Advice from the crowds, with a market-research twist

The crowds are increasingly being recruited to offer advice on everything from outfits to marital disputes, as we’ve already noted before, and recently we came across yet another example. Opinionaided is a platform that allows users to get opinions in real time from friends, family and the public. While its website is still in private beta,* Opinionaided has already been up and running as a free iPhone app since early last month. Wherever it’s used, the service lets users solicit advice from their own contacts and the public on widely ranging topics such as the fit of a pair of jeans, the value of a home, the quality of a new movie or a personal creation. Questions and accompanying photos are presented in rapid fire, and users place their votes in thumbs-up or thumbs-down fashion, with comments tabulated and stored in a personal section for review. Monetization plans include market research services, with branded questions intertwined in the voting stream, according to Kurani Interactive, the platform’s New Jersey-based creator. Do the crowds like giving and receiving personal advice? Survey says “thumbs-up.” Another one to watch! (Related: The wisdom of the crowds, tailored to expecting parents — More dispute resolution, courtesy of the crowds — Social search engine taps contacts for subjective answers.) * Want to check out the site before its official launch? Springwise readers can get a sneak peek by using access code thumbsup.