There are times when, no matter how much we think we know, we’ve gotta have a question answered. We go online, we search. Google or Wikipedia or some other search engine might have a cavalcade of “answers”, but the odds of those answers being exactly what you were looking for…well, they often come close, but rarely do they hit it right on the head.

Sometimes, the answer we want is the sort that we’d get if we simply asked a friend. Someone who’d had actual experience with something. Well, now there’s a search engine for that.

Let’s take a look at Aardvark, or ‘Vark, as they like to be called.

Available on The Web or via its own iPhone application, Aardvark is a new kind of search engine. It lets you tap into the knowledge and experience of friends, or friends of friends. Using information from your social graph (the people you know), Aardvark searches contacts for people with related topics, people to whom you’re connected, people who’re in or near your location, or people who share your tastes. When you want someone who knows the answer — the answer YOU want — Aardvark will get it for you.

Now, let’s think about how this could apply to your business. There’s a great shift in our industry toward offering services on a hyperlocal level. If you’re a real estate professional in Awesometown, USA, you’re probably looking for as many ways as possible to set yourself as THE authority for information on your area. Aardvark works there. When people go to vark.com looking for information about Awesometown, you’ll be the one with the answers. People will say, “WOW! She (or he) really knows what she’s talking about!” and will, most likely, remember that you were helpful.

This opportunity has “WIN” written all over it.

As vark.com (Aardvark) was just launched in October, you could be among its early adopters and set yourself apart as one of its go-to contacts for your area. Just think of the possibilities.

Aardvark. It’s new. It’s cutting-edge. It’s cool. Check it out!