Answers outage on Friday and Halloween costume contest
Boo! Don’t be scared! Answers will be down this Friday, October 30, starting at 9 p.m. PDT for scheduled maintenance.
During this time, you’ll be unable to access the Answers site, but will be able to:
- Catch up on old posts on the Answers blog
- Stop by the Answers Suggestion Board
- Take part (if you dare) in a Halloween-themed Answers competition (details below)
Additionally, please be aware that the Yamster will be setting back his clocks at 2 a.m. PST on November 1, 2009. During this time, no new questions will show on the Answers pages, but things will be back to normal after one hour.
Answers Halloween Costume Contest
If you’re feeling festive, download the Yamster avatar and dress him up for Halloween! Feel free to add hats, clothing, or whatever you’d like—just be sure to keep it friendly, clean, and compliant with the Answers Community Guidelines.
Sites like Picnik (which is built directly into Yahoo’s own Flickr) offer a full arsenal of Halloween accouterments like masks, spiders, and spooky scenes that would make any Yamster squeal. Be sure to check them out here: http://www.picnik.com/app#/create/seasonal
Or, you can use something like Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, SumoPaint, or any other paint program on the market to edit or enhance an image.
Not a fan of the Yamster? That’s OK, too! You’re welcome to dress up your own personal Avatars in their finest Halloween looks for the competition.
Once you’re through dressing up your Yamster or Avatar, save the image (right click and “save as”) and upload it to your Flickr account. Then, add the image to the Answers Halloween pool—found here: http://flickr.com/groups/answershalloween.
Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. PST on Sunday, November 1. Winner(s) will be posted on the Yahoo! Answers Blog and will receive 100 bonus points on Yahoo! Answers.
The Rules
- Avatars and/or Yamsters must be submitted to Flickr by 5 p.m. PST on November 1
- All images must be in compliance with Yahoo’s TOS, Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines, Flickr’s Community Guidelines, and must not contain mature or adult content
- Submitted images may only be that of Avatars or of the Yamster—no actual photographs will be accepted or considered
- No real value is given to this prize: winner(s) will receive 100 bonus points on Yahoo! Answers
Good luck, everyone!
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Again!
Just don’t make it as long this time.
Boo! Hiss! BOO!
Some of us CAN’T go out Saturday – I was expecting to get some haunting done HERE!
Not to sound like a whiner, but: will this maintenance cause more problems like the last one did?
Awwh
i’m gonna be really bored
ok… got it
Okay, AGAIN???
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE???
What exactly is a flickr, and can I eat it?
so you are watching all us ..what can i say ..good worrk .good luck .thanks for spend and attention to human and humanity ..so you are wise ……but maybi need to chang something ………im sure your reason is good ……..take care of yours ..remember me ..greatest refards and i wish all happy for you ……..
=’( I guess i better find my life back for an hour.
WHY R U DOIN DIZ. INEED 2 DO WORK
I hope you fix some stuff, Yamster.
Ugh, shut down again? Last time it took days to get it back! I hope this one is fast.
100 points for Yamster avatar winners?, cool, interesting, a must see, hope there’s still time, sharpens airbrush tools …
have a happy horrifying halloween -
Please DON’T send people to the Suggestion Board until you clean up the abuse there by users who spend more time there than on the actual Answers site. It’s not a welcoming place for new users.
The one hour off on November 1 seems like the easy way out when you can’t configure your site for the change.
dang it!!!!!!!!1
oh well……
I hope you darken the font so that I dont keep getting hollered at because I do capital letters with everything. I have trouble reading light colors and if you could darken the color of the font or give us a choice to turn that part into a larger font = just for ANSWERS ! Have a great weekend and thanks for letting us answer . I get a kick out of helping. I learn stuff too, THANKS !
Please clean some of the garbage out of Q&A so it will speed up.
Great news, necessarily NQcontent!
(1) State GMT for the start AND the expected finishing time. Around 90% of the world cannot mentally adjust their local time to work out what 9pm PDT is in THEIR time zone, but most of them should know how far ahead or behind GMT they are.
(2) Note – state the expected FINISHING time, or the expected duration.
(3) Tell people WHY you are going off line – not a generality, but specific features to be worked on.
