Another alternative to you-know-who in Web search just went beta yesterday.

What makes ChaCha so interesting is that it offers two options for searching: a do-it-yourself, search engine-driven approach, and a human guide who assists you via IM chat. Company president Brad Bostic explains:

ChaCha’s search-with-a-guide process connects you to a live person who has knowledge about your particular topic and who knows the best resources on the web for that topic, as well as the right search keywords. The ChaCha guide then sends you highly relevant links via an instant online chat session and follows up to make certain the results are just what you wanted.

Why a human guide? This option addresses a chink in the Google armor that too many (myself included) have grown to accept: Google results are virtually instantaneous, but it can take several minutes [or longer] to find exactly what you want, even more when you’re not sure what you’re looking for. If the Web were a library, Google is the librarian who, if you’re asking the right question in the right way, points you to the correct section or shelf. With a bit of MD-like diagnosis of your search quandary, a ChaCha guide will [hopefully] pull the right book from the shelf and point you to the page you want.

If you’re a guide, you can work as much or as little as you wish, and you’re paid based on how you’re rated by users. In fact, they’re providing an instant-payment system for guides, which could potentially revolutionize how workers are paid in other occupations and companies. One guide recently shared with Wired magazine how this model might work for her:

Say I need to send my daughter to the store to buy $10 worth of groceries, but I have no cash. I sit down and work on ChaCha for a little while, watch the money add up and click ‘Pay Me Now.’ I give her the debit card and a grocery list. Brilliant.

Better web search, and a new way for people from virtually all walks of life to earn extra income. ChaCha may be onto something.