So set myself up as a mine of useless information over at Aardvark (http://vark.com/).
Its one of those social sites that you hope makes enough critical mass to work.
To test it out I asked a question by sending an IM. Of course it was a real question I cared about " where can I get good sushi in Brussels?". It seems strange that in a town with so many foreigners in it I have not managed to find any decent Sushi yet.
I got an immediate answer from the Bot saying:
Aardvark says:
Got it. I'll find someone in your network who knows about **Japanese food**, and send them your question now.
I'll send you an answer in a few minutes!
True to its word quickly I received:
From Charles F./29/M/Brussels,BE, Re: **Japanese food**)
frankly, i haven't found anyplace truly great. samourai is well reputed, but i've never been. also rather pricey.
(Type 'thanks', or write back by starting with 'Charles:' -- like, "Charles: tell me more...")
I of course did send my thanks to Charles. Especially as I have been to Samourai (http://www.tablefinder.com/eng/Restaurant/samourai/) a resturant that delivers decent basic Sushi, while charging for a level of artwork it fails to diliver.
However, it was a real person providing real answers is real time.
Now I have to see if I can return the favor to someone else!
Tell me what day it is and I will tell you where I am
Official mine of usless information