Ask Mike: The Greatest Answer Ever
Hey Guys,
There seem to be two ways folks answer questions. First option — the quick and dirty cut and paste job. It’s effective (usually), but not particularly creative. Second option — writing a well-researched response that quotes sources and is 100% original content. Far more rare, but also, if you ask me, far more valuable.
During my daily trips to Yahoo! Answers, I come across both kinds. I prefer the original stuff to the cut and pasters, but I recognize that it can be difficult to make the time. So, as a thanks to all those who do write kick-butt answers for yours truly, I thought I’d call out some of my favorites.
About ten months ago, I asked the community how many U.S. presidents earned their Ph.D. Community member Sidd came back with a thoughtful, original, and (to the best of my knowledge) accurate answer. Gracias, Sidd!
For far too long I wondered what was the largest U.S. bill in circulation. Barkley Hound wrote an awesome answer that gave me all the info I needed. No links, but a great answer nonetheless.
Why doesn’t Johnson and Johnson’s baby shampoo bother the eyes? Thanks to a stellar answer from lololo_and_lalala, I now know the science behind the claim. No more tears of ignorance.
Finally, one of my absolute favorites occurred when I asked folks for their opinion on the greatest invention of the 20th century. A subjective question, but Christopher’s argument for the transistor was enough to sway me.
Those are just a few of my favorite responses. What about you? Do you have a favorite all-time answer? If so, what about it made it great? Leave a note below and let me hear your nominations for the (drum roll, please) “Greatest Answer Ever.”
Thanks for reading,
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Hey Mike,
You wrote, “For far too long I wondered what was the largest U.S. bill in circulation. Barkley Hound wrote an awesome answer that gave me all the info I needed. No links, but a great answer nonetheless.”
No link? Why? Because putting a link on the answer is solicitation – ask anyone of us who have answered deleted because we put a link to our source.
Even after appealing said ‘solicitation’ we are told the violations stands.
Adding link = solicitation
awsome
Hey Ask Mike
Yes, your write, I prefer those kind of answers.
I get a lot off the copy and pasted answer which really make no sense at all.
Oliver
I do enjoy answers that are thoughtful and well-written without the use of any source. On the other hand, I also know about the use of time. Cutting and pasting also save a person a lot of time. There are repeated questions with resolved answers.
Hey Mike,
I like to give responses that are from my heart as well as my mind. Once in a while I feel the need to find websites to submit as part of my answer but generally don’t. Personally I feel like a great many of my answers fit the criteria for greatest answer since most of them are drawn from my own general knowledge. I even ignore the misspelling and bad grammar to give an answer because I truly feel like I’m helping someone. Examples of my answers include explanations of how to do certain math problems instead of simply giving the answer. You are welcome to check out my profile and answers to give your opinion of my ability to give the greatest answers.
With Sincerity
Joseph M.
That’s nonsense. I put in a link often when it’s relevant to the answer without problem. The only time it would be called solicitation would be when it is just that, a link that really isn’t relevant to the question but directs traffic to your site to increase your count.
As an asker and as an answerer I see relevant links as useful if it is first explained what is there unless itexplained is obvious in the link’s address. Unexplained links are no substitute for original expression of ideas in one’s own words!
so… u can answer evry question some1 gives u?!
I agree, I would rather see the well thought out, well worded, properly punctuated answers… most of the time I would be lucky to get a rough yet accurate copy paste answer…
to repair this issue I would like to recommend a feature:
“Certified Answerer”
got a Ford question? you ask it and most of your answers are “buy a chevy” or a bad quess, so when someone who knows what they are talking about, like Ford_Girl, answers its hard to tell if they are just another random guesser or if they really know. wouldn’t it be nice to see a badge under a name that says “Ford Certified Tech” or “Certified Califonia DMV” or “certified PHD” you know, so someone could see at a glance that you really do know what your talking about.
Who are the members of the band Styx?
Well a copy and paster is only as good as his source. A well to do answerer will at least make the attempt to pass along a bit of knowledge that will not only facinate but actually facilitate the mind as well. And then there are the mindless billions of answers that just don’t seem to cut it on the grounds of solicitation. Why in the world would I even try and answer a question and leave a source when in fact your people obviously drop the ball so many times. Oh heck I just love to answer anyway.
I contributer more in Politics & Government > Elections and Yahoo! Products > Yahoo! Answers and I feel like you do not need to research an answer for it to be “Thorough and informative”.
not your best blog by the way.
Mike: you wrote; “So, as a thanks to all those who do write kick-butt answers for yours truly, I thought I’d call out some of my favorites.”
Where do you ask questions?
