Yahoo! Answers

Hey Community Members!

It’s been a long time overdue, but we’d like to finally announce our next Featured User of the Month. Let’s congratulate Rob Nock! He’s been with Answers since May 2007.

In Rob’s Own Words…

“My wife and I live in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, USA along with our son Eric and his dachshund, Thor.  We relocated to this area nearly twenty-five years ago so that my wife, who is an optometrist, could take over the private practice of an eye doctor who intended to retire.”

“Bloomsburg (population approximately 12,000, not counting the student population) is the county seat of Columbia County, Pennsylvania, and home to Bloomsburg University. The University is now the largest employer in the town and a major economic force in the area.”

Bloomsburg Town Square

“[Bloomsburg] is also home to the largest annual fair in the state. It is used throughout the year for a variety of events – antique car shows, horse shows, trade shows and competitions to name a few.  The main, week long event, held each fall in late September ~ early October is The Bloomsburg Fair.  Daily attendance is often in excess of 100,000 persons.”

The 2010 Bloomsburg Fair

Rob’s Past

“I grew up in what was then a rural area of Pennsylvania about 35 miles outside of Philadelphia during the post World War II era, an early member of the “baby boom”.  When I graduated from high school in 1965 I enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent the next four years training for a highly classified Military Intelligence position and then serving outside the United States.  It was at this time that I began pursuing my lifelong interest in photography.  As a result of my photographic skills, security clearance and posting in an area near the German-Czech border I was asked to photograph classified response efforts of the Soviet incursion in Czechoslovakia in the Summer of 1968.”

Rob's Victorian Home & Wife's Optometry Practice

“After leaving the military service in 1969, I settled with my (now ex) wife and our young son in my home town.  I began working as a camera salesman for a specialty retail chain.  An unfortunate accident took the life of our son in 1972 and our marriage never recovered from the loss, in 1974 my ex moved to California and eventually divorced me.”

“In January of 1980 I began working as a computer programmer and, after a few bumps, began to advance in my career as a programmer analyst.  In 1986 I met an optometry student named Betsy and in November of 1987 we were married.”

“In the early ’90s I became a self employed programmer analyst taking contracts with various companies.  I continued that business until 2001 when Betsy and I adopted our son.”

Eric & Thor

“In 2006, I was diagnosed with cancer and began chemo-therapy but an associate from my contracting days helped me land a position that allowed me to work from home most of the time and by the time I finished chemo therapy and the contract was expiring I was hired for another contract as a tech support specialist working from home.”

“From 2008 onwards technology jobs became more difficult to find, so when I became eligible for Social Security retirement benefits I applied and since that time have been devoting my time to photography in the hopes of running a Photography Studio as a retirement business.”

Meet Rob!

Rob & Answers

“I do not remember the exact specifics of hearing about Y! Answers but I remember being aware of it before I started participating.  I believe I heard about it from one or two of the Yahoo camera/photography groups that I was active with.”

“I believe my first answer was this question about chemical photography vs: digital photography”

What about chemical photography?

“My favorite categories have to do with cameras and photography but I also like to answer questions about computer hardware and software, politics, U.S. History (especially the Civil War and 20th Century/WW II), movies, and relationships.  I will also answer questions in word games, art, music or other categories if I see a question that piques my interest and I feel qualified to answer.”

“I prefer to give a few high quality answers, particularly when I see answers to a question that give incomplete, misleading or inaccurate explanations. If I disagree with someone or they disagree with me I hope to respond in a pleasant and respectful manner.  If I am treated disrespectfully I tend to have pretty thick skin and will give people the benefit of the doubt that they are either having a “bad hair day” or have misunderstood a concept or point.”

Rob’s Free Time

“Besides working on Y! Answers I am starting my business as a semi-pro photographer.  I also maintain the household, serve as the family cook, teach Sunday School and volunteer for various community services such as: Red Cross Meal On Wheels every 7~9 weeks; volunteer at a unique local service organization called “Agape” where I work most Thursdays as a volunteer chef/food coordinator serving a community meal. I also serve as a Cub Scout volunteer leader (and soon to be Boy Scout leader) for one of the local Pack/Troops and a volunteer counselor at Cub/Boy Scout Summer Camps; and do numerous activities for our local Episcopal church congregation.”

Thanks for reading,

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Let’s introduce one of our September featured users…

Meet The Singer. She’s been a member since May 2006.