Getting information from you lot is almost as hard as getting if from the CIA and the DHS!
wow ! great contest.. i will join
OK! I understand the need for occassional maintenence to improve Yahoo and to keep Yahoo running smoothly, if it turns out that way. Sometimes your maintenence makes things worse! LOL! Just try to do it in a reasonable amount of time and we who have a life outside of Yahoo can find something to do while waiting. While you’re at it, how about changing Yahoo Answers violation reporting to 2 required reports before deleting the members question or answer being reported. Too many vindictive hate trolls report members out of spite and it isn’t always fair to delete a question or answer when so many similar questions or answers slide by.
sounds fun but cant make it i have a holoweny party myself
Oh, no.
Uhhh!
I hope you install a up/down button.
What is the difference between PDT and CST?
I got it!
will be bored! …
For how long?
Twice in the last couple of months, I’ve gotten a message that “Safari can’t open the page” when trying to access an Answers question. I e-mailed Safari directly via the address given and eventually got back onto Yahoo! Answers.
If this is an issue within Yahoo!, I figured that now would be a good time to let you know about it.
“What is the difference between PDT and CST?
Comment posted on October 29th, 2009 at 7:12 am by just me”
Minus 1 hour. 3AM PDT is 2AM CST.
No 2 hours 3AM PDT is 1AM CST
I thought it was my computer going bonkers, since for the last week or so, everytime I submit an answer, I get the page saying YA is having difficulties, or not available, or having a coffee break. It’s really annoying, so I hope you get it back up and running properly again. I like seeing the other answers that have been given.
No problem. I probably won’t be in the “on-line area” anyways. Good luck with the maintenance.
thats a big bumber. i love yahoo answers.
Do personal avatars count? I’ve had this phoenix avatar of mine for years. And I do dress it up all the time, especially for the holidays! I hope it will be considered! =)
Not meaning to be a A hole here. But just about the time i stop getting that 999 error you guys do maintenance. Then it starts all over again. What ever it is you do that causes it, STOP IT! Please.
I will be surprised if you accomplish anything. Your previous maintenance has accomplished nothing that I can see. Same crap, different day.
This is actually something people shouldn’t really care about unless your not going out
I mean it’s going to be Halloween…. I don’t really think you’ll be using Yahoo Answers during that time
You ppl who run answers are something else. You give violation notices to those who don’t break any guidelines but yet i reported someone who uses multiple accounts & uses those accounts for the purpose of stalking/harassing/insulting other users but yet you do nothing despite sending the evidence of this happening. Hopefully you will use this maintenance time to improve on how to stop punishing those who don’t break the guidelines & go after the real troublemakers in there.
I’m very sorry to hear that yahoo answers will close for some hourse
Stop. Whining. If there’s code (that does anything of substance), there WILL be bugs. End. Of. Story.
Now, they can say, “Tough cookies.” and leave the users to deal with it, or they can try to fix it. Sometime the “fix” may uncover a new bug. This is how development works. As long as they are continually trying to improve the level of service, WHY are you complaining?
Thats Bullcrap
I’m still goin on tho
lolol make yahoo answers work again lawl
make YA work again lawl
omg that sucks
Nooo I’m gonna be so bored! This sucks! Oh well, please don’t take long. Hopefully it’ll be on when I’m back from the party on saturday.
ugh dang it am boredddd
why would you do this early….why not do it at like 3 in the morning????
AWW…i love yahoo answers! bring it back! NOW!
I always do my software maintenance on my test site, then move the “fixed” or updated files to the live site when I’m done, and do my hardware maintenance on only 1 server at a time.
But that’s just me.
Yeah..it’s okey..everyone need a maintenance for awhile……………………………………………But im so bored…
UGHHHHH, WHY NOW?! i GOT HOMEWORK TO DO ND I REALLY NEED HELP!!! DONT WANT TO DO THIS HW IN THE LAST MIN.
Let us chat in Poetry; we learn from and/or teach one another, and sometimes it requires a certain amount of chatting. Or give us a site all our own!
i cant sign in to yahoomessenger
hope it don’t last to long.
The previous time that “scheculed maintenance” was done on Y!A it was announced at least 24 hours in advance. Was there any advance announcement of the current shutdown and if so, where was it posted.
If it was not posted, why not?
