Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

Today, we want to remind you about the various ways you have to communicate with us and where you can find more information about Answers.

What do I need to know?

The Community Guidelines and the Terms of Service are two basic documents in which all the guidelines that rule Answers are written. You can find a link to these at the bottom of all Yahoo! Answers pages.

If you are about to post something, but are not sure whether it violates the Community Guidelines, you have a handy link at the bottom of the page where you can double check.

Where can go if you want to appeal?

If your content has been deleted and, after reading the Community Guidelines and the ToS you still feel it was a mistake, you just need to click on the link “appeal” that appears on the notification email and explain us the reasons why you think the content should not have been taken down. We’ll be happy to review it!

And what about if you don’t know how to do something?

Well, especially for that we have created the help pages.

Here you can find info regarding how to use Answers and its various features. Just browse the categories to find what you are looking for.

If you cannot find an answer to your question there, you can always go to the Forum or to the Yahoo! Answers category within Answers. This category was especially created for you to ask the community about things you don’t know how to do. The community is always happy to help and the most experienced members are eager to share their knowledge.

Want to be the first to know?

Then, the blog is your place. Here you will find the latest news, tips and other interesting stuff from the Answers Community. Subscribe to the RSS, keep and eye on it and you won’t miss our next post!

And what happens if you have feedback?

We’ve also thought about that: you can come to the blog and leave us a comment, go to the forum, or fill in the feedback form that you will find at the bottom of each page. We will be happy to hear your ideas to improve the product!

So, if you have any comments, go ahead and add one below!

Last week we posted a question on Answers asking you to come up with your question for Leonardo DiCaprio for the upcoming release of Ridley Scott latest movie, Body of Lies.

Congratulations to Yemini: we’ve got an answer to your question for Leo!

Here’s his interview and most importantly his answer to you:

Yemini asked:

“Do you prefer to play a character who is the opposite of you or someone with the same beliefs and why?“

Leonardo DiCaprio answered:

“It’s often more interesting to play somebody that is the opposite of you, not to say that this character wasn’t…

I mean obviously my life is nothing like a CIA operative in the Middle East but I am more akin in the political sort of beliefs of this character so I do have a connection with this character.

But when you’re able to forget who you are totally and throw away all your sort of moral connection to anything, it’s often a lot of fun to do.”

We hope you all enjoyed the chance to get an answer from a super star and we’d like to thank Yahoo! Movies for giving us this opportunity!

We currently have a weekend in Paris to give away to the Best Answer to this question and you can also answer Ricky Gervais’s question on the nature of humour.

Also you can subscribe to the Answers blog now or add it to My Yahoo! and be the first to hear about competitions and celebrities on Answers, we’ve got lots in store for you!

Recently some of the community asked us to clarify what images and avatars are acceptable on Answers. Avatars and images are a great way to personalise your Answers profile, they add a creative touch and can express to everyone who you are and what you’re interested in answering. But as some users have expressed confusion, we wanted to respond to everyone on what’s OK and not OK.

How do I choose an image or avatar for my profile?

To choose an image or avatar for my profile, take the following steps.

1. Go to Answers
2. Click on My Profile
3. Sign into your Answers account with your Yahoo! ID and Password
4. Click Edit My Info and go to the subheading Picture

In the Picture section you will see the default, which is No Picture, that gives you a grey avatar. If you wish to use one of the Yahoo! Avatars, click “Edit my Yahoo! avatar” link, choose from one of the Yahoo! avatars and the select the Use my Yahoo! Avatar button on your Answers Profile.

If you want to use an image on your Answers profile, you can upload one to your Yahoo! 360 profile and then click the “Use my Yahoo! 360 picture”. This then brings up the issue of what is an acceptable image on Answers.

What is an acceptable image on my Answers Profile?

Answers is a broad and diverse community, full of passionate askers and answerers and we’re keen to ensure the images you use to personalise your profile reflect this. It is, however, important to remember that Answers Profile Images are subject to the Community Guidelines and Terms of Service and many of the clauses in each of these apply just as much to images as to questions or answers.  Members who have violated the Community Guidelines are at risk for review and possible termination of their Answers accounts. In extreme cases, members risk losing their Yahoo! ID, and consequently, access to all other Yahoo! services.

Being mean or obscene

Because kids as young as 13 may participate in Yahoo! Answers, sexually explicit and vulgar language and images are not welcome on the site.

