Is Quora just a glorified Yahoo! Answers?
Sure, in the sense that a Tesla is just a glorified golf cart. At the most basic level, they both work on the same principle, but one has design, functionality, capability and even looks that's far beyond the other. The problem here is that you have two competing definitions of the word "glorified". It can mean something that's given glory for no good reason, or it can mean something that's been made glorious. If you mean the first, then no, Quora isn't given glory for no good reason. It's far more prestigious because it has a great deal more to offer. The differences between the sites may be subtle (some are, and some aren't) but they cumulatively make a huge difference in the user experience (at least, they did in my case). If you're using the second definition, then the answer is yes. Quora took the basic concept behind Yahoo Answers and they made it into something glorious. And good for them.
How has Yahoo! Answers impacted your life?
I have found a hidden talent I never knew I had. I am able to embrace and encourage this new talent within myself whenever I begin a session in Yahoo!Answers. I have a better opinion of my tolerance for others and the opinions that we all have. I am amazed at the amount of empathy within me that I never knew was there. I am astounded by the over abundance of all the different things that I know absolutely NOTHING ABOUT!! This makes me humble and open to new ideas and concepts, giving me a better outlook on the world around me every time I log onto this site. I am confident of my writing abilities and my delivery of a thought or idea to others in a manner that is easily understood and entertaining to read. I use this new self confidence in my every day life, and have found myself engaging with my peers alot more and seeking out more conversations with strangers without my old reservations. I am a good person who can be honest when asked my opinion, when I used to be a passive aggressive, yes man, who feared conflict ,and worse, feared criticism from others. Now, I engage in healthy conflict and resolution without all the insecurity I used to have. This site offers advise, validation, and even cold hard truth, when no one else in your life can. I enjoy the safety this site ensures when you are practicing the act of being blatantly honest to perfect strangers, allowing you to let down your guard and truly explore your inner thoughts and express them, out loud, and sharing those thoughts with other people, sometimes for the very first time. I could then discover how small I am, yet how valued my small little opinion can be. This gave me insight into my stability in my relationships intimately and superfluously . Whenever I am stumped as to what to do, or how to act,or what to say...i just log onto this site and release my inhibitions and air out confusing stresses. Thank you, for all of my new discoveries about me, about the people of this world, and about the power of knowledge.
Poll: Have you notice that people on Yahoo Answers don't really answer your questions that much anymore?
Fewer users = Fewer answers Website traffic peaked in 2009. Literally 4% of what it used to be.
Why am I unable to post or answer any questions on Yahoo Answers?
Clearly, you have upset a Yahoo! god and they are firing you from Yahoo! Answers.I used to work for Yahoo! Answers a decade ago and I used to spend a lot of time asnwering a lot of questions and the company was extremely happy with my work.In fact, they send me a Yahoo! Answers jacket to my home.I still have it.A few years later I was one of the most popular writers on Yahoo! Answers and the founder and CEO of Yahoo! at the time David Filo himself send me a letter with his signature and everything congratulating me for my hard work.I still have this letter.A decade ago, a letter signed by a billionaire was a huge deal for me.Now, I get job offers from billionaires, almost each month and I almost always decline them.I still want to work for Elon Musk, Adam D’Angelo, Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek and Ken Howery, thought.One day, all of a sudden my Yahoo! Answers account was blocked for unknown reasons.I tried to open a new account and this worked for a little while but eventually my account was blocked again.I tried to open a new account and this worked again for a little while but eventually my account was blocked again.After that, I simply stopped trying and evolved into something else.I was extremely dissapointed by all this and I could not fully understand why they were blocking my accounts.Obviously I was younger and dumber a decade ago.It turns out a billionaire got upset about some of my answers and he simply bribed Yahoo! and they fired me.I was bringing a lot of eyesballs to Yahoo! Answers a decade ago.I was answering questions for them for free, you know.Maybe Yahoo! would still be profitable today if they hired me as a regular employee back then.We will never know.It appears that you are in exactly the same situation I was a decade ago.Just forget about Yahoo! Answers and focus exclusively on Quora.They are losing money for a reason, you know.I suspect they regret firing me from Yahoo! Answers a decade ago.Ironically, I am currently one of the MOST VIEWED WRITERS on the Yahoo! (Company) category right now here on Quora.Welcome to Quora.I think you will enjoy this chapter in your life.
