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How Do You Get Your Questions Answered?

9 Responses (Add) | Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 11:23pm


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When I have a question that I need an answer for that cannot be attained by Googling… I tend to throw the question out to my network of friends. Some of you may use answering services, such as Yahoo Answers. Thanks to ScottyG for sending in this top ten list on ways to get good answers from Yahoo.

  • It may sound strange, but do not make the title too descriptive. If the title is too descriptive, many people will not even open the question to take a look at it. Almost all of my most answered questions have titles which are not overly descriptive.
  • Spelling goes a long way. It is much easier to read a correctly spelled question than one with spelling and grammatical errors.
  • Do not include huge chunks of conversation in your question. Keep it informative but informal.
  • I recommend using bullet points and a summary of the question. This is an easy-to-read format.
  • Look for answers with good ’sources’. Remember, Wikipedia can be edited by anyone so it is not always true.
  • Do not use the ‘add details’ option to have a chat with answerers. Many questions end up with a flood of added details.
  • Don’t put ‘a quick 10 points’ in the question or title. If you do this, you will get a lot of short, rushed comments rather than longer, detailed answers.
  • Do not post the same post many times in a short period of time. The Yahoo community WILL ignore your question if you do this!
  • Do not put ‘title says it all’ in the question. Questions can seem quite ambiguous on the Internet, so further details will be needed.
  • As soon as you have the answer, pick the best answer straight away. If you are a courteous user, your questions will be answered much faster.

What other answering services do you use? Let us know your favorite ones, and why they’re the best.

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9 Comments

Yahoo! Philippines Answers blog

August 18th, 2008
at 9:11am

, an annual technical conference. He currently live streams from his home-office and creates online videos daily from talking about software, computers, iPhone apps, and other technology-related events. Last week, Chris featured in his sitea top ten list on ways to get good answers from Yahoo! Answersshared to him by an Answers user nicknamed ScottyG. The list is very informative and helpful that I decided to share it to everyone in the community as well. It may sound strange, but do not make the title too descriptive. If the title is too

wikili

August 14th, 2008
at 7:03am

http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow“>Add to iTunes</a> Have you Ever Heard of Google? Will Microsoft Buy Yahoo? Secure Email Amazon WebStore vs Yahoo Stores vs eBay Help! (the Yellow Tint Video) Gnomedex Diamond Sponsorship aHow Do You Get Your Questions Answered?8:10

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August 12th, 2008
at 7:43am

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The Blade by Ron Schenone, MVP

August 12th, 2008
at 8:29am

Chris Pirillo What’s Your Favorite iMac Tip? Do Television Shows Need TV? Are Your Photos Boring?How Do You Get Your Questions Answered?How Do You Track Your Car’s Fuel MPG?

Devon Campbell

August 12th, 2008
at 4:59am

I always use ask.metafilter.com. I can only ask one per week, but the breadth and depth of knowledge at that place is astounding!

Headsvett

August 12th, 2008
at 5:14am

I use Windows live qna. I would use plurk or some other microblogging service if i actually got some answers there. I tried, but I just dont have enough friends it seems…

im kinda picky on friends too, i avoid people who are “overactive” on microblogging sites (mostly plurk)
They annoy me.

PsionicArchon

August 12th, 2008
at 5:01pm

I go through a series of steps when I have a question that needs to be answered unless the easiest rout to answering that question does not follow my usual ritual.

Step one, Google. Google tends to be my best friend as far as getting quick answers though is all too often useless when given a more in depth question.

Step two, and the step I often skip to, go straight to the source. If I have a question about something at best buy I call best buy.. if I am having a problem with a peace of software I go straight to the creator/manufacturer. Why search endlessly or hope your friends might have the answers when you know who will.

Step three, I ask my friends.. sometimes they can help sometimes they can’t. Once again it really depends on the question and the answer I’m seeking.

This was a very good top ten for people using yahoo, though I have never used that service directly it has often benefited me indirectly.

I don’t use any services directly though, it tends to take too long for me to get a response and all to frequently I don’t get the response I’d expected. There are far too many childish people on the web and I need not even delve into that.

Yea.. you should probably fix that light.

Ray

August 12th, 2008
at 7:02pm

I use cuil.com or google, but before that I ask my wife, she is a medical transcripitonist with nearly 30 years experience in the field. There’s not many topics she is not familiar with both medical and non medical.

She just started back to college after a 30 year hiatus and is maintaining a 3.92 average, would have been 4.0 cept for that
durned algebra course.

Or I keep watch on Chris’ newaletter, eventually the answer to all my questions are answered there.

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