Brokerage Of Human Expertise: An Overview Of The Expert Websites On The Internet

Abstract

Expert web sites, an online resource, provide a useful connection between knowledge seekers (i.e., the consumers of knowledge) and knowledge providers (i.e., experts).   Since 1998 there has been a proliferation of expert web sites.  As the phenomenon of expert web sites is still relatively new, there is very little research on the effectiveness of these services.  Thus it is difficult for consumers of this type of service to make informed choices.  This paper is an attempt to provide a general overview of the effectiveness of expert web sites.  We have presented a brief synthesis of the features of the most popular expert web sites along with a conceptual framework that clearly identifies the issues that must be examined in evaluating the effectiveness of the sites.  The framework is meant to generate some empirical research regarding the new phenomenon and the results of this empirical research could then assist consumers in making informed decisions regarding their choice of expert web sites to suit their needs.