Is participating in Yahoo Answers worth the time and effort?

--I had a violation report reversed. You have to appeal twice. First appeal and they send you automatically an email "it was rejected. If you want to make a final appeal, click here". So, click there.

I know, takes lots of time and energy but if you think you're just, you can do it. Moreover, there is a forum for Yahoo Answers where you can protest . It's a kafkian process that actually means that Yahoo doesn't have time to spend for thousands of appeals.

--But you should see the positive side of YA reporting system. I prefer that there are few wrong reports once in awhile if all serious offenses like insults, obscenities, games disappear.

Yes there are trolls, but not so many as you think, I noticed once I had more violations than usual-I detected and blocked that person. It was one of my contacts.

Suppose you lost one answer, so what actually did you lose? Money, self-esteem? This place is mostly for fun and changing information.

Yahoo is interested mostly to click on their pages. More clicks=more ads=more money.Moreover, if you have 30000 points on YA it doesn't mean anything in real life.

-- It's us who should make it valuable information. It's our duty to make the site interesting. Your answers and questions were very interesting, so you are a valuable source of information for this site. If you think it's worthy or not, it's your decision. Maybe you don't have time for it, maybe you thiunk it's childish- you will not be the first, not the last to abandon YA. Or maybe you think that actually there are several good things about it and decide to stay.

I say yes to that question. Y/ Q + A do keep the sight a bit more clean from the (immature) comments that only have vulgar language at their mouth-tips. This gets me a bit tweaked, BUT I say, "Is cencership GOOD?" Then I ask, "Can that go too far in someones elses hand?", and I say YES IT CAN. So even though it really irks me, the more energy I put into it it makes it persist, one of the universal laws, "What you resist PERSISTS." So if we avoid their words and not feed them, they will become bored and LEAVE. So a hint to you Y/ Q + A fans, "IGNORE THEM.' I came upon this decision after getting a rather vulgar e-mail about a comment about Prez. Elect Obama, I wanted to attack this guy because it was really a BAD, comment. Then I sat still, clicked off the e-mail, and let it be, "It is as It is." So I made it a point to try and not react when I see this trash on any blogg, and you MUST SAY that Y/ Q+A really is the best place to chatt. They do have a point about NOT Answering a Q, "I RAMBLE" So they are teaching me a valuable lesson.

There are other great sights BUT I found Yahoo Q + A very enjoyable, I only do this when TV stinks which is most of the time, and when I see a friend or contact has a Q and I check it out.

Keep chatting, you are very informing and interesting and I do have a connection to you. YOU WERE ONE OF MY FIRST FRIENDS on this tool of contact and OMG (LOVE TO USE THAT) I would miss you WarrenD. My Navy son would check out my friends and tell me what he thought, so He thot you were OK. So Enjoy your chatting with us, we do so enjoy.

Hope your Thanksgiving was LOVING and RELAXING. Ours was Even thought the third sibbling of my mommies passed 11-20-2008, Feb., April and 11/20, too many in 10 months. I think of all the others going through a tough Holiday and we have a colllective sadness and Yahoo Q + A is a way to escape and get into another MINDSET. I am very Happy with Yahoo Q + A, go easy on them Dear WarrenD. Peace!

Since this is a FREE sight, they let us ask anything, I think they are quite fare. Only one notice came in the begining for me, I felt "BETRAYED." BUT when I sat down and collected my thoughts, I saw wht they were doing. LIKE MY "C" friends that RAMBLE WITH quotes from the BIBLE, somedays I WISH FOR ONCE THEY HAD A THOUGHT of their own. WOW would that ever make me happy. Controll

I recently had two surgeries and can't do much at the moment except read, TV and computer. When I looked into Answers I was so pleased to think that I also could help some people and get some of my own questions answered.

Someone wrote a really kookie question about fairies and dragons and my answer was "I think you have been inhaling too much fairy dust"

I was violated for that! Then violated for two more harmless answers. I wanted to know why but they sent an email saying that was the decision. So that was that.

I have looked around for another site similar to this one but haven't found one. I feel like they just don't need a few of us to complain and leave. They will get us replaced in a day or so. In other words

THEY DON'T CARE!

If you are nearing 30,000 points and do feel that you have helped some people I wish you would stay a while. Perhaps if more people complain then the powers that be will wake up, but an old timer said don't count on it.

I'm tempted to leave also because of the stupid, stupid questions, the poor grammar and spelling, racism and filth. You have to travel a lot to find a really interesting, thoughtful, intelligent question.

Please stay, at least until you get your 30,000 and maybe by then you will feel better about hanging around. =)

Hi Warren,

What a joy to see a well-written note without spelling errors!

I'm actually glad to know that I'm not the only one who is experiencing these frustrations. I challenge every "violation" I get and have told Y!A point blank that I don't think they bother reading my rebuttals. Is there anything more frustrating than trying to argue with a computer?

And so like you, I do contemplate chucking it all and looking for another social network where participation would present an opportunity to share knowledge without dodging trolls. But there just aren't many sites out there that I feel would be a big improvement. I do participate in a forum dedicated to a television show but the site is quite elaborate and truthfully a bit overwhelming at times.

