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SOFTWARE INDUSTRY NEWS |
Google acquires Aardvark |
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Google has announced its acquisition of Aardvark, a social search service that allows users to connect to friends or friends-of-friends and pose their questions, which can then be answered in real time. Though both companies did not reveal the terms of the transaction, reports said the acquisition price was around $50 million  In its blogpost, Google said Aardvark's technology allows users to quickly and easily tap into “the knowledge and experience of your friends and extended network of contacts.” Aardvark, according to Google, analyzes questions to determine what they're about and then matches each question to people with relevant knowledge and interests to give you an answer quickly. According to Wikipedia, users are able to submit their questions through email or instant messenger and Aardvark identifies and facilitates a live chat or email conversation with topic experts within the individual's extended social network.  “When you need an answer to a very specific question, sometimes the information just isn't online in one simple place. For example, let's say you want to know if there's snow on Skyline Boulevard on a given day or the best time of year to plant beans in the Bay Area. You might find weather reports and planting guides on many different sites, but for these kinds of questions, a person with the right expertise can be a lot more useful than a webpage,” wrote Johanna Wright, Director of Product Management, Search. Aardvark is a company founded by ex-employees of Google, and had managed to secure funding to the tune of $6 million, reports said. Google has made Aardvark available under Google Labs for now. In a blogpost on the site, Aardvark founders Max and Damon said the service “would remain fully operational and completely free, providing quick, helpful answers to all of your questions.” |
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