Yahoo! Answers

Many of you have found our Community Guidelines blog series helpful. By delving deeper into some of the guidelines, we cleared up common misconceptions and misunderstandings. We focused on what you shouldn’t do, but now we want to spotlight what you should do.

The questions and answers featured on the “Best of Answers” at the top of the Answers homepage are favorites of the Answers staff and are examples of why we think the site is so great. But what makes an answer a standout?

My quest to identify the characteristics of a great answer started after watching a re-airing of the “Planet Earth” series. I was inspired to learn more and started to surf Answers in the Science & Mathematics category. I saw a question posted by Doogie asking about the history of coral reefs and current conservation practices. Val provided the following answer:

Coral reef evolution was first described by Charles Darwin. At first, a volcanic mountain erupts at a hot spot somewhere in the interior of a plate or at a plate margin. When it reaches the surface, coral animals colonize the area around it, forming a fringing reef. Later, the volcanic island begins to subside, that is, sink due to its weight. A lagoon forms between the island and the ever-growing coral. That is called a barrier reef. Finally, the volcanic island sinks completely, leaving only a central lagoon with the ring of coral around it, an atoll. The atolls found northwest of Hawaii were once part of the Hawaiian Islands, and have become atolls through a combination of subsidence and the northwestward movement of the Pacific plate…(read more).

What makes this answer great? Val provided an historical point that gave Doogie a place to start further research. She followed up with an informative account of how and where coral reefs are created. She also gave the location of a reef in case Doogie wanted to find pictures to help visualize the process. The answer was well-written, descriptive, and helpful, and it gave me a clear understanding of how coral reefs are made.

Continuing on with my perusal of the Zoology section, I saw Wiggy’s answer to a question about issues arising from the limited diets of pandas and koalas:

The Giant Panda is a very selective eater. Not only does it rely heavily on bamboo for food (not entirely, they will eat carrion and other food when available) it also seeks out the shoots rather than the tougher older parts of the plant. However, it’s not the rarity of bamboo that threatens the panda; it’s the difficulty they experience when the bamboo in their area dies back. Bamboo flowers and dies back on a cycle and each species of bamboo follows its own cycle. A panda is in trouble when this happens but some would survive by finding other bamboo species in neighbouring valleys. The problem is that pandas now have a very restricted range and may only have a small number of bamboo species available so if these die back starvation is a real risk.

Wiggy linked to a great news article that noted the history of this strict diet’s effect on pandas and what current environmental changes were doing to their dietary selections. Linking to a news article or other reliable source not only offers support for your answer but also gives readers a chance to follow up on the topic.

Finally, I saw Robert’s question regarding crocodiles in city sewers. This was a frequently argued topic among my friends, but next time the debate comes around I will have Ophilliaz’s answer to back me up:

Crocodiles and alligators thrive in tropical and sub-tropical climes, they need warmth. They are large animals and need enough food to both expend the energy to get more food and to just survive. The sewers of most major cities aren’t quite warm enough and only offer small rodents for the most part. The urban myth stems from people flushing unwanted pets down the toilet. Because most septic systems aren’t equipped to deal with large masses such animals would die and, if large enough, clog the system even if they are only very small babies…(read more).

While anyone could have posted a simple answer saying that crocodiles don’t live in this type of environment, Ophilliaz went above and beyond by first expressing her belief that this was an urban legend, and then pointing out several flawed arguments and providing backup information. By offering reasoning to her argument, she swayed the asker and several readers.

Each of these answers shows what makes Answers so great—connecting people around the world to share knowledge. So the next time you are about to tackle another question, think about what made these answers stand out above the crowd. Be clear, check your grammar and spelling, offer reasoning to support your points, and when possible, add a source to help askers do more research on their own.

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If you’ve asked a question on Answers before, you know the drill. In the preview stage prior to posting, five proposed categories pop up and one will be automatically selected as the likeliest fit. If it’s not quite right, you can choose one of the others on the list or click on the Browse Categories tab to grab one from the entire hierarchy of Answers categories. It’s important to get it as close as you can during this step because you can’t move a question once it’s posted.

Who cares about categories? We do—and so should you. Putting your question in the appropriate category increases your chances of getting a quick and sensible response, especially from an expert or top contributor who may be focusing on that particular subject area.

Correctly categorized questions are a timesaver — whether you need some quick advice or you’re just scanning for something to answer in your spare time. We don’t want to see your guacamole recipe (no matter how good it is) while looking for dry skin treatments in Beauty and Style. An avocado mask, however, would be most welcome there.

It’s not always easy to find the perfect place to put your question so an occasional mismatch won’t earn you a violation. However, if it happens over and over again people will talk—and then they’ll report you. In other words, it will definitely raise some red flags and a violation could be coming your way.

Now let’s talk about what not to do with categories. If you’re using them as a shortcut to areas where you want to stir up trouble—please stop. If you really must ask if vegetarians eat crab apples, I’m guessing you meant to post this burning question in Jokes and Riddles, not in Vegetarian and Vegan.