Several of you have been asking for clarification on what constitutes a sexually explicit image and we understand the same image can generate differences of opinions in the community. However from a Yahoo! Answers standpoint you may not use an avatar that depicts nudity or sexual acts. Specifying what constitutes an adult image can be tricky, but as a rule of thumb, if it’s a photo of something you would acceptably see at a family public swimming pool, it’s OK. Beyond that, it’s not OK. This includes depictions of people, computer-generated images and cartoons.

Violating the law

Members of Yahoo! Answers are not above the law, so don’t post anything that violates the laws of your country, state, province, or city. Don’t try to trick people into sharing their personal information, steal anything (like copyright or trademark material), or break into places you shouldn’t be. Don’t threaten, harass, impersonate, or hurt others, and don’t invade other people’s privacy.

The Violating the Law section of the Community Guidelines also applies to Profile images. Needless to say any image that breaks the law is unacceptable on Answers, in whatever form it takes. Using images to “threaten, harass, impersonate, or hurt others, and don’t invade other people’s privacy” is also unacceptable. Images that make gestures to insult other members of community, incite hate speech or attempt to disrupt the functions of the site are also unacceptable.

What is the future of Answers Profile Images?

Currently, if you wish to have your own image rather than a Yahoo! Avatar on your Answers Profile, you need to add an image to your Yahoo! 360 Profile and then select “Use my Yahoo! 360 picture”. But early next year Answers will be transitioning to use the new Yahoo! Profiles platform instead of 360. Between now and then we would strongly recommend you sign up for a Yahoo! Profile before we make this transition.

Profiles is all about you-your connections, your updates, your privacy settings, your life. Yahoo! Profiles will help you better connect with the people that matter to you in the easiest way possible, whether it’s sharing your recent updates or connecting with people from your address book. Learn more about Profiles here. The Profiles platform also brings the additional benefits to Answers of being able to report an image itself, rather than the question or answer that it accompanies.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

The competition has now ended – thanks all for your great answers!

Congratulations to our winner: Mark. You can check the Best Answer and all other brilliant answers here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last night a new US President was elected, an exciting prospect for both the entire US electorate and the global Answers community as a whole. And while Yahoo! Answers does not endorse any one political viewpoint, a new President will bring leadership when the US and indeed the global economy needs it most.

Luckily for Answers users the two candidates, from which the President Elect was chosen, have never been so close. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have used Answers as a platform to encourage debate and discussion over the last year, receiving over 34000 replies collectively.

Barack Obama posed the question:

How can we engage more people in the democratic process?

The Best Answer, one of over 17000 that “tremendously impressed” Obama, came from Rebecca W in CA. It began:

“As a parent of 2 teenage daughters, I hear the frustration they share with “rigged class elections, popularity vs. content, etc.” within their own peer elections. I worry that our youth is missing the truth and honor of “personal integrity” and need to learn democratic integrity first from their parents and then from public role models such as teachers, community leaders and elected officials.

The democratic process should begin in the home with active parenting; not passive or dictatorship styles. Active parenting provides a forum to share and to hear ideas, solutions, praise, criticism, etc. as well as an understanding that one’s ideas should always be heard, considered and respected, but not necessarily always taken. This foundation then naturally expands into school where teachers may mirror this type of democratic atmospheres. Additionally, I feel more demonstrative practice is needed within the school system in order for our youth to understand the democratic process on a personalized local level. Washington is far away; OUR community is right in front of us.”

Read the rest of her answer here:

Thanks to Answers Rebecca also got to speak about her question to Barack Obama directly. Watch it on video here:

Yahoo! Answers does not endorse any one political viewpoint and so naturally we extended an invitation to all candidates to share their knowledge with the answers community.

As such John McCain posed the question:

What would you do to stop wasteful government spending in Washington?

The Best Answer one of over 16700 replies, came from Suthern R:

“Reward federal agencies for coming in under budget and STOP punishing them for saving money. Right now, if a group in the federal government does not spend all the money allotted in the budget for that year, they lose the money and they are further punished by having their budget reduced by that amount the following year. This flawed practice only encourages them to spend any excess monies at the end of the fiscal year to avoid having that money taken away and not getting the same budget the following year.”

Read the rest of his answer here:

After his question John McCain gave his some insight into his thoughts on what he sees as irresponsible spending on the Answers blog:

– Yahoo! Answers team

Five big political questions:

• Based on your own family’s experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America?

– Hillary Clinton

• Congress is working on legislation to address global warming – what would you like to see included?

– Nancy Pelosi

• How can we change the tax code to ease the burden on our families and promote growth and innovation?

– Mitt Romney

• What do you think it will take to reverse the effects of global climate change?

– Al Gore

• How can we help to prevent and someday eradicate breast cancer, which has touched the lives of so many people?

– Hillary Clinton