To the guy posting about the difference between “PDT and CDT”! PDT is 2 hours behind, so if it 9PM PDT, it is 10 MDT, it is 11PM in CDT and 12AM EDT. PDT minus a hour is very in correct for figuring out what time it is for someone in CDT time zone while it 9PM PDT. Please look up some info on the web if you do not believe me. Also a note to Yahoo Answers, it is ok to do maintainance on the server and post the time. However it is nice to have an estimated time of completion as well. Even if it is not accurate just a ball park guess will make me happy.
i agree please don’t make it long
Booooo Hoooooo I use the ANSWERS site to do a bit of zakat (charity) work since I am a retired CDP and Family Counselor. I also help up and coming poets since I have been a poet for 50 years. I guess I will have to clean up the kitchen while I wait for my site to return!
I miss the site already! Hurry up Yahoo team. My fans await me LO)L
For how long this will be down?
thanx
You’ve now ruined my friday night fun! I work 11pm – 7am and this is the only thing that keeps me awake.
is anyone else getting a post on updating ur account within 48 hrs. or automatic discontinuance?
Most URL’s give you the start and finish time. You have not done so. Why?
You provide a great service. Don’t screw it up. There are a lot of little things you can do to improve your site and I know you know what they are.
Thanks.
I need my Yahoo Answers back D:
This is the second time and last I have posted a question and “something” has happened. Screw this.
Make it quick, you heathens.
lol i totally love yahoo answers!!!!!!!
Yahoo! atleast you know you’re loved …… everyone is crying because the will “be bored all day” without you ……….I would like to announce that I am one of them. lol. HURRY UPPPPPPP!!!!!!!! ::Cries:: and ::Whines::
happy halloween everyone!!
what the hell is wrong with you Yamster
Why could you do this at 3am or something
Why 9pm!
At least let the email function work?!
And next time u wanna do maintenance give us a rough idea of how long it will take – yes u shud know becuase u shud plan stufff like this.
fighting fear before a fight is an easy thing just close your eyes and think of some one who you dont really like and put yor aponent in there place simple int it
it’s downnnn?!?!? wth how am i suppose to ask and answer people’s problems? what is this madness?
when will it be back up???
I agree with Yankee and others who wonder about whether this maintennace will do anything. You have the problems with questions being left that are just awful but answerers to those questions are reported and appeals dismissed.
Yahoo Answers can be fun but will this maintennance stop any of the rubbish like that? I don’t hold out much hope. It clearly didn’t work last time.
Help me, now what am I going to do?
Like some others asked, for how Long?
Have a Safe week-End every-one!
Do not go out in the dark! lol
WILL YOU HURRY UP WITH THE MAINTENCE ALREADY DAMNIT! >:-(
What’s the point of it, were were doing fine without it!
When this outrage is over, what kind of “improvements” will be visible? Invisible? In existence? Pending? Under advisement?
Wow! You must have pegged my IP! Very impressive! I didn;t think you had even THAT much “talent.”
So,,, come back Nov. 2nd is it? O_o
“is anyone else getting a post on updating ur account within 48 hrs. or automatic discontinuance?”
I think I got something like that. I had to make 2 secret questions and save them. Then everything was normal again.
So ow long will it be this time? Seems like the last time it lasted eternally…
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET ANYTHING DONE WITHOUT STRANGERS COSIGNING ON MY DECISIONS?? HUH, YAHOO! ? TSK.
Hey wait! This could be our substitute Answers…minus the convenient categorizations. Eureka!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET ANYTHING DONE WITHOUT STRANGERS COSIGNING ON MY DECISIONS?? HUH, YAHOO! ? Tsk. Tsk.
Have a good night Yamster, don’t chew up any necessary wires while you’re in there maintaining things!
Is it really necessary maintenance?
If yes, then plz do it quickly,
Because it is today 31st Oct, and you have promised 30th Oct. it is just got one day late. Plz do hurry and accurate activities..
Why do you do this now? Couldn’t you do it when I one was awake? Like at 3 in the morning? now I got nothing to do for who knows how long cuz everybody I know is asleep and so I can’t text them!!! This better actually work this time cuz whenever you guys try to fix stuff like this it never ends up working
Hi,
It’s very painful for me…
Another reason why yahoo sucks…
Well that sucks. Im totally bored now.
this sucks. like really.