And where is your Answers profile page so I might read your questions and the answerer’s answers?
Cut and paste are sufficient for a majority of questions I encounter. Only when they are original do I bother to write my answer. If it is an exceptional and intriguing question will I give an in depth answer. In any case, if I use sources I will credit in my post. Those that I encounter that give an excellent response, I give them a thumbs up and usually leave the question unanswered.
On the subject of links posted in our responses being solicitiations:
How can that be? A solicitation, as such, is only one if the person who solicits is doing so for some sort of gain (e.g., hookers, who certainly solicit for gain, either their own or someone else’s–no offense).
Unless I am getting some sort of kickback from the site a I post a link to, HOW can it be solicitation? It is common courtesy, providing access to information I used in my answer in case the asker or another respondent wishes to investigate further.
You say you want well-researched answers with sources cited? You want it for free? Call or visit your local public library! You prefer to get your info online? Many libraries today participate in something called Question Point. Sometimes it’s called Ask Now, or 24-7.
You go to the website of a participating library and plug in your library card number in the appropriate part of their webpage. This puts you on a network of libraries across the US and lets you live-chat 24 hours a day with a librarian somewhere in the US who will suggest web pages, find answers, and sometimes refer you to sources you did not know of in your local area. It’s free. Most libraries also provide answers via email to inquirers. Turnaround for email is usually 1-2 days. BTW librarians have master’s degrees in finding information.
Links, MIke?
The statistics on information validity on the web, where anyone can post what they deem true, are not comforting.
On the top ten list in chemistry are ~ four doctors of chemistry. Not once have they ever posted a link that I saw, yet I trust their answers. I do not trust social science web sites given as reference in gender and women’s studies and, as a scientist, I never will.
So, Mike, what is this fixation on web sites about? Could it have something to do with your position at a internet search engine?
John Henry McCann
“Orginal answers” may be hard to write in some areas, for instance i’m very active in the Programming & Design Category, and there’s a lot of questions here which requires a solid answer.
Often i simply copy and paste my past answers, with smaller modifications. Now tell me why i would spend hours writing same information all over again, when i can just submit one of my past answers with some modifications.
Sometimes on the other hand, i even get caught up. Not long ago i spend around a nights worth of sleep, answering a question on some layout specific problems.
As for providing people with links, i usually try to include them as a part of the answer, however never as source.
There’s a good old rule saying not to trust anyone, not even your wife or mother. Why should we start trusting people because they throw in a few links every now and then?
Perhaps more important, was our answer’(s) of any use?
I think people that give “original” answers based on their knowledge and experiences without references is way better than those that need to look up answers and post a source because it’s like intellectual copying, or no better than an open book test.
I mean, anyone can look up answers with a search, but, asking people and have those rise up that have such knowledge I’d choose any day over those that have to go to Wikipedia and other places.
hey man, how did you get that fancy job with Yahoo?.
Dear Mike,
My fave is ChicagoK, who mostly answers in the LGBT category. Dunno if you’d like him or not because he’s gay…and so am I! But his answers are always creative and great!
I usually don’t add links to my answers because most times I’ve actually seen first-hand what the problem- and answers- are. But there are times when I will add a link so the questioner can go look for themselves, especially if there are details I am not familiar with.
It seems to me that if a questioner has taken time to write out a well-thought-out question, or is truly in need of an answer, the least I can do is give a matching response.
I get a lot of good Qs and As deleted for no good reason. They seem to be getting deleted just because of unthinking report monkeys and Yahoo should not be encouraging them by giving them rewards or incentives.
It appears that there was ‘technically’ a $100,000 bill, but it wasn’t circulated for the public’s use.
http://www.thememoryhole.org/econ/big-bills/
I post long answers and are not cut and paste. Spell check often hangs on these; foturnately one can escape. I usually put in links where useful. I will do a search and find a place that has a picture. I have had my links challenged, fortunately not many, on the grounds that I am soliciting and when I protest that the site is not mine and I have nothing to sell, I just wanted a picture, the protest is useless. I don’t think the appeals are actually read, just managed by a low level clerk with a bunch of boiler plate.
What I hate are the people who post “idk” to get 2 points. Most of these don’t allow e-mails or IM’s. Worse is the person who sends a nasty message and does not allow e-mails, so you can’t reply – no one should be allowed to send e-mails that won’t receive them
Don’t like the people who cut 5 screenfuls of Wikipedia, which the questioner should have already seen, instead of a short comment and a link are just as bad.
Yean I feel like I should give a fair answer because I know I would want to real answer if I had a question.
Some people have the tendency to be rude and not take things seriously.
Maturity Please.
