Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

The pitter-patter of tiny feet, the still gaze from innocent eyes and the magic of a soft touch; babies really are a bundle of joy. And if you are about to welcome one into the family, you’ll know that it’s a big change in life – new beginnings, new experiences and new questions; the questions, which keep the Pregnancy & Parenting category alive.

From the very start of a pregnancy to the day when a child is grown up, advice and tips are valuable for any parent. Luckily for them, many of these can be found on Answers, with many questions from happy yet nervous mums-to-be wondering what they can and cannot eat during their pregnancy, or asking about how to best cope with those months of change.

Although most parents may have decided already, many still face the problem of choosing the perfect name for their new arrival. So if you’re stuck for what to choose, why not post your question on Answers and someone might just suggest the perfect name? Although once one has been found, the less exciting side of parenthood still remain – exhausting days, sleepless nights and dirty nappies. So, if, like numerous users, you’re having trouble keeping your baby in the land of nod throughout the night, you’ll see how with a few hints, things don’t need to be so knackering.

Sometimes as the young members of the family get bigger, so do the worries. Toddlers can keep parents on their toes with a stubborn refusal to eat at dinner times, and also keep them entertained with daily tantrums about one thing or another. Let a few more years pass and sibling rivalry enters the scene, followed by the terrible teenage years.

But ask any parent and they will say that each sleepless night and every never-ending tantrum is worth it. After all, babies are lovely beings, who continue to intrigue us. From wondering how they get birthmarks to asking about why they have more bones than adults, Answerers have shown that sometimes it’s the small things that throw up the biggest questions.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

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 Sometimes, no matter what you’ve faced in the past, you encounter situations that leave you totally overwhelmed. Perhaps it’s your first taste of DIY, a daunting task in anyone’s book. Maybe your new pet’s behaviour is baffling you: just what does it want? Sometimes planning a holiday somewhere distant and exotic proves tricky. Or perhaps you’ve just become a parent: now, where did you put “Babies: the Manual” again?

In times of need, Answers is an essential resource to solve those “first time” conundrums and from this Monday (24th of September), Christian O’Connell, host of Virgin Radio’s Breakfast Show will be reaching out to his listeners and the Answers community. He’ll be asking them to share their experiences and knowledge, posing questions to his radio listeners and asking others on Answers itself.

Christian will be picking the best on air answers live and the winners will be receiving some quite staggering first-time prizes, experiences such as flying with a fighter pilot, swimming with crocodiles, eating underwater in the Maldives or sand surfing in South Africa. The Best Answer to his questions on Answers will also receive an exciting prize, which will be announced on Christian’s show.

So from Monday, tune in from 6am to 10am to share your answers and win prizes. And don’t forget to look out for his questions, right here on Yahoo! Answers.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

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 Thanks, everyone, for all of your comments, suggestions, and messages of support for community moderation. We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions from the past few days and provided answers to them. Please let us know when you have questions and suggestions; we’re committed to working with you to make this system a success.

How do I know if I’m considered a trusted reporter?

Trust levels are always in flux, and there isn’t a “Trusted Reporter” title you can earn. This is why there are no “indicators” or “badges” for your Answers account telling you that you’re trusted. Whether a question or answer is removed by the community depends on many factors, including the trust and quality levels of the reporters and the person being reported.

I reported something and it wasn’t removed right away. Does this mean I’m not trusted?

No. The system is new and in Beta, so not all questions and answers are being moderated by the community. Some reports are still being sent to our Customer Care team for review. The two systems are working in parallel until we feel comfortable enough to make it 100% community-moderated. Just because the question or answer you reported wasn’t removed right away does not mean you’re not trusted. Trust scores are always in flux, so there isn’t a “trusted” or “not trusted” account status. Whether or not a question or answer is removed right away when you report it depends on metrics that include your trust score, the trust score of others who have reported it, and the trust score of the poster. It also depends on whether the report is being sent to the Customer Care team or the community moderation system.

Does an abusive question or answer stay on Answers because it takes more than one trusted reporter to remove it?

The number of people it takes to remove a question or answer varies depending on many factors. In general, abusive content will be removed much faster than the couple of hours it typically took in the old model.

What safeguards do you have to prevent people from “ganging up” on others?