In the “Singer’s own words”

“This was like receiving an “academy award” in my opinion”

“I was a Christmas baby - born on Wednesday, December 24, 1952, in Bessemer, Alabama. My father was a minister and my mother a teacher and nurse. When I was six months, I was told my dad, searching for better employment, left Alabama and we relocated to Gary, Indiana.”

“I grew up in several neighborhoods and finally settled on Polk Street, not yards from where the Jackson family lived.  I attended Garnett Elementary School along with Tito, Jackie, and Jermaine Jackson.  They went on to Roosevelt, while I went to Carver.  I was nine-years-old and I remember the times when the whole neighborhood would be filled with their music as they practiced.  They were not allowed to play with other kids that much.  They always kept their heads down and rushed home from school.  Eventually, my father and mother separated and my mother took my sister and I back to Alabama, where our grandfather had a ‘family home’.”

Meet The Singer!

“I was shy, but loved music and would come home from church after hearing the spiritual and gospel songs and would repeat what I had heard on our family’s piano.  One day, my mother’s piano teacher, Mrs. Willie Emma Smith, heard me, and encouraged my mom to allow me to take music lessons. That was the beginning of my musical career”

“My Uncle was the deacon and janitor of the church.  I can still see the deacon standing in the doorway of the church, and asking me “Do you know how to play that thing?”  I responded, “No, but I can play some songs”.  He said, “Do you want to take some lessons and learn”. My response of course was ‘yes!”  He gave me a year’s free lessons with one of the most significant musicians of our town”

“By the age of 12, I was playing organ and leading our Youth Choir and Sunday school.  One evening, my aunt brought home some visitors.  They were Art Tatum and Lee Morgan.  It was a girl’s first love!  Lee Morgan was not only handsome, but was a talented horn player with plenty of records to his name.  I had no idea of the company I kept.  He would sit with me and teach me jazz chords and encourage me to play and sing for myself.  He signed his autograph for me and later when I was in college, our family had an opportunity to see him and Art in concert.”

“I continued to play and sing, but during this time, the civil rights movement was at fast pace. One Sunday, we were in church service and on a small transistor radio that one of the members had on IN THE MIDST OF SERVICE, my aunt decided we would leave and make the trek to Selma. Just before approaching the marchers, my aunt, in her Electra 225, slowly pulled up as close as drivers could get and in the midst of soldiers perched in trees with rifles, heavy loaded trucks and other vehicles, opened the doors and told us to get out and walk. Dr. King was surrounded by so many people, but saw my sister and I, and pulled us forward.  We walked with him for at least five street blocks.  It was like nothing I had ever experienced before”

“While in college, I joined a singing group (SOFTOUCH) and was managed by Billy Henderson, of the Spinners.  He prepared us for performing, singing, and taught us all that Motown had been.  We were taught to dance by Cholly Atkins, and had musical arrangements and voice lessons by the best.  Eventually, we recorded a single entitled “After You Give Your All”…I was the lead vocal.  Can you imagine what it was like for four young women to hear their voices on the radio for the firs time?  It was like nothing I can even explain now.”

“Eventually, we went on to record an album, “SOFTOUCH’ (you can find our material on YOUTUBE) and I was the lead singer.  When the group eventually moved to California, we continued recording and working.  We were like the “80′s version of the Supremes.  My time in California was wonderful!  Because I could play and sing, I was offered positions in the film industry to act, play and perform in several movies.”

Softouch

“After an array of earthquakes, a marriage, a child, I decided that I wanted to turn my attention back to teaching and left California so that I could devote my time to rearing my daughter.  I began teaching Middle school Reading and Language Arts and have been happy ever since.”

“In my spare time, I enjoy reading, and playing piano and singing as well as administering advice to the Answers column. My future plans include brushing up my songs list and heading for the shores of Durbin, South Africa to entertain and teach.”

Thanks for reading,

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Let’s introduce one of our September featured users…

Meet batraylover. She’s been a member since 2006 and is a Top Contributor in Toys.

Let’s get to know you

“Originally born in Perrysburg, Ohio, a town most people have never heard of, I found myself in Southern California at a very young age. I have always had a passion for children, and spent many years teaching Sunday school, working in preschools, and working in daycare centers. I also provided in home childcare over the years. My favorite age group to work with is preschoolers, I love the 3-5 year old age set. I think it’s my favorite because they haven’t had time to make conclusions about the world yet, they are so innocent, sweet, and trusting.”

“When I stopped teaching, I spent some time writing curriculum, which I distributed on the web site 4 Shared. Eventually, I stopped writing curriculum, that’s when my love of toys came out on Yahoo Answers. I began researching toys “just for fun” and it quickly turned into an obsession. Now I enjoy checking databases for toy prices and helping people locate toys from their childhood. This love of toys has made me Top Contributor in the Toys section.”