This sucks balls
oh boy, this is taking forever
Can’t wait until your done. Its boring here. I want to answer questions & ask questions. Hurry please & thank you. -Mr.Richey
my armpits smell like baked potatoes….
Man i just asked 2 questions and didn’t get enough answer and you guys stopped it, i just lost 10 points for nothing…. well i guess i would have to answer more questions to follow up but i hope that my questions can be available once you guys finish with the maintenance so then i won’t care about any point
Take your time……..
*ahem*
Woooaaa, so many comments =]
Whats exactly is this?
Waaa…..waaaaa
Get a life People!!!
I hope it’s not down to long.I didn’t get to come on here until late night and then it was gone lol!
awhhhh. please hurrry; I really need to get on here. Go super speedy fast. How long will this take? Ugh I hate it when it goes into maintenance. I get on this website all the time for stuff I really need. Hopefully this one will do a lot of good.
Darn , answers is down… ha! http://www.flickr.com/photos/44160888@N02/4059661553/ , lol, never mind!
Give An ETA Please and what servers are down. If not a 404 would look more pleasant
Kris, that is UNREASONABLE….what about people who are away on holiday….their accounts are going to be discontinued if they don’t tromp in from their camping trip in the woods, or their no-internet island vacation? Sounds like you have been PHISHED….
Please don’t take forever o this one. Last time it took like 14 hours and when I went back on, nothing really happened. I don’t really get what you guys are doing in those updates. Anyways, hope to see Y!A back up as soon as possible.
Happy Halloween everybody
Ah bummer. I was hoping for some answering before the wedding in a few hours.
how long will it take? this is really annoying -.-
my time says 4am not 12am, get it right. or i will tell obama.
Why is Yahoo! Answers still down FIVE HOURS after it started? WHY?
It always takes almost 30 days before I get an email,that my contacts have asked a question. Hope you can make the time quicker …..like the next day!?
I wish we could rate comments – more than just “up” or “down”, though. Some of these are pretty funny.
Some are, “Oh, Good point!” and some are, “You really need to grow up and/or get a life!”
Anywho, at least you know people are missing you, Y!A. Hope you’re better soon.
Oh, and before I forget -
BOO!
;-*
Wow, 5 hours into maintenance? really?
Huurry Up Please!!!!
I have some questions to ask TODAY, so please make it quick. Grrrrrrr…
this is useless stuff. i ask questions and they are not even posted. they disappear into the black hole and the points are never refunded. this is a problem you always fail to fix regardless of how many maintenance you do. instead of throwing my questions in black hole, why don’t you throw judas rabi and other bandwidth abusers into the black hole?
also always tell WHEN you will be finished!
I, too, hope this doesn’t take too long, and would have appreciated some indication of when Y!A is expected to be back on-line.
By the way, something should be done about the folks who create private chat rooms by blocking everyone who disagrees with them. It defeats the purpose of having an open forum.
c’mon yahoo this is taking too long
When is this going to be back up? I have just discovered Hertzan Chimera and need to annoy people with it desperately.
Answers, I remember, was as beautiful as the chance meeting on a dissecting table of a sewing machine and an umbrella.
ugh biiiite me. yahoo answers just so happens to save the asses of alot of us cyberschool kids. [most of us post the answers on here for the quizzes and whatnot]. so on behalf of us, let me just say – you suck.
Why.
Why.
Oh god.
No.
Damn.
Please get it back on soon.
And again,
Damn.
No.
I have no real life to go back to.
damn! i had a burning question to ask.. came on the computer just to ask it, and now.. i see this..
this is going to be one loong boring day
Come on!!! Do ya have to?
Again? Lets see, last time it was a “few hours” which turned into 24+ hrs I believe. Yahoo, I must say, your scheduled maintenances haven’t really brought any improvements. But I’m still holding out hope that you will fix the ever present “coffee breaks” and redirects. 3/10 times I try to answer a question I’m getting error messages.
I’m so glad I won’t be home Saturday night.
arrrghhh Im getting really bored
Please fix this soon…yahoo answers is my hobby these days…Im ADDICTED TO IT!!!!
So any progress Y!A?!?!?