Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

Questions about your new profile?

The migration to the new Yahoo! profile platform is almost complete for Answers  and we understand some of you are concerned about certain changes.  Rest assured, as we are always working on improvements, your feedback is very important hence we would like to address some of the issues you have raised over the past weeks.

What if I want a different image for Answers?

Remember, you can change your profile image whenever you want. Feel free to post a different profile picture so you don’t feel like you are always displaying the same image. Also, don’t forget you can also use an avatar on Answers. We have many cool avatars that can be personalized to reflect your individuality (check them out here: http://avatars.yahoo.com). As mentioned before, for those of you who display an avatar on Answers, both avatar and nickname will continue to remain the same.

What about resizing my image?

You’ve also noticed images have to be cropped in your Yahoo! profile. If you’re worried about losing part of the image, why not choose one with a large background? This way, the square cropping required in your Yahoo! profile will have a minimal effect.

In other words, the same image I display on Answers will also appear in places like Flickr?

Your universal profile on Yahoo! is gradually being rolled out in phases, so there are currently a few properties (including Flickr, MyBlogLog, Messenger, etc.) that do not use profiles at this time.  The profiles team is working closely with each of the other Yahoo! properties to create a smooth transition to the new profiles service. We know that you value your experiences on Yahoo! and want to make sure that the integrity of these sites (and your membership) is maintained, which is why this process has been done gradually instead of all at once.

Please continue to share your constructive feedback with us, as we know the only way for us to improve these services is with your help.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

 For more information why not try: 

• Yahoo! Profiles blog post 
• Yahoo! Answers Forum thread about Profiles

 We’re always working on improvements and new features to ensure you, the community, get the most out of Yahoo! Answers. Today is no different.

Today we are introducing a new “Suggested Questions” module on the Yahoo! Answers homepage. Some of you have told us that it can be time consuming to find questions that match your interests. You also told us that one of the things you love about Yahoo! Answers is when an expert in the field finds your question and gives you an amazing answer. So, we looked for a smart way to present questions to the most relevant answerers.

With this new feature, Yahoo! Answers users will be able to see questions that are better suited to their interests and areas of expertise, rather than just those most recently posted. And, while it will only appear for some of our most active members, we think it can positively impact our whole community by helping improve both the quality and speed of answers on the site.

The suggestions are based on your most recent activity on Yahoo! Answers. For example: if you recently answered many questions related to a specific make or model of mobile phone, it is most likely that you will get more suggested questions related to this subject matter. It’s that easy.

You’ll find Suggested Questions displayed on the homepage of Yahoo! Answers as well as on the confirmation page after you have asked or answered a question.

If you aren’t seeing the module, don’t fret. For now, only Yahoo! Answers users with a significant amount of activity around a topic will receive suggested questions, but the more active you are on Yahoo! Answers, the easier it will be for us to know what you are passionate and knowledgeable about.  Once we know this, it will enable us to present you with questions that best match your interests, too.

As always, we want to give you as much control as possible, so you can modify your profile settings if you want to receive a different number of Suggested Questions. Alternatively, if you prefer to only see the most recent questions, you can opt-out of Suggested Questions completely (if you change your mind, you can re-activate this feature). Simply, edit your profile and untick the “Suggest me questions based upon my activity” option.

Remember that we need you to be active on a topic for a certain time to start offering you suggested questions.

And, of course, these questions are private: only you will see the questions related to your activity. So, what are you waiting for? Check out your Yahoo! Answers homepage and enjoy the new shortcut to share your knowledge.

Please visit our help pages for more information on suggested questions.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers Team

Following last week’s announcement, the transition to the new Yahoo! Profiles is now taking place on Answers. You will start noticing changes in your options. What does this mean? From now on,  instead of importing your image display from Yahoo! 360, Answers will use the image from your Yahoo! Profile. For those who like to have different images, keep in mind that in the future only one image will be displayed in all of Yahoo! Services. 360 users should update their image and make sure they keep the one they want.

To ensure that the image you want to show on Answers is the right one, we recommend you go to http://profiles.yahoo.com now and activate your new profile. Once you’re there, you’ll be asked to verify some information that you’ve previously shared with Yahoo!, and to select the image you’d like to share with the Answers community.

If you have never used other Yahoo! services and haven’t activated your profile yet, your image will show up as the “Gray Face.”

For those of you who display an Avatar on Answers – don’t worry. This won’t change.

Both Avatars and nicknames will continue to remain the same on Answers.

Got more questions? Leave us a comment and let us know!

“What age do you think it’s OK to start drinking and why?”

“Who do you think should be giving information about alcohol to young people and why?”

– Dr Mark Hamilton

Drinking is an undeniably a favourite pastime for many British adults. But move any discussion to the topic of alcohol and under 18s and you may find the topic becomes heated. It’s a controversial subject that impinges on social, health and parenting issues.

That’s why Radio 1’s resident doctor, Mark Hamilton has teamed up with the government’s Department for Children, Schools & Families to find out more about what you think. You can let them know by answering Dr Mark’s question or going to the consultation site.

As part of this consultation Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer says:

“Evidence shows how parents can influence young people’s alcohol use, by having strict rules on young people’s drinking; through supervision and management; and through the closeness of their relationships with their children.  Parents and carers have asked for clear messages and we do not have all the answers, which is why this consultation has been set up.

“With the help of key stakeholders as well as parents and young people, we hope that this guidance will act as a valuable tool for reducing the impact of youth alcohol consumption on health, crime, violence and anti-social behaviour.”

The Chief Medical Officers’ Guidance on the Consumption of Alcohol by Children and Young People advises:

• an alcohol-free childhood is the safest option – if children drink alcohol, it shouldn’t be before they reach 15 years old;
• for those aged 15 – 17 years old all alcohol consumption should be with the guidance of a parent or carer or in a supervised environment;
• children aged 15 – 17 years old should never exceed adult
• recommended daily maximums. As a general guide, children aged 15 and 16 should not usually drink on more than one day a week, children aged 17 should drink on no more than two days a week;
• parental influences on children’s alcohol use should be communicated to parents, carers and professionals. Parents and carers need advice on how to respond to alcohol use and misuse by children;
• support services must be available for children and young people who have alcohol related problems and their parents

For more information or to get involved before the closing date of 23rd April 2009, please visit: www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations or email alcohol.consultation@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Know someone who shares your interests? Fascinated by a relationship guru or a physics expert? Let your favorite users become part of your very own personal network on Answers.

How does it work?

Adding people to the Answers Contacts Network is literally a few clicks away! It can be as simple as following the “Add to My Contacts” link on any profile page or Avatar rollover. You can also invite friends from outside of Answers to join your network. Your friends can even be Contacts from your Yahoo! Address Book. Visit our “Invite a Friend” page to start sending out invitations to your friends. By adding people to your network, you will have direct access to their Q&A. Their most recent content will appear on the Answers homepage and on your profile page. You will also be able to see which questions your friends have starred. If you want to look at more Q&A, click on “My Network’s Q&A”, which is located at the top of your profile page.

Users who have added you to their network are called “Fans.” You can view your fans by clicking on the “Fans” tab on your profile page. When you add someone as a “Contact,” you will appear in their “Fans” tab as well.

What if I don’t want fans?

Easy! You can always opt out of the contact network.

- Go to your profile and click on “Edit my Info.”

- Uncheck the box that says “Allow other people to be my Fan” under the “Yahoo! Answers Network” preferences.

What about you? Do you already have a contact network? Any interesting story with your friends on Answers? Leave us a comment and share your story