=]
Wow, thanks Mike! You’ve encouraged me to become a better answerer. Great article
The only time a link will get you a violation notice is when it pisses someone off. Happened to me, and I let Yahoo know about it. Of course, I got some idiotic BS reply, which I neither wanted nor needed. Morons. I’ll be glad when Micro$oft buys Yahoo out, culls out the dead wood, and install their own robots, Maybe, just maybe, things will improve.
I will NOT hold my breath, though.
Speak about your favourite actor\actress. Motivate your choice
It’s funny how people can ask a question and get nothing but no responses, here’s my nominee, and you thought all we do is flip eggs:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ah7Cst2oAtylDo626YLLc.Xty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080418193858AAdPNps&show=7#profile-info-34Y6zESiaa
“A subjective question, …”
If it is a subjective question, it requires a subjective answer..that is ‘chatting’ according to Yahoo Community Guidelines. You cannot answer a subjective question without someone interpreting your response as ‘chat’. Exactly how I am doing at this very moment. To answer subjectively, I have to offer my own opinion. Seems to me you have proved my point about how subjective the ‘Guidelines’ are..they are subject to interpretation and there is NO appeal process. What passes for one is a sham. Therefore, I cannot answer your subjective request for a nomination of ‘Greatest Answer Ever,’ for to do so would require me to ‘chat.’ Had you posted this not as a blog, then you would have had to remove it for ‘soliciting people to engage in chatting.’
Can you see the point I am trying to make here? (I won’t use your name because that guarantees a VN unless it’s a certain few) Or am I wasting my time still trying to open a logical discourse..
Well if subjective = chat then they should get rid of the religion and politics categories.
Links = Solicitation? I do a lot of computer answers, where half the problems are virus related, and ALL the serious answerers give links, up to 5 per answer, for where to download the necessary software.
Copy/paste: I admit to pasting some of my OWN answers, when the question is much the same. My pet hate is people pasting from the first web site they found, which is not relevant to the question, then not acknowledging it with a link.
In some categories it is obvious the asker is young and not well educated. They still deserve an answer. Hitting them with scientific multisyllable words from a site is nasty. I like to see answers directed at the asker’s level of understanding.
And I think it is rude to ask a question, especially an “urgent help” one, then not even bother to pick a Best Answer or even do a “thanks to all” edit.
I doubt there will ever be an all -time best answer.
I disagree with your assertion that there isn’t an appeals process. I recently got a violation notice overturned by appealing it. The notice stated that my answer hadn’t answered the question, but I managed to convince the Yahoos! that I had merely taken the question very literally. As for your ORIGINAL question regarding the greatest answer ever, I’d have to say one that I MYSELF recently got from someone named paul t who answered my question about the only American king by stating simply, “Elvis Presley, the king of rock-’n'-roll”.
If people think your mysterious, they’re nuts. If they think your cool, YOUR nuts. If they think your dumb, then you are.
Total JK.
Barkley Hound’s answer is not original, unless he also wrote the list on this page:
http://nikar.net/catalog_files/Page326.htm
I wouldn’t ordinarily mind, but it -was- a blog specifically praising people for not cutting and pasting.
I gave symptoms of what I did to my knee and came back with literally 4 pages of original information, links, and pictures of everything that I could have possibly done to me knee. The guy was an orthopedist here in Fresno, but recommended 4 physical therapists to go to to help my knee and it turned out that his first guess was exactly accurate, down the the fact that the ACL is swollen. This was determined by the physical therapist and an MRI, so I was honestly amazed.
There were some awesome answers on this question, but the best was obvious, written by BT51. Unfortunately, the asker chose a non-answer that had nothing to do with the question.
This is quite frustrating to those who take the time and energy to research their answers and do their best to give the asker an honest opinion. Is there something that can be done about this?
If you are searching for the absolute best answers ever, you should look through the questions that are asked about Stargate. Many of the answerers for the questions about Stargate give excellent, thorough answers with links to back up their theories, ideas, or facts.
Depends on the question…
What type of locomotion does the elephant have? (Biology Question)
a link would be best in order to support the answer as science is based upon facts Chances are, this is a homework question.
What should I look for when buying a computer for the entire family, including my home business, one teenager and two five-year olds?
Word of mouth (personal experience) and a couple links to sites would be helpful.
Basically, think about who is posing the question and why…
But Mike – we didn’t ask you. As long as we’re not advocating something illegal, why don’t you just leave us the hell alone and let us ask and answer questions without the self-righteous preaching?
