'm very happy I can finally recommend the high quality of the Gurunet reference library to my readers, co-workers and friends—without feeling uncomfortable about its subscription fees. Other than the somewhat awkward ad policy, I wasn't able to find a compelling reason not to make the transition from Gurunet to 1-Click Answers. I wholeheartedly recommend that you check it out.

Product Information Page

Flash Demo

Windows download (780 Kb)

MacIntosh download (requires Mac OS X)

Update, February 7th, 2005:
Every Google search result page now has a direct link to Answers.Com. Run any Google query and then look at the top right corner of the page. Google repeats search words there and links these directly to the Answers.com website using the generic word 'definition'. I would rather have seen an icon similar to Google's library or newspaper icon, preferably clearly disclosing that it is linking to the Answers.com service. I trust Google is still working on that.

Create Links to Answers.com
Any Answers.com topic can be referred to with a direct, meaningful url. For example, for the topic of Collaborative Tools (a generic term used for web conferencing software), use this url: http://www.answers.com/collaborative+tools
So, just use the basic url and add the name of the topic after the last slash; compound topics are created using + signs.

Answers.com Reviews
Answers.com has received great press the last few weeks:
The Best Internet Innovation In Years by Lisa DiCarlo (Forbes.com, February 7, 2005)

Unlike Search Engines, Answers.Com Responds With Data, Not Links by Walt Mossberg (Wall Street Journal Online, January 27, 2005)