I’ve thought for a long time that the enthusiasm around mobile search has been an example of excessive hyperbole. Everyone who works on anything related to the mobile platform seems to have an inferiority complex about PC-based Internet experiences. Without thinking about how media experiences are different on the mobile platform, the accepted logic has become doctrine:

1. Look at how much money Google makes from Internet search and advertising.
2. Look at how much time people spend with their mobile devices.
3. People want to search on their mobile devices.
4. Advertisers want to reach people on their mobile devices.
5. The mobile platform and the mobile Internet is so technically complex that it is fundamentally different than any other media experience.
6. Because of targeting, mobile advertising is orders of magnitude more valuable than Internet and other forms of advertising.
7. Ergo, all we need to do is to monetize mobile search, and the money will roll in.

Except it hasn’t. Geo-targeting and Location-Based Services haven’t proven as valuable as expected. Targeting is possibly greater hyperbole than mobile search. And the Internet is just the Internet.

Which raises the question. What is unique about the mobile experience? If we define mobile media and mobile search in opposition to PC-based Internet experiences, we may be missing the point. Mobile and PC-platforms aren’t pure substitutes, rather, they’re complements.

We know this, because people use their mobile devices in two primary places: at home and at work. Sure they travel, sure they need information when they’re away from a PC, and sure they do things on their devices. But most usage is in places where people have other devices to choose from.

Understanding that, it’s possible to again as the question in a different way. Why would someone use a mobile device to do a search? A few obvious answers come to mind:

• A PC isn’t available
• Don’t want to wait to turn on a PC
• Don’t want to disrupt the flow of conversation or interaction
• Don’t want to get sidetracked for 45 minutes by an Internet search
• Just need a specific piece of information

And so on and so forth. Come to think of it, this might be a good set of questions for our surveys.

I can tell you that I have been using mobile search more and more frequently for the aforementioned reasons. Do I open a web browser? No. Do I spend time waiting for the page to load? No. Do I get my answer? Yes. Do I see advertising? Yes, two ads for each search.

It’s called ChaCha. And it’s a guilty pleasure. In the past month, I’ve used it several times, and my wife is now using it to resolve questions, conflicts, and the names of artists for long-forgotten songs from the 1970s. In the past month, we’ve used it to answer questions as varied as: is Abe Vigoda alive or dead? Who were the original members of the Ramones? When is high tide at the beach? What time does the grocery store close? And, in what season did Fonzie jump the shark?

So the next time you’re sitting in a restaurant and “Smoke from a Distant Fire” comes on the radio, send a text to 242242, and ChaCha will tell you that the Sanford-Townsend Band recorded that song.

Call it what you will. An end to festering, petty disagreements over who wrote “The Art of War” or who sang that song you can’t quite remember. Quick resolution to disputes on game night. A helpful tool. Or a guilty pleasure.