A Review of WebHelp.com
I noticed the name WebHelp.com in My Yahoo! News roundup of internet press releases. Here, after only 3 full days online, WebHelp.com was announcing how super successful it was because it counted 1.2 million hits per day. I decided to try it, hoping to have stumbled upon a must-see site, and would like to recount my experiences and perceptions.
From the About WebHelp on its website:
The service makes it simple for beginners, as well as the Internet savvy, to search the Web. By offering human assistance, at no cost, people are able to find the answers they desire, and to get the information they need.Webhelp.com is all about real people. That is why Webhelp.com prides itself on only hiring the best and brightest employees who know how to find information quickly and reliably on the Internet. The most distinctive element of Webhelp.com's services is the excellent customer service. All employees of Webhelp.com go through an extensive training period before they interact with customers. We have a number of web centers strategically placed around the globe to enable people to interact with the most highly qualified people.
Real People, Real Answers, Real Time...That's what WebHelp.com is all about!
From the press release linked above:
Webhelp.com is the Internet's first human-assisted search engine providing real answers from real people in real-time. Launched on November 30, 1999, Webhelp.com is a revolutionary, free new service that joins the human touch with the highly technical task of searching through the vast amount of information available on the Internet, producing relevant and personalized results. Webhelp.com is a privately held company, employing over 900 people, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with additional offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Minot, North Dakota; Atlanta, Georgia, and Seattle, Washington.
From a press release from their launch:
"There's a bewildering array of information on the Web today, and we wanted to find a way to help people find the information they need in a quick, personalized and accurate fashion,'' said Kerry Adler, President and CEO of Webhelp.com. "Webhelp.com is the first, and the only service, that, unlike traditional search engines, takes advantage of common sense and human intuition.''
So what do we know and believe so far?
Well, we actually thought we'd be interacting with live people, kinda like a live Suite101. I figured I'd be in a text chat or something with another human in one of those exciting locations helping me out with my question. I figured this human would be a mini-expert in the topic in which I was asking a question. Or, even if they're not an expert on a certain topic, I thought that this live person was using a special search engine or directory and would help me find exactly what I wanted by interacting with me to find out more about my needs.
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