What's the deal with "points" on Yahoo!Answers? How do you move up a level?
To get to the levels it has to do with the number of points you have which can come from answering questions, etc especially in categories that you have a lot of knowledge. The reason that you lose 5 points for asking a question is because they are trying to encourage users to try and help others with their questions if possible. But the 5 point loss can be made though by choosing an answer that best resolves your question. You get 3 points for choosing a Best Answer and then 2 more for answering a question, or in thumbs up (at 1 point each) that helps make up for the loss. The 100 stars is a limit on how many questions you can give stars to every day. The stars mean that others found the question being asked interesting.
Is your participation a positive one on Yahoo! Answers?
Hmmm, interesting question. ♦ Definitely NOT for the sake of points. Points don't mean much to me at all, as I've seen worthless users at level 7's and many quality answers from users only at level 3 and so on. I must say the points, for me, are just a 'by the way' that come along with answering questions. What matters more to me is that I should at least have a shot at Best Answer, as I do view high Best Answer percentages as something worth aiming for. ♦As for the matter of doing it to challenge others, I don't really ask that many questions on here, but I definitely DO enjoy the competitive air on here sometimes, with everyone thinking their answer is best, and usually find these kind of competitive questions/answers in the more controversial categories. ♦As for being helpful, I must say it does motivate me in answering the questions, and it is a good feeling knowing that I am helping people out (they have notified me that I helped them, or mention it when giving me BA), even if it's just about the 'little things in life' like on how to change their avatar or sync their iPod. So, all in all, I must say, there are many reasons why I come to Y! answers, almost daily. But, for the most reason, I think it's because I just enjoy filling the empty gaps at work, especially with such an (almost) amazing site as this, with ALL different kinds of question, answers, and people! Take care........ EDIT: AND, as an afterthought, I have noticed that Y! Answers has definitely made me think in a deeper way, by noticing the different kinds of people and types there are out there!
How does Quora gets mostly thoughtful, well-informed answers, whereas other Q&A sites like Yahoo answers get inane nonsense?
Had Quora not been different from other sites it wouldn't have been popular.Quora is still in the development phase and they are trying to make it a great product.There are many reasons why Quora is what it is and some of them are:-BNBR (Be nice, be respectful) policy of Quora. This is the most important point. Try abusing on Quora. You will be downvoted within minutes by Quorans and Quora Moderation will delete your comment or collapse your answer. If you still don't follow BNBR policy your account will be banned. Quora is very strict with BNBR policy.Quora Moderation that collapses short answers unless the answer is from a Top Writer.The ’Top Writer’ title. I think many people want to earn this title in many topics and for that they work hard.Quora has more educated active users as compared to other sites. The extremists, abusive, casteists, irrational, intolerant people don't take much interest in Quora. Though the site is gaining a lot of popularity these days yet such people are not here in significant numbers till now.
How can we prevent Quora from turning into Yahoo! Answers?
With all due respect, I sometimes think they should be stricter.I feel sad when I read things, that in MY opinion contain underlying racism on the part of the questioner.Things like: Why does everyone think Australian aboriginals are ugly? There are hundreds of variations of this question and for some reason I get asked to answer these types of questions. Quite honestly it makes me feel like crying.Or the: Why does everyone think an average white girl is beautiful and a beautiful black girl ugly? (It sickens me to even write this).Don’t the writers of these questions notice how insulting they are? Are they trying to provoke the 0.01% of the population that are probably racist and hate everyone. Are they trying to prove that white people are racist without noticing how racist their own question is?And also, as a question, it is a flawed question, a sub-par question, and definitely an ignorant question because it’s based on an fictitious assumption that the questioner has just dreamed up in their head.I mean, is it a forgone conclusion that everyone thinks that an aboriginal is ugly?? NO, NO, NO, then why is that question allowed in a quality site such as Quora. It belongs on a hate site.I don’t think anyone would miss my existence on Quora if I left it, but whenever I read such ignorance I really feel like giving it up. It kinda ruins my day.