Which phone has the best browser? What's the best place to buy bread in Herndon? Those of us who use twitter see these questions pop up all the time.
As Anne Zelenka wrote in Web Worker Daily
"For example, one of my friends needed some advice yesterday. He wanted to know how to set freelance consulting rates. Did he Google? Or Ask Metafilter? No, he used Twitter to do a people-powered search. He searched through his social network for the answer to his question.
My friend received advice that was both trustworthy and targeted. The advice was trustworthy because it came from people he knew. It was targeted because those people know him too — so they could take his particular situation into account when they provided tips and resources.
If you search on Google for information about setting freelance rates, you’d get some blog articles and some calculators, but how do you know what to trust? And even with Google’s personalized search, you’re not going to get information that knows as much about your situation as your friends and colleagues."
Now it's taken for granted that we'll use our network on twitter when we have a question. It makes sense to go to people we have a history with.
Like in the past when moms asked for recommendations for pediatricians over the backyard fence, we've just taken it a step forward into an age of always-on connections. We don't have to wait until the neighbor is hanging her wash on the line. We see the question if we're tuned in. And if we've got the time to answer and have something to add to the conversation we take part.
Presto. Instant networking. Like Google but with personal insights.
