Virtual Reference Librarian?

Have you seen the Microsoft search engine Ms. Dewey? Ms. Dewey, a sort of virtual reference librarian (ha!), makes comments about your searches, lack of typing skills, etc. To tell you the truth, not being an adolescent male, I don't get the Ms. Dewey appeal. After about 20 seconds, her pouty face, and her constant sighs, become downright annoying. Microsoft's simpler version of the search engine, Live Search, is much quicker and the results are easier to read. I'll stick to Google, Dogpile, or better yet, I'll ask an in-the-flesh reference librarian for help if I need it!

I found out about Ms. Dewey from a commentary on NPR's Marketplace. The commentary focused on "viral marketing." Viral marketing is a word-of-mouth method of getting interest going in a product. NPR got me to visit Ms. Dewey, so I suppose viral marketing was somewhat successful. I won't go back, though--it's the product itself that has to prove itself and Ms. Dewey needs a makeover!