Hakia Unleashes “MO” – Meet Others Via Search

Hakia is rolling out yet another aspect of their semantic search technology today. MO (or meet others) exhibits another interesting aspect of “search” by allowing people to meet other people entertaining the same queries. By adding this P2P social element to search, hakia is effectively spreading semantics (or meaning) across a much wider spectrum and toward true answers and understanding. Users simply click on the MO icon after making a query and they are taken into rooms where people have searched for similar interests. The implications of this latest hakia technology are quite stunning, as hakia is forcing us to examine our own definitions of semantics and “meaning” itself.

Hey MO!

Hakia's MO system is the first combination of search and social networking applied for meaning. Hakia has constructed a platform atop the semantic infrastructure of their engine that aggregates people into what I call “a crucible for answers” – this is really quite amazing. MO operates fairly simply by allowing hakia search users to click and see others searching for the same answers. Here is how Melek Pulatkonak – President of hakia explains MO's user process:

“You ask a query “event list for Christmas in NYC” and will receive your hakia search results. You will also see an icon on the top of search results that says Meet Others who asked the same query. If you click on the button, you fall into a room (if the room exists) of people who have 1) asked the same or similar query; 2) decided to post a message to the room. At this point, you can either post a message or contact someone who has already posted a message.”

The system uses email notification and authentication much like Craigslist does. There is no registration process and if the message poster has chosen to include their IM info – then interested parties can interact via IM or masked email. With the MO system hakia is offering users spaces and communication capabilities beyond what any other search entity has attempted. The room postings survive according to age and numbers of votes, so the newest and most popular messages are retained for ongoing or later scrutiny. Users can choose their visibility level by remaining totally anonymous or ultimately connecting via MSN or Skype.

MO via search

MO and Curly Too!

What is meaningful? We could have the most sophisticated AI any sci-fi writer could ever imagine and it would really only be one entity. Just think of some super beautiful, all knowing cyborg beauty as a companion or sidekick – in the end that lovely machine would simply be one being no matter how intuitive. Real meaning resides for the collective within segments of the collective. MO essentially takes refined semantic search and applies it to collective discussion and interaction.

Hakia has been perhaps the most fascinating startup I have covered, not simply because of the technology involved but also because of the special people involved in the development. After all is said and done, it is the people behind the machines that actually create great technology and ideals. I think this is an important aspect of our journey from what we might call “simple understanding” towards what approaches “actual” understanding. I make this distinction so that the reader might fathom what “meaning” represents to Riza, Melek and the other great scientists there at hakia. The search for genuine meaning there is not about just finding “any” answer, and it is certainly not about just giving people a relevant page to wander off to. Riza (hakia's CEO) told me in confidence some time ago that hakia and its investors were focused on providing real “solutions” for people. MO combined with semantic search suggests a whole new range of possibilities for hakia and its users.

MO communication

Larry, Curly and MO (a conclusion)

The Three Stooges inflection of this article is drawn from MO's name obviously, but a wider parallel exists if we think about each of these comedic characters and then combine them. One without the other makes for a decent standup act, but the combination of all 3 is hilarious. In a similar way hakia is creating a search “act” that incorporates technology, individuals and collective thought. Besides a P2P collaborative tool MO adds a virtually unlimited transactional element to this “meaning” equation.

Riza related some confidential future details that I cannot divulge, but the P2P private element is designed to address people's medical, legal, technical and social issues. Out of natural course, such a powerful set of MO mini-communities will be well suited to buying and selling as well. Adding links within these MO posts or messages further expands MO's capabilities by creating communities around topics – as Riza put it. I will keep you all updated as I get information, but for now just realize you can now type: “Hey MO!' into hakia search and see what Larry and Curly are up to as well.

Author's Note: MO just went live at 5:00 PM EDT – It is awesome!