We’re looking at many types of data to determine whether or not to remove a question or answer automatically. If several people erroneously report abuse, all of their reputations will decrease, and they will have less influence in the future.

What safeguards do you have to prevent people from earning a high trust, then abusing that power?

Trust levels are ever-changing, based on a community member’s activities in Yahoo! Answers. Users may become highly trusted through accurate reporting and other quality contributions, but if they begin to abuse their power, their reputations will decrease in trust level.

How do I report point-gaming and other behind-the-scenes abuse now that I can no longer enter details (free-form field) in an abuse report?

If you suspect abusive behaviour and it’s not apparent in their question or answer, email the UK & Ireland Answers team at y_answrs_team_uk@yahoo.co.uk for further investigation.

How do I report abusive avatars and nicknames?

Simply report the question or answer that the abusive avatar or nickname appears on. We realise that this is confusing for many people, so we’ll work to improve this process. Alternatively, you can report abusive avatars to the Yahoo! 360 team. Because Answers avatars are taken from Yahoo! 360, you may find that if you report it to Yahoo! 360°, the abusive avatar is removed faster.

Does being a Top Contributor factor into being a trusted reporter?

No, being a Top Contributor does not make a community member a more trusted reporter. More important considerations are high-quality overall contributions, reporting history, and other factors.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers Team

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The 2007 Rugby World Cup is well underway and what a long way the game has come since its now legendary inception in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, a pupil at the school of Rugby, took the ball in his arms during a game of football. He ran, “with fine disregard for the rules of the game” and in that act created the now familiar game of rugby football.

For both newcomers to the game and seasoned fans the rules of the sport can often provide more of a talking point than the actual action. Luckily help is on hand for beginners from the Answers community where you can find out a brief summary of the rules, including the hand off and the complications of the scrum.

While Rugby’s popularity has grown in recent years it wasn’t until 1987 that the first of the five world cup tournaments took place. It was held in both Australia and New Zealand, and the All Blacks sealed their reputation as the one of the major players in the game by taking the first world title. Will it be their year this time around? Certainly they have fielded some of the best players of all time in the past, like Jonah Lomu, and will need to match those levels again to triumph.

Or will it be one of the northern hemisphere nations’ chance to take home the coveted Web Ellis trophy? Can England reign supreme in Paris and hold on to their world title? Who will take home the cup? It’s too early to call, but if you’re curious why not pose your questions in our rugby category. One thing is certain, between now and October 20th sweat will pour and many battles fought on the road to one team becoming the champions.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

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 Europe 2007: we have a European currency, a European flag and European laws. But despite all these assets, how often is the future of Europe discussed with the actual citizens of any of the 26 other member states?

Well, this is the challenge undertaken by Tomorrow’s Europe: to bring together 400 citizens of the 27 member states for one weekend of deliberation within the European Parliament. However, European integration is also possible through the internet and with this in mind, Tomorrow’s Europe have asked the Yahoo! Answers community to take part in the project, by posting some European questions to the Answers community.

For the very first time, 400 citizens from the 27 member states will meet for three days at the European Parliament in Brussels, on 12th-14th October, to discuss the future of Europe with each other and with high-profile European political leaders.

To celebrate this occasion, Yahoo! Answers will be launching a month of dialog on, with ten or so questions being posted by Tomorrow’s Europe about the future of the European Union. The project uses an innovative method, created and framed by professors of Stanford University, called a Deliberative Poll. Initially, a traditional survey is carried out on several thousands of European citizens (in this particular case, on the future of the European Union), then they propose to 400 of them to meet and deliberate on the questions submitted.

This method already proved to be successful in particular in Bulgaria concerning the integration of the Rom populations, in Northern Ireland on education, in the area of Lazio in Italy with regards to the healthcare system, in Athens and in Great Britain who have already experienced five Deliberative Polls.

Tomorrow’s Europe will be the first experiment of Deliberative Poll on a trans-national scale, so we hope you enjoy reading and contributing to the questions posted. The future of Europe might just depend upon it.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

Answer Tomorrow’s Europe’s questions:

1. Should new countries join the EU? If so, which ones and why?

2. Are you in favour of a European tax? If so or not, why?

3. In the future will a European army be more useful than national armies? If so or not, why?

4. What values and political priorities make Europeans distinct from the rest of the world?

5. Do you favour a European minimum wage? Why?

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