According to Hitwise Research Director, Heather Dougherty,

"Online users are increasingly seeking advice from question and answer websites that leverage shared knowledge contributed across a community of experts and enthusiasts. The popularity of user generated media has helped to establish a category for social knowledge where consumers can obtain answers from a single aggregated source developed through others asking similar questions."

The fact is that there are plenty of search engines and answer sites to fuel the curiosity of the users.

Now Microsoft's Live Search Team is including a lot of answers in their search results.

The team says:

We have quite a few currently on Live Search. Have you tried any of these?

• Encyclopedia Search for an encyclopedic fact, like "How tall is mount Everest," "When was Lincoln born," "What is the GDP of Poland," "What's the population of Georgia," "Who won super bowl 30," or " What won best picture in 1998." You ask, and Live Search will return the exact answer to your question. And for you trivia fans, they are: "8,850 m / 29,035 ft," "February 12, 1809," "$303,228,550,000 (2005)," "4,630,841 (2008 estimate)," "Dallas Cowboys, NFC," and "Shakespeare in Love."
• Traffic : Just type "traffic" in the search box at Live Search and see a map of your area with green, yellow, red, and black highlights for the major highways. WOOHOO! Live Search won't make the traffic go away, but at least it can tell you when it's time to stay late and work on those TPS reports so you won't waste time idling in the fast lane.

• Horoscope Just type "horoscope" and your zodiac sign to get your daily dose of direction. I guess I need to "take my situation step by step and before I know it my problem will be solved.

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