Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

“What could Hollywood do to make its films even better?”

– Greg Strause, Hollywood director

Film remains one of the world’s most popular art forms but we live in an era where it’s primary producer, Hollywood, faces challenges from all directions. Peer to peer networks threaten sales. The ubiquity of cheap digital photography has changed the landscape for the big production houses, so that they now compete with hundreds of highly mobile digital upstarts. Will the tail bite the head?

The film industry isn’t going to crumble at the sight of a little competition however, and nowhere is this more apparent than it’s annual shindig, the Cannes Festival. As the big and the brave prepare to unveil their latest offerings in the south of France, we have a big question from the co-director of “Aliens v Predator – Requiem,” Greg Strause.

“What could Hollywood do to make its films even better?”

The Answers debate to this big question rages: it’s currently on track to make the all time top 10 most replied to questions in the UK & Ireland Answers, ahead of such luminaries as Robert De Niro, Natalie Portman and Keane. Who will win best answer?

In the meantime the film industry’s annual shindig carries on. For more than 60 years, the what is arguably most important film festival the “Festival de Cannes” celebrates the motion-picture industry for twelve days. “Croisette” frenzy ensues, climaxing with one movie being awarded the prestigious “Palme d’Or.”

But why Cannes? This small city in the south of France was chosen to host the event because of its “sunshine and enchanting settings” making the place a favoured spot for holidays.

Naturally the public are welcome but accessing the exclusive parties is nearly impossible. The focus is on film-directors and producers – yes there is a difference – coming to present and talk about their latest masterpiece. Besides the official selection, there is also a parallel market for independent film makers to sell their movies.

The most-watched event is however the traditional red carpet, where the most famous actors and actresses of all time make the show what it is today. That’s where the real competition happens with actresses rivalling each other with sexy designer outfits and expensive jewellery. Glamour? Well, if anyone can, Hollywood and Cannes can.

— Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

As we explained in a previous post, we have made a couple of improvements and additions to our new blog. The one that has caught your eye the most has apparently been MyBlogLog – and we thought that you might like to have more info on this. Well… here you are:

MyBlogLog is a tool that allows you to interact with a whole community of bloggers.

The Answers blog MyBlogLog module (on the right-hand side of this page) displays our most recent visitors from the MyBlogLog community.

By joining MyBlogLog you can add a MyBlogLog module to your blog, track your stats and create your own community.

Also, MyBlogLog help you stay in touch with your friends and manage a community around your own blog: you can see who the recent readers were, join their communities or look for other communities of readers that you may find of interest.

MyBlogLog also allows you to send messages to other members.

How can I join MyBlogLog?

Easy! You only need to click on “Join this Community”

• Sign up with your Yahoo! ID

• Create a new account

• Add your blog or website (if you want!)

Don’t worry – if you don’t like MyBlogLog, you can leave at any time, but why not give it a try and expand your reach beyond the Answers community?

How do I join the Answers Blog Community?

Once you have created your MyBlogLog account you only need to click on “Join this Community” on the Answers blog MyBlogLog module and confirm that you want to join our community. Simple huh?

Enjoy!

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

“Given the pace of the modern game, do we need two referees on the pitch? If so, why?”

– Stefan Effenberg

As a player he won some of the hardest games in European football, and on Answers Stefan Effenberg doesn’t pull out of tackling the big issues either.

“I am a person who always speaks his mind very clearly and doesn’t topple down if I find myself sailing against the wind,” he admits

Sliding into the sticky field of making tough decisions, he’s joined Answers to ask a big question: would two referees be better than one?

Big refereeing decisions can turn a game, or worse still, kill it off all together. Small clubs complain decisions routinely go against them; big clubs suffer on the biggest stages.

Either way, it’s undeniably true that the game has got faster. As referees, often decades older than the players, are required to keep up with the pace of the game perhaps one in each half would be best?

Then again, what if they disagree? Whose decision is it if a foul is committed in both halves at once? Have your say here.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

PS: For more questions and answers try our football category…

Recently we received some great news that we couldn’t wait to share. It seems you, the amazing Answers community and your achievements are not going unnoticed.

We’ll allow Hitwise to explain in its own words:

“Hitwise is pleased to announce that uk.answers.yahoo.com is a Hitwise Number 1 Award winner for the quarter ending ending January – March 2008.

During this period, uk.answers.yahoo.com ranked No. 1 based on market share of visits among all United Kingdom websites in the Hitwise Education – Reference industry.

The Hitwise Number 1 Award recognises websites from over 160 industries that are leaders in their industry and brings with it the benefit of using the Hitwise Number 1 Award shield.”

Yahoo! Answers is nothing without you, the community, so on behalf of the Answers team, we’d like to dedicate this award to all of you, for your hard work in asking, answering and helping make the site what it is today: No.1

Congratulations!

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

As we continue to change and improve Answers we wanted to improve the ways we communicate and expand the ways we engage with you, the Answers community.  We hope our shiny, new blog will help us do just that! 

 So what’s changed? On the upper right of the page, you’ll see a link to Yahoo! Answers as well as tools for finding information. The Search box gives you three places to look in: Blog, Web, or Answers. If you still don’t find what you need, you can post a question directly to Answers from the box below Search.

 You’ll also find subscription links for My Yahoo! and RSS feeds, blogs we like, and recent readers from the MyBlogLog community.  Be sure to join the MyBlogLog community and see your profile appear in this section. 

 Beneath each post you can comment on it (please do!), add the post to del.icio.us, or go directly to Yahoo! Answers.

 What hasn’t changed? The Yahoo! Answers blog is still the place to come for product updates, announcements, community guideline features, and staff picks as well as timely, anecdotal, and (we hope) informative posts highlighting the topics we find in our meanderings through the Answers community.

 Thanks for checking out our new blog!

–Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team