The same goes for trolling other targeted categories: Women’s Studies, Religion, Global Warming, Soccer, Politics—there are more, but you get the idea. Categories were not created to make life easier for malcontents who like to cloak attacks in the respectable clothes of a genuine question.

The Yahoo! Answers community has contributed a ginormous (to use a technical term) amount of useful information to share with everyone, and categories just make it a whole lot easier to find what you need when you need it. So please take a little extra time before you post that question to make sure it’s going to be filed in the right place.

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If you slap a question mark at the end of a sentence, does that make it a question? Oooooh, sorry, no. Alex Trebek might accept that on Jeopardy, but according to the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines, it must follow the format of a question. So, “Kitty stopped using her cat box?” is more of a statement than a question (not to mention a potentially messy problem). Your haste in finding a solution is understandable, but what we’re looking for here is something like, “How can I get my cat to use the new kitty litter brand I bought because of my allergies?” That gives responders a better handle on the situation right up front. And you’re likely to get faster, more relevant answers.

We’re all for brevity if it’s a legitimate question and the details fill us in, but when we just see, “Help!!!!?” sheesh! Do I really need to point out the problems with this one? ‘Nuff said.

Another no-no is a rant or flame-starter disguised as a question. This is especially irksome in the Politics and Religion categories. I won’t give any examples here (it’ll just get ugly and end in tears), but you all know what I mean. These non-questions are meant to state a point of view or stir the pot—the asker really doesn’t want an answer, just a soapbox.

Next up: the ever-popular self-answered riddle or joke. There’s already a forum for that—it’s called a comedy club. You can, however, ask the community for advice about a particular joke and include it in the details, like: “Do you think this would be a good joke to tell at a company meeting?”

Last but not least, we have “questions” that are nothing more than chat. “What am I having for lunch?” “Anyone there?” “What am I thinking?” I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m thinking that’s a guideline violation and really annoying.

As the saying goes: Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. A well-crafted question shows potential Answerers enough information at a glance to decide if they have something worthwhile to add—and that promotes an Answersphere that’s engaging, informative, and fun.

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As any Bart Simpson fan can tell you, “a burp is not an answer.” Neither is idk. If your only response to someone’s plea for help is “I don’t know” (and with an abbreviation no less), then please refrain from chiming in. It’s not only annoying to other people, it could be considered point-gaming, which is in violation of the Community Guidelines. A popular variation of idk occurs when the responder has nothing to contribute and just expresses the wish to know the answer as well. Still useless and still a violation.

Another “non-answer” is a rant that offers no advice or solutions. Let’s say you are going to make fondue tonight, and you’re looking for the best cheese to use. You get: “I hate cheese. Cheese is evil.” That’s really no help at all. Now, “Cheese is disgusting but use Gruyere.” — that’s something you can use.

Is it OK to just answer with a yes or no? Yes. If it makes sense in the context of the question, that is. Of course, it’s better if you can elaborate a little and let others know the reasoning behind your answer.

One last thing — if you discover a violation and “call out” the abusive post or member, you become part of the problem. It may be tempting to leave an insult or “reported”; however, it’s not an answer and it’s against the Community Guidelines. Take the high road on this one—just report it and leave it at that.

Bart Simpson may come up with some smart-alecky answers, but at least they’re answers. The reality is that people come to Yahoo! Answers looking for…well, answers. So please keep that in mind the next time you find your cursor hovering over that big blue button. We’d all really appreciate it.

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Opinions are helpful when they allow us to learn more about another’s experiences to help inform our decisions. But things get a bit trickier in topics that are more personal or controversial than “how to” style Q&A.

Our Community Guideline reads:

Be courteous. Yahoo! Answers is a diverse community of people with diverse opinions. It is up to each of us to be polite and treat each other with respect.

Diversity is a very important part of community. It’s important to remember that Answerers come in all shapes and sizes, from many different backgrounds and viewpoints. In a community this diverse, it may be difficult to tell when personal opinions are appropriate and helpful.

When reading a question, consider who the Asker expects to answer their question:

• Does the topic in question conflict with your personal beliefs? If so, you might want to refrain from answering if you can’t keep your objections to the topic to yourself. Remember, the asker is looking for an answer, not a fight.

• Is the Asker seeking unique and differing opinions, or a factual answer? If they’re asking for advice it might be best to refrain from answering with just an opinion.

Lack of courtesy can also happen when asking questions. Consider how your question will sound to Answerers before you post it.

• Does your question sound like it targets a certain group’s beliefs or opinions? Does it use words or phrases that you would find offensive if said about your beliefs or opinions? If so, you might want to rephrase it or ask a different question.

• Are you genuinely looking for an answer to your question, or are you provoking a debate? If you really do want to hear other’s opinions, ask for them—and treat your Answerers with respect.

Dissenting opinions can be very valuable to the community, as long as we all remember to be respectful and courteous.

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