Yahoo! Answers

OMG lOlz, like its totaly teh suxx0r. Ahem. Sorry. How bad is Yahoo! Answers? I found myself on the site a few days ago after a Google search led me there and then ended up answering a few questions. It took me back to my Sitepoint Forums days, where I cut my teeth as a web designer. I spent nearly two years at SPF, where over time I learnt the art of question answering in a community atmosphere. The forums at Sitepoint were a remarkable place, as an oft heavy-handed approach to moderation generally ensured that the quality of answers stayed high. Not to mention that it was frequented by recognised experts in a variety of fields. Over the time, I moved up through the ranks to one of the senior moderators and although I spent far too much time there, and at the detriment of most parts of the rest of my life, it was a good time.

Enter Yahoo! Answers and a (not such a-)shock reminder that, frankly, the web is a dank, musty place, where information is freely available, but there are zero guarantees that the information is accurate or correct in any way, shape or form. (Wikipedia being a shining example.) Y!A is far worse than the Wiki, however.

The theory with Y!A is anyone can ask a question and anyone can answer the question. There is a category for moreorless any question you may want to ask and naturally I gravitated towards the Computers and Internet section.

My gripe is twofold and is directed 1) At the question askers, and 2), at the question answerers.

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