Hey Mike! I was wondering if fertility drugs would cause twins or if it would cause triplets or more. I can’t seem to find what I am looking for online and most sites and most people just say fertility pills or family history but not in ANY of my family we have twins! In fact, I bet you could go back 100 years and none of my family would have it then either…
I’ve been a member of Yahoo Answers since December “2005″,and I can remember when answers were given,because the person knew it or simply took an educated guess. I think the “Cut and Paste” method is cheating and a perfect way to get 10 points. Why answer a question using that,when the asker can simply search the internet for it himself!?. I know it may be fun,just to see what kind of answers are submitted,but let’s face it!. A cut and paste answer (to me) is cheating. Most of the users do this now,in order to recieve the 10 points,but I’ve also noticed that these answers always end up getting the most “thumbs-downs”. (But then again). There are so many users who are just plain “Haters”. They give the thumbs-down to ALL the good answers (lol).
Hey Mike, Good topic. I normally try to think things out when I give an answer. Most folks honestly want a well-thought out answer, at least I think so.
Good job, Mike.
What’s bapabbear babbling about? Fella, if you don’t like their rules, go away. ByeBye.
i had to click on this when i started to read. i never ever copy and paste, i hate when people do that!!! today i was reading through some questions in the ‘pregnancy’ section and there was this person going through and putting the same response to every question, and it wasnt even good. it said ‘hi. i know you wanna know things about pregnancy, so go to this web site’ i couldnt believe it. what a point junkie! lol. i love getting on here and putting my personal experience out there for people to see, it feels amazing, im not sure why! lol.
we love ya, mike!!!
If you want to know everything about life insurance, you should check this question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AomQu8a_zrU8_BMzhiEi.lLty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080522130054AAxX2d5&show=7#profile-info-nwf7GfxVaa
I know that life insurance is something people don’t want to talk about. But if you read the best answer, you will understand the need for it and what types of life insurance are rip offs.
Thanks for tackling this subject. My own take on things is that the best way to answer a question is down the middle. What makes this a human experience (and so very valuable) is give personal expertise, opinion, or share experience…give examples as needed. However, what makes your answer credible is often to back it up with a pertinent, factual webpage link to expand the topic more or offer even more insight than your words alone…without your own answer getting boring or wordy.
To link is a better way to “amen” someone else’s idea than to cut and paste what you want of it, and then take the idea for your own.
hi, can i ask sumthng?
whats “alice is twice as old as jeff” in algebraic expression?
hey i was wondering do u know anything about millsberry email me at victorpeter4896@aol.com see the thing is it wont let me buy stuff from millsberry yard sales
Hmmmm, so you are saying that copying and pasting is not as good an answer as original thought, yet you will award the best answer to someone who did nothing but copy and paste someone else’s original thought? There is probably some meaning in that, but I sure don’t care to find out what it is. No I did not post a link, but maybe this answer is the best one ever and this is my nomination?
Very interesting.
Hey Mike,
I know its sometimes very very difficult to find out b/w copy and paste content and original content. Once, I asked this question in Physics and saw that another community member had answered it so perfectly and quoted the sources as : “My brain, physics textbook and a lot of reading” that I had to believe it was original. But when I went on Encarta for learning more on the subject, I saw that the answer given to me by that member was just another fake (copy and paste) In my opinion Yahoo! Answers community members copy and paste form these locations:
GOOGLE
YAHOO
MSN
DOGPILE
WIKIPEDIA
ANSWERS
ENCARTA
WIKI ANSWERS
YAHOO! ANSWERS
These are just a few (to name them) and there may be other innumerable sources from where they copy and paste.
I think it doesn’t make a bit of difference, because only a fool would come to Yahoo! Answers looking for factual, well researched information. This place should be called Yahoo! Opinions, because that is what 99% of the crapola that gets posted happens to be.
Until you have EXPERTS from each and every field reviewing, editing, and monitoring each and every question AND answer, to make certain they are current and accurate, this place has about as much educational clout as a mail order university.
Mike, THANK YOU. I often get lose hope on yahoo because of the tendency people have to answer questions just to get their measly points. I think it’s rude and just plain wrong to answer someone’s question if you’re not sincere about helping them find the answer.
I answer each question the way I would like to receive a response to any question I ask; in an informative, concise, you are important to me, I really want to help you kind of way….I take it seriously, if I can make a difference in a person’s life or inspire someone in anyway, my quest is then complete….It’s not everyday we as Human Beings have the opportunity of helping one another…I love Yahoo Answers!
