Is it considered chatting on Yahoo Answers?

Here is what the Community Guidelines say about chatting:

CHATTING OR OTHERWISE VIOLATING THE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT

Yahoo Answers is a community of questions and answers, not a chat room. If a post is neither a question nor an answer, it doesn't belong here. If you prefer to have discussions or chat with others, please use one of Yahoo's other community services, such as Yahoo Groups.

So basically you can ask a question but don't enter into a discussion about it. Also be aware that other guidelines apply to your question. For example, you can't ask a profanity laden question. It's pretty simple but a lot of Hall Monitors can't seem to get it. Those Monitors have another level of personal rules they try to impose on the site. For example:

"Questions must be knowledge seeking." Bogus. NO WHERE IN THE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES IS THE PHRASE "KNOWLEDGE SEEKING" USED. However, the Community Guidelines DO say that questions of a "delightfully trivial" nature are encouraged (1st paragraph of the Guidelines) and an auxiliary appendix says "On Yahoo Answers you can ask about anything under the sun..." Doesn't saying anything about questions needing to be "knowledge seeking."

"Questions about what 'you' like or think are violations." Bogus. Whole categories (Politics, for example, or Singles & Dating) are basically 90% about asking what the responder's opinions are. A recent Yahoo Answers Team Featured Question asks "What movie or TV show are YOU [emphasis added] most excited for in 2018?" I mean, the Yahoo Answers Team probably knows the guidelines, right? Of course that leads to:

"Yahoo doesn't have to obey the site rules because they own the site." Bogus. Not only does this not make sense from an operational point of view, but right there in the very first paragraph in the Terms of Service it says "... when using particular Yahoo owned or operated services, you AND YAHOO [emphasis again added] shall be subject to any posted guidelines or rules applicable to such services..."

"Comparative questions, like 'What do you like better?' are violations." Bogus. Again, a look at recent examples of what the Yahoo Answers Team themselves demonstrates that they feel comparative questions are perfectly fine. For instance, "Do you use Uber or Lyft? Which service do you prefer?"

I could go on, but I'll instead skip to The Rub: It really doesn't matter what the Community Guidelines say about chatting, or what is chatting, because if some Hall Monitor thinks you are chatting, they can and will report you. Anyone can report anyone. And the appeals system is incredibly flawed to the point of ineffectiveness.

So what to do? My advice is don't sweat it. It's freaking Yahoo Answers, not the SAT's or New York Bar Exam. Treat it not as an "encyclopedia" but as a "community," because that is what it is: A community. That's why they're called the COMMUNITY Guidelines. And as in every community, there are those overly zealous members who will try to call you out if they think your grass is a half-inch too long or you've put up your Christmas lights a day too early. Just let it slide off if they persist in a level of incomprehensive anal-retentiveness when it comes to policing the site. It's just what the Barney Fife's of the world do.

But in parting, I will add one admonishment that many people seem to forget. This site is read by children as young as 13. If you wouldn't walk into a 7th grade classroom in real life and ask your question out loud, then seriously consider whether or not you should ask it here.

Good luck.

noone restricts you from chatting on yahoo answers

Here is a Example of what Chatting is

How are you today ?

Whats up ?

Whats your favorite Food

Whats your favorite Drink

What do you like Better

Whats your opinion on ?

What do you think about

All of those Examples are Chat

It's a fine line. Never say. "So what do you think?" or " What is your opinion?"

a question is a request for information. such as what you asked above. chatting isnt a request for information. questions typically have a why or where or how(not in all questions) a good question is how do i do ..... vs this is how i do ...

A question is to seek knowledge not to give opinion or what you like better, how old you are,. Although you would think you would be alright in the Poll & Survey subcategory.

The forum is for asking "knowledge-seeking questions" - not for asking for opinions.

So, a question of "What is the best day of the week?" would be chatting.

"What day of the week is Valentine's day on this year?" would be a valid question.

Questions that start with "Do you like..." or "What do you think of..." are usually chatting.