“I love the ocean, so much in fact that I don’t eat seafood. I just think of all the cute dolphins and fish swimming around out there, and I think how can I eat them? Many people ask me about the nickname “batraylover”. A lot of people think it says betraylover and they think that I was betrayed by a lover in the past and I’m bitter about it. A bat ray is a type of ocean creature in the skates and ray family. They are related to stingrays, devil rays, eagle rays, and manta rays. The bat ray is my absolute favorite ocean creature, so I use it as my nickname on websites that I frequent.”

Batraylover's favorite ocean creature

“When I’m not on Yahoo Answers, I spend most of my time watching DVD’s both from my home collection and from Netflix. When I’m not watching DVD’s with my boyfriend, we enjoy doing things together. Our favorite place to go together is down by the bay to watch the ships pull in and out of the harbor. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful city.”

“Speaking of my boyfriend, we met on Craigslist of all places. I fell in love with him through e-mails and phone calls long before we ever met in person. The day we met, we knew that it was meant to be. We’ve been together since January 2008, and we have so much fun together.”

“He’s a big kid, and so am I, so we are perfect for each other. We are both Disney fanatics, I ordered a princess birthday cake for my big 30 which I celebrated earlier this year. I have also become a Star Trek fan, okay perhaps fan is not a strong enough word since I own a talking Tribble and am a member of Starfleet International.”

Princess birthday cake for batraylover's 30th

Oh Answers, Where did you come from?

“I stumbled upon Yahoo Answers on December 5, 2006…wow that seems like forever ago! At the time, I had used Google to search for an answer to a Math question for my college computers course. The question back then was “How do I represent the decimal number 10 in base 3?” I received a very helpful answer, and that was when I was hooked on Yahoo Answers.”

My Favorites

“My favorite question that I ever asked on Yahoo Answers was about Star Trek. I had just met my boyfriend, and I was getting ready to watch a Star Trek Movie for the very first time. I wanted to impress my boyfriend by knowing all of the characters names (because who doesn’t know the Star Trek characters?). So, I turned to Yahoo Answers and got a fabulous answer from Gregory: Star Trek Characters – Need Answers Quick? As comical as this answer seems now, boy did it help me back then. I was able to identify the characters when we watched the movie and impress my boyfriend (we are still together, yeah!).”

“To date, I have answered 12,835 questions and 4,843 of those have been named best answers. I’ve given a lot of answers over the years that I have loved for many different reasons. Some, like “Little Plastic Dogs That Pee” are just plain hilarious.”

“And then there are those questions like “Is It Possible To Fall In Love With Someone You Have Never Met?” which I really enjoyed answering because my own life experiences prove that it’s possible. My advice to anyone who is thinking about giving up on the dating scene is that there is someone out there for everyone, and sometimes when you least expect it, love will find you!”

“I hope that Yahoo Answers is around for a very long time to come, and I would love to see them add more levels, as I reached the maximum level 7 ages ago!”

Thanks for reading,

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In July, we announced we were going to start featuring a user each month. Someone that goes above and beyond, providing great content on Answers. Well, thanks to the community we received tons of nominations! We admit it took us some time to narrow it down. In September, we’ll start featuring two users a month. So again, thank you all who nominated someone or nominated themselves. It was a tough decision!

So now let’s introduce our August featured user…

Jade Orchid. She’s been a member since 2006 and is a Top Contributor in Horses.

Ready to enter Jade-world?

Okemah's famous Hot & Cold towers

“Although born in Mesa, Arizona I work as a liquor store manager in what I consider to by my hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. The birthplace of Woody Guthrie, and home to the annual Woody Guthrie Festival, my town is small and fairly quiet with a rich, and sometimes strange, history. I live here with my fiancé, Stephen, and my daughter Eirynn, who was practically born while I was using Y! Answers.”

“I’m a master of nothing but I’m skilled at a variety of things; my life is very eclectic, to say the least. My fiancé says I’m a “jack-of-all-trades” but I feel my true talents and gifts are the desire to learn, a natural curiosity, a will to try new things and succeed, and the desire to help others”

“I’ve worked as a nurse’s aide, a cook and waitress, a professional housekeeper, a retail clerk, a secretary, and I’ve owned my own business besides what I’m doing now. I love creative crafts like drawing, painting, photography, sewing, and beadwork. Board games, tabletop games, and video games are also something I greatly enjoy and play when I have some spare time. I’m also an avid outdoor enthusiast who loves to fish, hunt, rock climb, kayak (I’m my hometown’s only urban kayaker), camp, and hike. I also like to study prehistoric man and survival techniques like flint knapping, primitive hunting and building techniques, and herbal medicine”

Meet Jade!