In the end, I'll hang around here because it's simple, and occasionally there are those questions that you can feel good about answering because you've contributed to a person's education or growth. I suppose I'll leave when it becomes too much of a chore to manage my irritation with "the management".

Cheers!

You stated:

"But who decides, and how much do we split hairs? And if a stalker or troll decides to raise a little sand, is Yahoo management able to spot it and deal with it?"

They do. And it has become clear to me, that they don't take anything into consideration as of who reported you or read your answer. If you are reported, they don't question it, they delete the question or comment without second thought.

I have also had an answer reported for "ranting".

The problem with Yahoo Answers is most of the people involved in it are immature, oversensitive, and quick to report absolutely anything that disagrees with their narrow-minded beliefs. I am leading up to the fact that I am not surprised some of your questions mysteriously disappear or you once in a while get reported.

The competition if you did want to leave would be wikianswers. You could also try another community like propeller or digg.

I know it feels good to give people advice and help out, but maybe you shouldn't engross yourself in Yahoo Answers. Limit going on to a half hour or less a day. That way, you would never get truly dissappointed because you wouldn't be so involved.

I understand where you are coming from. I also have had an answer deleted and called a violation recently. I appealed and it was not reinstated. I also was given the reason that my well thought out answer was not an answer! This answer was indeed a direct answer to the question.It was several sentences long.I have had very few questions & answers deleted. But for some reason I don't want to let this one go. I have been overly careful in answering since then, as though I am walking on eggsheels so that I would not be given another violation for a well thought out answer. I have considered giving this up. I have family and friends that I can keep in contact with. However like you there are contacts (like you) that I would miss. I have even thought "I will just give this up while I an ahead. But something keeps me coming back.

Many useful and cogent responses to your question, among them doing away with the points thumbs down, etc which are more reminiscent of a child's game than a Q&A site. I cannot count the violations I have received; far too many, and I lose about 99 percent of my appeals, now I don't bother except to make a point once in a while. One lovely young lady called me a cvnt to which I replied in kind but minus the bad language and I got reported and deleted for that despite the fact she used that language to me, and so it goes. I also got reported for telling a girl to stop asking about whether or not she should fart on her boyfriend's face, just go ahead and do it, and I got a violation for that as well, so you see...the inmates are running the asylum.

As for it being worth it, IMO yes, it is entertaining, there are more really great people here than trolls and angst ridden teens and children, so all things considered, yes, it is worth it, but in your case, you need to step back, limit your time here and give yourself a vacation then come back refreshed and ready to go.

I spent several years on askme.com before they removed it and I just loved it, but there were no moderators at all, we had to try to do it ourselves and finally it got to a point where it was overrun with trolls and so when it was disbanded we just moved on, but my metier was also personal relationships. All things considered, this is the best site around, the best layout and the best people for the most part.

Hi, it saddens me that I have noticed many of the regular good ones having this problem, I got a violation the other day because I posted a warning about a few nasties answering with the same answer in all sections. My answer back to Yahoo was that as a member of the community I felt obliged to show support to them. The web site given all led to potential viruses and many people who unawares probably had their computers system wrecked by these cowards, in what I argued could be seen to be illegal. They said they would get back to me in 48 hours, 1 week later nothing. I did say in my response to them that I would do it again.

I use Yahoo as a way to settle and feel good about helping people and as a outlet. I am a registered nurse who at present has chosen to stop working to care for my niece 15 who requires 24 hour care due to her disability and her 10 year old brother (absolutely beautiful loving children) after my younger brother was murdered just over ten years ago (his wife was pregnant at the time)and his wife could not take care of them. I also am the member of another chat line where there is more openness but I much prefer the Yahoo community with people like yourself and others answering your question.

It is 12:21 am in the morning in Brisbane Australia and my niece who only sleeps about two hours a night is asleep and this is my me time.

Please stay, but not at the cost of your happiness. I hope I do not sound to depressed and droll, my nickname is 'giggling gurty' to friends and family as I actually am a very happy and funloving person.

Take care

Cheers

Dominica

Most of the time these days I seldom even come to this site. I think that I need to stay away if I am going to be upset over a wrongful violation. I think this was a good idea when it all started but the trolls have taken over. They are getting better at asking questions so that they seem sincere then they can click on the answer they were hoping to invoke.

There are people who report an answer simply because they don't agree.

There are Yahoo employees who refuse an appeal because they have a different political opinion.

I've been a few seconds away from deleting my account, too, several times.

However, since I saw Night and Fog, a movie about the Holocaust, I decided that I had to do my best to keep it from ever happening again. Speaking up for Israel is important enough to me that I choose not to be offended. In addition, speaking up for Yeshua (Jesus) is important me. Helping teens or younger adults with relationship problems is important to me. And helping students who aren't just looking for someone else to do their homework but who genuinely need a little tutoring is good for me.

I also like having access to people all over the world who can answer occasional questions about Hebrew or cats or plumbing, etc.

I would like the thumbs down to be removed permanently.

It is interesting to me that so many people-- including so many top answering people--have the same issues with Yahoo Answers.