People Powered Web Search

A neat article on MSNBC regarding web searches that tap human intelligence for answers.  Instead of spitting back web sites, or facts, these web searches put you in touch with people ... or rather people respond directly to your query. Yahoo and Google are working on systems that will help searches be fulfilled by people who have the answers. Reputation will clearly play a big role in this!

Thinking about smaller communities, I see that web tech can enhance the capacity of the individuals to benefit the entire group.  By making searches and queries open to the whole community you are tapping the collective intelligence. In particular if you are dealing with an affinity community this already exists on message boards and forums.  I think that this is a broadening of a concept and a lowering of entry barriers ... you no longer need to join and participation a community to mine their knowledge.  These systems are real attempts to open up the concept of collective knowledge.