What’s the big deal about chat on Yahoo! Answers?
Last week’s post by our US sister-blog about avatar games stirred up some strong reactions to the rules regarding chat in the Community Guidelines. So what do we have against chat? Absolutely nothing. Chat away on Yahoo! Messenger or Groups — just not on Answers. We’re not trying to be mean or limit free speech — we just want to maintain the mission of Yahoo! Answers:
Yahoo! Answers connects people to the information they’re seeking with those who know it. Everyone has life experience and knowledge about something, and Yahoo! Answers provides a way for people to share their experience and insight.
Like any other community, we have a core set of principles that must be followed by all members. Some of those core principles are: sharing what you know, being courteous, and asking clear questions. Examples of unacceptable behaviour include: ranting, hate speech, cheating, behaving maliciously, and chatting. If you want to participate in Answers, we ask that you abide by the Community Guidelines and Yahoo! Terms of Service.
While chatting seems innocuous in comparison to more-obvious offenses, we discourage it because it doesn’t add to the intent of the site: to share quality knowledge. Answers was never meant to function as a chat room or a forum . There are other outlets (like Yahoo! Groups) that are ideal for this type of social networking, and we hope you’ll channel your inner chat into these more-appropriate venues.
Still unsure about what’s considered chat? Here are a few examples to help clear up the confusion:
Chatty: “Do you like my poem?”
Better: “How can I improve my poem?”
Chatty: “Do you like my avatar?”
Better: “How do I make my avatar look more fun or attractive?”
The Guidelines weren’t created as a cloaked attempt to exercise ultimate universal power over Answers members — really. They’re meant to provide common sense ground rules so we all know what to expect inside the Yahoo! Answers community. That’s not such a bad thing, is it?
Instead of having to report abuse, wouldn’t you much rather see it prevented in the first place?
NB: Just to clarify, it’s fine to be conversational within your actual question or answer
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yes i posted this question
How do I make my avatar look more fun or attractive
AND it STILL got removed
I was sharing my experience, and even that got removed! A TROLL is reporting every questions I’ve asked, even if they do not violate the guidelines crap….Appeal against violations almost never work!
Shame on you guys…talking about guidelines and yet removing questions and answers which do not violate them.
“it’s fine to be conversational within your actual question or answer”
Is that so?
Many a Q&A have been deleted for having a ‘conversational’ nature despite the fact that they clearly ask or answer a question.
Perhaps if the Y!A staff actually checked the questions and answers they were deleting, we wouldn’t have perfectly fine Q&As deleted and perfectly fine members being violated.
Perhaps if the Y!A staff actually replied personally to our specific enquiries rather than sending us automated responses, there would be less confusion.
Just a thought.
Hey Kamilah,
If you feel your content was deleted in error, we strongly advise you to appeal it! The link is in the violation email.
Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team
I got a violation for racism for saying a guy at my work is Polish.
I’m fed up with the standard “clear up your spelling and grammar and then I’ll help you” answer. Not only does it discriminate against dyslexic users, it also involves people using the answer feature to state their views which have no relation to the question.
i asked a question about how i could improve my website as it was a 1st attempt and was new to that sort of thing, yet it was removed. TWICE!! then when i appealed i got told that if it happened again my account would be blocked
I think yahoo needs to take a step back and look at itself realistically. As todays questions will show you there’s 90% b/s on here! Yahoo answers is so far removed from it’s originally purpose why don’t you just admit it’s succesful as it is.
And how is it? It’s a competition who can give the wittiest answer. I have asked (under another guise) so many serious questions and got either nothing in return or just corny remarks. Most of the answers on here should be removed, more than the questions.
This really isn’t a serious answers site. If you’re going to make violations for chatting,try looking at the answers given here. Hold on, I’ll be back with examples from todays answers.
Ok I’m back with two examples, I could find loads if I had the time. The first, someone asked a Q in bad english, but it was obvious what he meant.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnupN0vlSHJH59SftcVwbQwhBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20080523010003AAEgD0x&show=7#profile-info-4o2H8Hhoaa
The second is a joke. It only escapes ‘chat’ because he asked at the end if it’s funny or not.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtghIrRdsBxqcLdNZTDiVN2xBwx.;_ylv=3?qid=20080523044126AAqFaEn
Now shouldn’t everyone of those answers in example a be violated? And both the Q and answers in example b ?
Just these two examples show you exactly what yahoo answers is, and not what you wanted it to be.
I’d say the vast majority of users on here are here for the fun, and that is what this site is popular for.
mylot.com is what you guys had in mind, but ya doesn’t work that way.
Hey Zbdboing,
While we can’t publicly comment on individual cases, we appreciate your feedback.
Obviously there are some users chatting but equally there are some amazing contributors providing some remarkable answers.
Just take Tunisian Belle, who’s profiled here and will return again to the Answers blog next week: http://www.yanswersbloguk.com/b4/?p=219
One of the purposes of the Yahoo! Answers blog is to provide feedback to the Community. Another is to celebrate the strongest contributors – you only have to look daily at the Best of Answers on the Answers homepage to see the wealth of high quality content the community are providing.
thanks!
– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team
Serious questions and answers are asked. I’ve had good answers when asking questions, but what is annoying is people who don’t know the answer and are just after two points. I’ve also helped other people.
YA is not a chat site and was never intended as a chat site. Yes, get rid of the chat, even if the majority of users want it as a chat site. Say that people go to a library to chat (and it does happen). You’d still try to keep the building as a library rather than change it to a room where people could go to chat.
Will Yahoo actually listen to what the majority of its customers are saying???As long as something is not offensive or nasty let it go…….The site has evolved into fun as well as serious questions…the two can work toghether.The self reporting system DOES NOT WORK.Use some of your advert revenue to have a Yahoo employee bound by a code to randomly remove offense stuff and leave the rest of us to have fun..Will you listen???
I think the Yahoo team response is great – ‘If you feel your content was deleted in error, we strongly advise you to appeal it! The link is in the violation email.’
I have tried that before and it is just drones sending out standard response e-mails, and basically saying no. Ok I must confess I had one question re-instated but by the time they did I couldn’t extend the expiration or pick a best answer because the time limit had been exceeded.
Before Yahoo start preaching at us and telling us we should appeal maybe they should clean up their act and get the appeals process working
I think Yahoo should pay more attention to its customers. We are the one who make the site entertaining. Fun + Serious Answers= a good atmosphere. It will be boring if it was like an enclycopedia. As Jo mentioned,as long as its not nasty and offensive,then let it go.
If someone post a Q saying ‘Who wants to chat with me’ then I agree,its not right.
But if someone ask ‘Do you like my poem’
To me thats a Question simple as it is. You guys aint gonna teach all your customers of how to ask a question!!!
I spend every single night on Yahoo,helping others,and theres thousands like me who enjoyed it,so I think its in your company’s own interest to treat its customers fairly and well.
Just make a poll and see how it goes!