Is there an explanation somewhere on this website on how to allow e-mails?

When a new account is opened the default setting is not to allow emails and that is where the problem starts. I have not found anywhere it tells you how or explains it.. Users cannot send emails from answers if they do not allow them and that can be done by "Editing their preferences" to allow emails. Again most new users do not even know how to do that. When a new user signs up the default should be changed to open Q&A's and to allow email and as the user gets used to the site they can then determine if they want things private. This would be a good suggestion to post on the suggestion board. They can do a yahoo search for questions asked about it, but again most new users that are on their first account don't even know that. http://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result;_ylt...

Maybe they don't want to get e-mails from random people.

Edit: I understand where you're coming from, but I still stand by the statement that they don't want to get random e-mails. if they are curious on how to allow it, they would be the ones asking the question.

Also, I'll add that I am a relative newbie to this so I am speaking from personal experience.

Here's the link from the Answers Help site, but it's outdated.

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/answers/overview/...

If you go to "View My Profile" it takes you to Yahoo Pulse, which is what's left over from the old 360 accounts.

But if you click on your Y!A iicon on your home page, or the "My Activity" link, it takes you to your Answers profile, where you can edit your preferences:

Go My Activity --> edit my preferences --> Privacy & Communication tab --> allow under : the Answers community can contact me.

I don't remember what information is given when you first open an account, but it does seem a little convoluted to me. A tutorial would be extremely helpful for beginners.