“Another true passion of mine is animals. I’ve been privileged and blessed in my life to have been able to raise many domestic animals such as pigs, goats, cows, chickens, ducks, and geese, just to name a few. I’m also able to boast experience with wolves and wolf hybrids, both in their natural state and in captivity, and being able to participate in wild animal rehabilitation. My real joy, though, are horses; of which I own three, Monty, Brutus, and Dakota”

Top Contributor - Horses

Jade and Answers

“In the first year of being on Y! Answers I started the first user based group dedicated to Y! Answers, Yahoo Answerholics Anonymous, or the “Answerholics” for short as a place to discuss Y! Answers and chat with other members. I invite anyone who loves Y! Answers to join. Over the past six years I have answered questions in almost every category, but I favor the Horses and Beer, Wine, and Spirits categories. My personal favorite questions and answers are:

Am I a wuss for wanting to throw in the towel and take my maternity leave? – This is one of my favorite questions because I asked this question hours before giving birth to my daughter. Boy, did I feel lousy. LOL

Why does peroxide bubble? – This is my one of my favorite questions because I felt it was thought provoking. I was the first person to ask a question about it on Y! Answers.

If your pet could talk… What would it say? – This is one of my favorite best answers because, well, it’s pretty funny and you know that’s EXACTLY what your pet is thinking. LOL Sometimes I just love to answer silly questions that are just plain fun.

What is in Reliance Horse Feed? – This is one of my favorite best answers because it is a supreme example of how far I’m willing to go to answer the “unanswerable”. I spent three days researching and calling around to feed companies to find out the ingredients and nutritional content of this particular brand of horse feed. It’s not the first time I’ve spent days researching an answer and it won’t be the last time, I’m sure.”

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– Willeke, 71,306  points, Level 7, 66%

Every so often we,  the Yahoo! Answers Team see someone on Answers that goes above and beyond the norm, providing such great contributions that they deserve to be celebrated.  Previous contributors in this category include Spellbound, Tunisian Belle, Calimecita and Victor. This time the spotlight turns to Willeke, an expert in travel and… well, perhaps we’ll let her tell you in her own words.

Meet Willeke

“I am Dutch, still live in the village in which I was born.  It is not to far from Amsterdam, but completely separate, there are about 5 towns and a city between us and them. I have been a regular visitor in Amsterdam all my live though.”

“I work fulltime, and have some time consuming hobbies besides. One I can combine with going to work, I ride a recumbent trike, as my main transport. For longer distances I often use the train, as I do not have a driving license (out of choice.)”

“My main hobby is tying knots, I have done that ever since I was a child and still spend time on it. I am a member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, which is a world wide organisation devoted to knots, their history, practical uses, new developments and everything else there is to know about it. Here is a link to their website.”

Discovering Answers

“It is through knots that I met Yahoo answers, March 28, 2007, I saw a knot question on the page of a Yahoo group I was (and still am) a member of. I was drawn into Yahoo! Answers by that and am here ever since.”

“When I started I did answer in Hobbies and crafts, knot related but also other crafts. Since then I have moved toward travel more. Netherlands and Other Europe, and train questions in several more spots on the boards. About Europe I answer general questions, about all the places I have been often enough to know what I am talking about. (Although I do use search often to refresh my memory for factual things.)”

“I like helping people, in searching for answers I have learned a lot. I do not ask questions, as most of the things I need information about are very specialist, and I go to where the specialists are. Or they have been asked before and I read the older questions and their answers.”

Some great Best Answers from Willeke

• What’s there to see in Luxembourg?
• How can I travel by train in Europe?
• Is Spain similar to all of her previous colonies?
• Any advice on good cheap hostels in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany?
• I’d like to do the river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest in mid March. What would the weather be like?
• What exactly is the big difference between a hostel and a hotel/motel or a boarding house and where can I find a list of hostels both in the United States and Europe?

Willeke on her fellow Answers contributors…

“I admire most top answerers in the European travel sections, but as there are so many, it is very hard to name only one. All have their knowledge and specialist areas and all are friendly towards each other. But one answerer that stands out to me, who I meet in several categories: Mariner31. Always good answers, friendly advice and mostly out of experience, not just from reading the book or website.”

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