Hey Mike. Are you Y! A’s Dr. Phil now? Because it says “Ask Mike” just like they say for “Ask Phil”
Hey, I vote you as THE greatest answerer evaaaa
hehe
Cut & Paste is not cheating. If you think about it a little, well, in my case anyway, I basically do the research for the person asking the question because they can’t seem to be bothered themselves. Rather than cut & paste what I found with regards to their question, I just give them the website and let them go there and get their answers. Even then, they are too lazy to do that. People who think they will get 10 points because they found a good website are delusional. You get more 2 pointer type people responding with, “Gee, I don’t know that and can’t help you”, type answer just for 2 points. I don’t claim to know everything, but I have a sense of common sense logic and can figure out how to go about looking for the answer, just to help someone who really doesn’t know how or are just too plain lazy to do it themselves. We are not all “know it alls” like some of you like to think of yourselves. Some of us are here to just help others. If that sounds corny, that’s your problem.
I agree with you, but only partly. Three quarters of the question I answers (Science and Economy) are either homework or can be found on Wikipedia.
Conclusion: not interesting to answer.
Secondly, the answer you got on the “largest bill” question, was copy and paste:
http://massdiscussion.blogspot.com/2004/06/whos-on-moneyfrom-bureau-of.html
Hey Mike,
Check out some of my answers. I try to go through the question as thouroughly as I can and provide every detail possible. I rarely if not never copy and paste. Also, I notice that my questions are beginning to get more best answers than the copy-and-pastes I used to use on a different account.
T-M-W
“when I asked folks for their opinion on the greatest invention of the 20th century.” i thought you said we were suppossed to cut back on polls/subjective questions and start asking questions based on facts? otherwise, it would be considered “chat” and in violation of YA rules.
I do research my answer, and have experience, and knowledge behind my answers. The only time I cut and paste, is a paragraph or so, that I have written in MS Word to be used later. (Deals with a laptop that’s come out) My answers are usually in the Computers & Internet section. My ‘fear’ is that I’m too ‘windy’! lol! Some of the answers I feel are pretty technical, and need to be broken down for the questioner. I would like them to understand, and am not wanting to ‘blow my own horn’. I truly just want to help, and am not interested in the points.
I quit asking questions…It seems to me the question is not answered most of the time…lots of opinions …no answers
Great blog, but I’ve got to disagree about the greatest invention of the 20th century. In my opinion, it was Bakelite, the first wholly synthetic polymer. Most of the inventions cited in the answers to your question could never have been widely commercialized without synthetic polymers, the natural versions being too dangerous, too expensive or in too short supply. Our modern word would be very different if we still had to rely on the secretions of the lac beetle to provide the insulating coating for all of our electronics!
Short and simple
As a teacher I’ve noticed the same variance in answers. Kids have gotten far too accustomed to going online for research topic answers and homework. Plagiarism isn’t even on the radar because it extends through to far too many levels of society, whether it’s schoolwork or downloading music, movies or other copyrighted media. I think as soon as an individual values his/her opinion as one that can matter, he/she learns that it’s more fun to supply an informed voice, than a borrowed one, even if it means that the individual could be wrong.
Hey, we are not all the sharpest knife in the drawer. Sometimes a cut and paste is just what the asker needs. New people come on all the time and some don’t know how to Google for their answer, they just want an answer, period. Especially if the kids are screaming and the DH is on the way home from work and you have to know how to remove the burnt taste,,,NOW….LOL
Sometimes ignorance is bliss. A device is only as good as its uses. Some askers do not know enough to understand an answer.
Sometimes a PhD gets it wrong. Sometimes the cut and pasted sites are not acknowledged. Some whole categories are full of answer opinions of people full of themselves.
The best answers are usually commented by askers who say in a comment: “Wow, that opened my eyes” or “This answer will change my life.”
There’s a third way. Writing a detailed response that shows you know something on the subject but you don’t post any sources. I’ve done this a number of times.
I think copying and pasting is really useless, because really no one is going to understand a heap of text, in which you haven’t even read.. you might aswell type it up, so it does make sense, instead of going to Google or Wikipedia.
Yahoo! Answers has helped me alot since I’ve joined, its gave me alot more freedom to ask whatever I want, and the next day I’d have an answer or two, which would make me feel happy than to search it up on a Search Engine.
I think people join Yahoo! Answers for “points”.. so they can like you know, level up.. to make each other look more smarter than the other. Well thats not me. I just come on to have fun, and have fun giving answers to people. We’re all created for a reason, to help one another.
P.S: Everybody can learn something, but everyone can’t learn “everything”.
I wish more questioners would give their age or school grade so it would be easier to focus an answer for their age level. It often seems like if the questioner knew how to do research (on Google or Wikipedia or whatever) then they would have done that first instead of Yahoo Answers.
With a question like “What would be a good theme for a report on Romeo and Juliet?” is useless unless you know it’s for a 6th grader or a senior in college.
