Yahoo! Answers

Ever since the launch of Yahoo! Answers, we’ve been blown away by the incredible energy, goodwill, and passion that our community members pour into Answers every day.

But all is not well. We haven’t provided you with satisfactory customer care, guidance on your violations, or tools that allow you to quickly weed out low-quality questions and answers. In particular, we regret that false violations have troubled the community in the past. We may not have vocalized it enough, but we feel your pain and have been working steadily to make improvements.

We believe the solution to these problems lies within the community itself. Our community needs to be empowered to help clean up Answers. Let’s face it, if anyone knows what is needed to keep Answers healthy and abuse-free, it’s the people who live and breathe it every day.

That’s why today is such a big day. We are launching the Beta version of a new system that allows the community to moderate Answers. Here is how it works:

1. Click on the Report It button when you see a question or answer that violates the new Community Guidelines.
2. Once you submit your report, a new behind-the-scenes process begins. This system automatically measures the contributions and reporting history of both the reporter and the person being reported.
3. The new system then determines whether it can remove the reported question or answer directly from the site based on community input or whether further review is needed.
4. Since this is a Beta, Yahoo! Customer Care will continue to assist in reviewing reported questions and answers. They will also continue to address appeals to violations.

We realize the concept of community moderation is potentially scary, so we built the system to rely on the reputations of community members. Reputations will be built up over time and fluctuate based on the accuracy of an individual’s contributions.

Community members who build a record of correctly reporting questions and answers that violate our guidelines will become a trusted reporter and gain influence when they report. On the other hand, misuse of the new system will result in a lowered reputation. A low reputation means that the power to report and remove potential abuse is diminished, and may even risk suspension.

So there you have it. With this new system, the community now has a vital role in building the value and health of Answers. We’ve updated the Community Guidelines with your input, and will continue to refine them. Even the violation appeals process has been cleaned up.

Although there will undoubtedly be bumps in the road, we believe this is an important step in the right direction. We’ll work with you to make improvements and modifications, so post your feedback in the suggestion boards. We remain dedicated, like so many millions of you, to fostering the health and continued growth of Answers.

Thanks,

The Yahoo! Answers Team

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Here are some answers to questions you may have about the new community moderation system:

What does it mean to be a trusted reporter?
You become a trusted reporter on Answers by contributing questions and answers and reporting abuse that actually violates the Community Guidelines.

How do I know whether to report a question or answer?
Determining what to report can be tricky, so we’ve revised the Community Guidelines to help clarify what we consider abuse. If you’re having trouble recognizing whether something should be reported, it’s probably best not to report it. Reread our guidelines, and keep in mind that wrongfully reporting questions and answers could decrease your influence when reporting in the future.

What if I am incorrectly reported for abuse by the community?
Unfortunately, incorrect reports are going to happen. If your question or answer is reported, we’ll send you an email stating that it has been removed. If you feel that the community’s report was incorrect, click on the “Appeal” link in the email to submit an appeal. If we agree, your question or answer will reappear on Answers, and the member(s) who reported you will have less influence when they report potential abuse in the future.

How can I learn more about this?
Visit our Help Page to learn more.

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