I am Curious.....What do YOU THINK the purpose of Yahoo Answers IS?
2006-06-10T08:31:34Z
While all of your answers are wonderful, and I thank you for them, there is not a single "correct answer" here yet! One or two come close, BUT NO CIGAR!
This question arose out of my frustration, that it appears NO ONE know THE ACTUAL PURPOSE of this site.
With the 20 answers posted here, it proved that my frustration is founded.
I will leave this question open longer, because I am a woman of faith.
If no one is capable of coming up with the correct answer, I will post it here later.
2006-06-14T09:24:02Z
While I appriciate all the answers received here, Lady Lara Croft came the closest.
This was not a question asking "how YOU use Yahoo! Answers". It was asking What is the ACTUAL purpose of the site.
Katerina is a dear friend of mine, that I greatly value, BUT....there IS a "correct answer.
Yahoo! Answers was designed to be a a searchable database, a repository of information and knowledge. THAT is its intended purpose.
I have been an active participant since 10 December 2005. Yahoo! designed this product, but it is the users that have "bui;t it".
I am at a point of frustration now, that I do not believe that I will return. People have chosen to make this product whatever they want it to be. This question was my final "proof" that the majority of current users do not even know the purpose of this site. In fact it seems that most think of it as nothing more than just a toy to cure their boredom.
2006-06-14T09:30:50Z
When I first found this site, a few days after its Beta launch, I saw its potential as a world changing tool. I could ask and have answered questions of anyone in the world on any topic, and reasonable expect to have it answered.
This site in the six months since, has degraded to nothing much more that a cesspool full of hatred, racism and smut. I am sorry to say that until something is done (such as User Moderation) is done, to bring this site back to its INTENDED purpose, I do not think that I will return.
It's your basic search site. The only difference is that you get personal opinions, experience, and advice from real people like yourself.
This is basically why I come here every single day. The friends I've made on here were just a nice, unexpected addition. Along with my addiction. :) But, that's not really nice.
Being here for almost 4 months, I consider this site a part of my daily routine, it is entertaining, educational and most of all challenging. If people really use it appropriately, it will become one of the best instructive sites on the net. Apart from that, it allows us to exchange a few words with one another in a matured way. It helped me to recognize individuality strength, not only augment but also promote and expand my aptitude to accept other's opinion. It also taught me and my friends to be patient, be aware of reasoning and master many communicational expertise. The best thing about the site is that you get to see who was selected as the best answer, knowing that. You learn to be adaptive and competitive at the same time.
There are various reasons that I can think about. - First and foremost for me, it is the possibility to ask a question and find an immediate solution to your problem. - Help other people that gives personal satisfaction. - Help solve the existing problem of isolation today, that is have a nice time with YAHOO! - Serve educational purposes. It is known that people can learn better when he is involved in the educational procedure. It is a kind of continuing education. I have already given to you in your blog, an option on how 360 blogs can collaborate. - Raise his funds.This is a personal opinion, I hope that it is a valid one. Everytime that we click on the links of the advertisements that are found under our answers, they have a certain percentage of money. - It is possible to gather demographics on the users, as a previous answerer has mentioned, as it is possible to everyone of us to do a market research for his own reasons. If you browse older(resolved) questions, you will realize it. This is not always bad but I have to accept that it is a possible danger. It depends on the use of the results. I will give an example at this point. The reason for me to participate was to do an investigation of the level of knowledge that people has in common health issues and what was his perception about the health system and on the other hand have fun. And do a comparison, as well, with local people(in my country). On the other hand, I wanted to offer my help in these issues and others.
*EDIT*
Mayah,
Without any intention for cheating, was you waiting of an internet forum to recognise individuality strength? Socialization of a person, is not achieved in front of a computer. Internet is not a panacea. Is just ONE of the means used by the humans for the improvement of their quality of life.
Ms KnowltAll,
I read your additional details and I want to tell you that our answers represent our personal views. On that there is no wrong or correct aspect. The REAL purpose of Y!Answers is something that ONLY Y!Answers developers know. You are talking about your frustration. Sorry, but this does not justify your arrogance, here. You are using terms like * no correct answe or no one know the actual purpose of this site* that are offensive. Can you really judge a person if he is capable to understand something or not? Isn't this in contraddiction with what you have just posted in the forum(you refer in loss of recognition, loss of respect).
I have posted in your blog my views on a possible 360 blogs collaboration, where you refer to your friend's death). This is also a personal view. A valid one, as I have implemented it already, but still a personal view. Seems that you haven't understood that. There are also commercial aspects(e-commerce aspects) but nobody is oblidged to post them here, for free, in your question! A few time ago, I was in a conference about these new forms of collaborations. Have you got to know something similar and you want to report here?
I'm guessing here so please no-one take off my head :-)) I think maybe the purpose is to attract a lot of people to yahoo as you cannot participate in the site without a yahoo email then this will trigger a lot of new yahoo accounts making yahoo the most popular email provider and thus increasing their revenue from paid accounts and advertising. As well as making yahoo more popular than msn/hotmail. Am I right? ;-)
To provide a single place where people could find answers to anything. Not to say it hasn't been bastardized a bit by immatures, but it's the net. Whatcha gonna do?