I only answer things I know I have knowledge about. Then, I may add a link for an example.
The only question I have is…why can’t Yahoo filter spam as well as Google’s gmail? Pretty lame if you ask me. Hope things improve once Bill takes over.
I have a question, that I would like answered.
If we get points shoudn’t we have something else besidee using them on asking questions? Like how about we get our ‘avatars’ to become alive. Then when they are hungury we feed them, maybe build a house for them??
I would be happy to do more original answers if I felt the askers were not just printing the answers off and turning them in as THEIR homework. It is ridiculous the amount of people too lazy to read their book and wanting a summary, or even asking for Accelerated Reading test answers.
Yeah, I was of the second type, until I became fed up with Yahoo! Answers. Now I don’t answer questions; at all. It’s too bad: I used to love sharing my knowledge. Not anymore, at least not in this forum.
I’m a new member and I’ve found for my part that most of my answers have been gotten from people who really want to help. But there have been those that seem to only be competing. I understand that a lot of questions are asked for that reason, and that’s okay, but shouldn’t answerers be able to discern from them?
Ah, the main reason I quit particiapating in Answers way back. I just got so tired of seeing the cut and pastes that I dropped out when I was close to the top in the first weeks. That, the plagarism, prostelyzing, and self roghteous keepers of the World’s values made for a very bad experience.
I now participate in a forum called C4. We just do it for the pleasure of sharing knowledge, with no points awarded, just a vote for exceptional answers.
Great blog. Yahoo Answers is great!
I was being banned on yahoo! answers. And did yahoo! answers admin did not reactivate my account.i’m so sad. i was one of the top contributors now.:(
I would differ with you in one respect: there are three types of answers. Besides the two you mention, there are the thoughtless toss-aways, which provide no information of any type at all. I stopped visiting Yahoo Answers because there are so many of these pointless answers. I guess the goal for these answerers is just to rack up points! They rather spoil things for the rest of us, however.
Hey Guys,
There seem to be two ways folks answer questions. First option — the quick and dirty cut and paste job. It’s effective (usually), but not particularly creative. Second option — writing a well-researched response that quotes sources and is 100% original content. Far more rare, but also, if you ask me, far more valuable.
During my daily trips to Yahoo! Answers, I com
u no, i think ur right.
i normally do short answers…
Yahoo answers is the greaaaatesssssssssssssssst
i like yahoo answers even when i ask question i see only 4 comments
Hey why can’t you guys get people to stop posting questions that are truly disgusting and probably just for effect? Can you report this or something?
i want a really good and cool username for my email but cant think of one. any ideas??
Well, how do you like ALL these opinions?
And you wanted The Greatest Answer Ever !
It’s just how ANSWERS works…one question, one GOOD ANSWER (Bakelite) and then everybody else complaining about the Creeps on this site….the kids, the spammers, the point-getters (recycle content from Top Answerers) and of course the gangs that help each other……
Personally, I perfer a short concise answer, I don’t need VOLUMES of websites, nor do I need a HISTORY…..
I NEED AN ANSWER !
And for some reason, most of the time, I do not GET ONE….
a good answer is like bruce lee’s fist: “when i hit, I do not hit… it hits all by itself”(*1). When I answer, I do not answer, it answers all by itself. Or at least, that’s what the ideal answer should strive for in my opinion.
The good answer leaves the questioner with more information than they started with.
Unfortunately, the answers that are rewarded are not the best answers, but the answers that people want to hear, but that is life.
(*1)Bruce Lee, Fists of Fury.
This line from the movie is probably part-borrowed from the classic Tsun Tzu’s The Art of War.
you inspire me so much to be a great writer someday. I’m trying my best to finish this kind of race. i want to be like you in 2010 or 2010
I disagree a little with that.
i’ve found this yahoo answer very helpful and I’ve done my best to help other people too. I’ve come across thos copy paste and in my opinion they help much more than those that try to make up answers or just answer “what do I kno dude?” or “WHy dn’t you just search on the internet”
Thos copy paste works, are from people that took tehir time to get into a site or whatever source they thought may help me copied and pasted it. They should also be rewarded because I’ve done it many times and I’ve taken up to 15 minutes to find a valubale source and paste some info to the person asking.
The pastign thing also help to tag the exact answer instead of making me wonder around a site for a long time.
I believe that those who take the time to cipy and paste should also be rewarded.
I personally have been helped by this people with an authentic desire to help!!
cutting and pasting is “RAMPANT” in the R&S section…
if you aren’t among the first to answer, you have virtually NO chance of getting a best answer…
one thing I’ve noticed a couple people have done for common questions in that section is to copy/paste their OWN material…
maybe it’s a “bullfighter” technique, but it works well…
why is it that people on yahoo answers constantly refer to looking for answers on google.
“New people come on all the time and some don’t know how to Google for their answer,”
“you might aswell type it up, so it does make sense, instead of going to Google”
“It often seems like if the questioner knew how to do research (on Google”
PLEASE people! There is also a pretty great web search engine in Yahoo.
Why is it that people tend to answer questions with opinions rather than information that is knowledgeable, intelligent, and well-thought out? I understand that not everybody is equipped with such knowledge, but then why not leave the question as it is and go to one they CAN answer?
ha ha u guyz defnitly hav way 2 much time on ur handz….. who carez wat kinda answrz u get? as long as u gettin somthin cuz thatz obviusly betta then nothin…… u guys is ungreatful
hi
This is one of the best I’ve gotten:
“Maybe the point is not our silence: maybe we (just) don’t have a place to scream.”
——- Bezoar85 (Yahoo Answers)
I’ve gotten several that have influenced me to search for their source. As a result I have a nice collection of reference material that I cut and paste so others don’t have to go through what I did to find it.
Mike, “The Greatest Answer Ever” isn’t a fair question. It’s very subjective, and there are so many great answers to choose from (with sources) in most if not all of the Yahoo Answers categories. Most people probably don’t have one favorite answer. It will be interesting to see which answer is chosen.
I think it is even worse. There are people who copy a comment that you have thought out and then the copier is voted best answer.
okay how do you get rid of jalepeno burns on your hands after they have been there for a almost a day now.. what should i use. i have used everything i could think of and it still hasnt cured it.
plus how long does it stay…
wicth mt.cornet do i go to when i beat the boss of team galict on pokemon pearl for nintindo ds
hi halo
My all time favorite answer involved information about “backflow”, a phenomenon which can drain your hot water heater, if your setup at home doesn’t have a special valve installed specifically to prevent this, anytime your community experiences low water pressure because of a major fire or that kind of thing. A water heater, thus drained, can burn out, start a fire, crack, explode, but in any event will likely sustain some serious damage and have to be replaced soon.
I don’t think most people know this. That’s one thing Answers can do well, educate people.
What are some fun stuff to do at a sleepover with my girlfriend???????????????????///
hey mike,
i was wondering how i can post pictures on here? thanks,
Alicia Loopy
mine is f***
Noun = a person, place, or thing: “she”, “he”, “it”, “they”, “man”, “woman”, and “sky” are all nouns.
Proper Noun = a particular person, place, or thing, spelled with a capitol letter at the beginning of the word: “David”, “Mary”, “Jesus Christ”, and “Joseph” are all proper nouns.
Pronoun = a word that designates a noun: “the”, “a”, “an”, “that”, “which” are all pronouns.
Adjective = description, a descriptive word, a word that describes a noun: “blue”, “cold”, “red”, “white”, and “colorful” are all adjectives.
Adverb = a word that describes a verb: “fast”, “slow”, “loud”, and “quick” are all adverbs.
Subject = the subject of a sentence, a noun or proper noun; the subject of a sentence answers the question “who or what does something?”
Direct Object = the direct object of a sentence answers the question “what or where did whom or what do something?”
Predicate = the verb and direct object.
Subject = the subject.
Spelling = the correct spelling of a word. The American English alphabet has capitol and lower case letters. Capitol letters begin on words that start every new sentence and all proper nouns and titles. There are twenty six letters in the American English alphabet: Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz.
Punctuation = includes periods, commas, quotation marks, question marks, exclamation marks, semi colons, and colons. Punctuation organizes sentence structure.
Exclamatory = expresses excitement, makes an exclamation (!).
Derogatory = expresses criticism or sadness.
Interrogatory = asks a question (?).
Declarative = makes a statement or observation.
Dialogue = speech.
Monologue = one person’s speech.
Internal monologue = one person’s thoughts.
Complete Sentence = a complete sentence has a subject, a verb, and proper punctuation: “She ran.” is a complete sentence.
Topic sentence = the main idea of a paragraph.
Paragraph = a collection of sentences that support a topic sentence.
Thesis = the main idea of an essay.
Essay = a collection of paragraphs organized around a thesis.
Theme = the main idea of a collection of theme papers.
Theme papers = a collection of essays organized around a theme.
Point of View = the point of view from which something is written; the point of view or perspective of a witness or narrator.
Hero = somebody who defends justice and innocence.
Villain = a criminal. A villain is a terrorist.
Prose = stylish writing.
Poetry = a collection of words that rhyme and express an idea or emotion.
Fiction = imaginary.
Non-fiction = factual.
Journalism = recorded history and current events.
Novel = a fictional work consisting of a plot, characters, a setting, and drama.
Drama = action.
Short Story = a brief fictional story shorter than a novella or novel.
Novella = a brief fictional story longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.
Plot = the action sequence of a novel, novella, or short story.
Characters = main characters are the heroes or “protagonists” of novels and stories. Villains are the antagonists of such stories.
Resolution = the solution to a problem.
Climax, Apex = the outcome of a plot and the point at which events and actions become the most intense, the most dangerous, the absolute best they can be, or the absolute worst they can be.
Homonyms = words that sound the same but have different definitions and spellings.
Antonyms = words that have opposite definitions.
Synonyms = words that have the same or similar definitions.
Alliteration = a succession of words with the same beginning letter or sound: “nice”, “neat”, “nectar”, and “noon” all begin with the letter “n”.
Simile = a comparison between two or more things or people using the words “like” and “as”.
Metaphor = a comparison between two or more things or people that does not use the words “like” or “as”.
Extended Metaphor = a long metaphor with many components.
Personification = attributing human characteristics to inanimate or non-human objects.
Vowels = letters that are not consonants: Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, Uu.
Long Vowel = the name of the vowel, designated in charts with a straight line over the vowel: “a” as in “fate”, “e” as in “feet”, “i” as in “mine”, “o” as in “toe”, and “u” as in “flute”.
Short Vowel = the short sound of a vowel, designated in charts with a curved line over the vowel: “a” as in “cat”, “e” as in “get”, “i” as in “pin”, “o” as in “top”, and “u” as in “up”.
Consonant = letters that are not vowels: Bb, Cc, Dd, Ff, Gg, Hh, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz.
Comedy = jokes, humor, something funny.
Tragedy = something sad.
Symbol = something that represents a value, something that represents something else.
Allegory = a symbolic story that teaches a moral or lesson.
Spelling = the letters that spell words.
Word Puzzles = codes, crosswords, and riddles.
Transitions = words that make a transition from one sentence or phrase to another: “however”, “therefore”, and “likewise” are transitions.
Compare = to compares the similarities shared by a group of things.
Contrast = to contrast the differences between a group of things.
Exposition = a document that explains a process.
Description = a document that describes the qualities of something.
Outline = an orderly list of topics and ideas.
Rhymes = words with the same ending: “fame”, “game”, and “name” are words that rhyme.
Tone = attitude, such as serious, angry, happy, or sad.
Setting = location.
Sources = experience, witnesses, textbooks, encyclopedias, and reports. It is important to question sources of information for validity (i.e., The Norton Anthology of Poetry, The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, The World Book Encyclopedia, etc.).
Media = forms of communication, education, and entertainment such as books, magazines, television, movies, radio, photography, and computers.
Irony = stating the opposite of what is meant.
Sarcasm = irony, stating the opposite of what is meant, repeating what is obvious, mocking something.
Juxtapose = to contrast two or more things, situations, or qualities. To juxtapose is to contradict.
Paradox = an anomaly or puzzle. A paradox is something out of the ordinary.
Time = the order and rate in which things occur: past, present, and future.
Style = the way something is organized and presented.
Form = the way something is organized.
Content = information.
Tense = past tense, present tense, and future tense.
Plural = more than one; many.
Singular = one.
Literal = factual.
Figurative = metaphorical.
Truth = what is true. Possibilities and probabilities can be shown on a line:
|——————————|————————————|———————————|
Not true, Possible Probable True
Impossible
Story Within A Story = a narrative within a story told by a narrator to an audience; a story within a story.
Audience = a group of listeners, people, and mythical figures to whom a story is narrated.
Syllables = word parts. One letter and two letter words have one syllable. Three letter words such as “any” have two syllables. The letter “a” is the first syllable in most long words such as “account” unless it forms a compound word such as in “another”. “Another” is a compound word, “an” and “other”, which has three syllables, “an”, “oth”, and “er”. In this case the syllables begin with each new vowel. The word “account” has two syllables, “ac” and “count”. Most but not all double consonants designate the end of one syllable and the beginning of the next syllable. The word “consonant”, for example, has three syllables, “Con”, “so”, and “nant.” Most syllables pair together consonants and vowels, each syllable having a consonant and a vowel. “All” just has one syllable. Prefixes and suffixes each form a syllable, as in “remainder” which has three syllables, “re”, “main”, and “der”.
Prefix = an extension at the beginning of a word, such as “re”, “in”, and “pre”.
Suffix = an extension at the end of a word, such as “er”, “ed”, and “ing”.