Yahoo! India Answers blog

Starting today, you will notice a cool new Yahoo! Answers feature that will allow you to share your Answers content with your Facebook friends! This means your friends on Facebook can now help you answer your questions if you choose to share them. Your Facebook friends can also join Yahoo! Answers and connect with our amazing community to have the many questions they have answered.

What are the benefits?

One of the many advantages of social networking sites is having the ability to connect with thousands of people.   Linking your Answers account with your Facebook account increases the number of people that can answer your questions!  Some of the benefits are:

1. Make it easier for your non-Answers friends to answer your questions if you choose to share them beyond Answers
2. If you choose to share your great answers with your Facebook friends too then they will see your answers right at the top of the list when coming to Answers from Facebook

Control options:

On the `Preview` page you’ll see the check-boxes for where you want to share your questions and answers to.  The setting you choose here will be the default for all of your content but you have the option to change this with every posting.  This gives you full control over which info you want to share with your friends and those questions you want to ask only to the Answers community.

Things to keep in mind:

If you do decide to share your Answers activity with your friends on Facebook, keep in mind that your Answers screen name will be visible.  Your Answers activity will be associated with your Facebook identity and vice versa, which means your Facebook friends will be able to see all your Answers activity (including past activity).   If your friends on Facebook ‘like’ your question, their contacts will be able to see this activity too.

Remember, more visibility to your questions means more answers from a wider range of contacts so we hope you will find the new Facebook integration a useful addition to your Answers experience!

Once you have started sharing your Answers and Facebook accounts, “tell us what you think<http://feedback.help.yahoo.com/feedback.php?.src=ANSWERS&.done=http://answers.yahoo.com>” on the Forum or leave your comments here, on the blog.

Ask any hostess – the biggest and most daunting task every hostess faces is the selection of the menu for that special occasion and those very special guests. We all know that a typical meal includes a choice of starters, the main course, and the dessert. We’ve decided on Answers to make this task easy for every hostess.

This March we celebrate the Food & Drink category on Answers. As a part of this celebration, you can share your best recipes for starters, main-course, and desserts as answers to the three open questions we’ve posted.

With this celebration you not only get a list of recipes from the Answers community that you can try out, but also get a chance to be selected as the best answerer. The answerer whose recipe is chosen as the best answer will receive 200 points on Answers.

And since it’s a celebration, we’ve decided that we will also choose 4 more recipes as ‘good answers’ for each question. Each answerer whose recipe is chosen as the ‘good answer’ will receive 100 points.

Of course, this choice will be with the community’s help which is why we urge you to use the thumbs up feature and vote for the recipe you loved.

So if you would like to share your recipe for an exciting starter answer:
Which recipe for a starter would you like to share with the community?

If you have the perfect recipe for an easy-to-make main course, share the recipe here:
What’s your best easy-to-make main course recipe?

Go ahead and share that sweet temptation you indulge in. Answer with your best dessert recipe:
What’s the recipe for your perfect pick-me-up dessert?

But before you rush to share your recipes, brush up on the 5 Golden Rules to Answering and do remember to follow our Community Guidelines.

If you are new to Yahoo! India Answers, here’s all that you need to know.

So now, get sharing and start cooking!

Make sure your recipes are in before 12 pm (IST) Friday, March 19, 2010.

Let’s celebrate March with food!

Deliciously,
Bhumika Anand
Community Manager

26 days into the New Year, I’m sure most of us have lost the battle of the bulge. But with this fun campaign that we have on the United States Answers portal, we can still motivate ourselves to stay in shape for Valentine’s Day on February 14.

We’ve enlisted the help of Joan Arico and Joanne Haggerty: two fitness pros from “>here and Joan and Joanne will select a handful and answer them over the next few weeks. With your questions and their help, together we’ll help get the Yahoo! Answers community in shape for 2010!

Each week, we’ll feature one question on the blog, as well as health tips and tricks that will help you get in shape and meet your health goals for 2010.

Joan and Joanne: Our Fitness Gurus
Joan Arico

Joan has over 25 years of experience in Corporate Fitness and is certified in both Group Exercise Instruction and Personal Training . She is an AFAA Certified Group Exercise Instructor, AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, BS Degree Recreation Administration, CPR/AED Certified.

Joanne Haggerty

Joanne believes that physical activity should be an integral part of your life as much as is brushing your teeth, but far more fun and enjoyable. She is a personal trainer and works in both individual and group wellness programs.

Between the two of them, they have more than 33 years of fitness and health experience in both the personal and professional sector. Both enjoy sharing fitness and lifestyle tips with others in addition to keeping Yahoo! healthy!

Please note that all questions must be in line with the “>here.

Here are two easy-to-follow suggestions from the fitness gurus that will help us stay fit!

Question: “Can you help hook us up with a diet/exercise buddy where we can commiserate or compare and help keep other on track?” – Love Life

Answer: You bet! We know that part of what makes losing weight tough is feeling like you’re on your own. To help you feel like you’re a little less “on your own” we’ve set up a Yahoo! Group called “Get fit, Stay Healthy! ” (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/getfitstayhealthy) for anyone looking to find a buddy, share their story, or share weight-loss tips.

Please remember this group is NOT open to spam or marketing, so please don’t join it looking to promote your acai-berry shakes, or your weight loss pills. We’ll also cross-post our fitness tips there each week, as well as fitness and health tips from the health editors over at Shine. We hope to see you all there!

Question: “What are some practical fitness options for corporate employees? Some of those guys spend up to 10 hours in their offices. People are designed to be active, but sometimes our jobs make that impossible for us. We aren’t a country of farm and factory workers anymore. We sit in offices and stare at computer screens. What are some easy ways to step back from the desk and get active, even if we have to do it at home?” – Austin D

Answer: Office workers have to work a little harder to burn calories because of the hours of sedentary living. To counteract this, you can try: walking or exercising during lunch breaks, stretching at your desk, workout before or after work. Or, better yet, have meetings while you walk.

An easy solution when your in the office is to take the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and park as far away from the building as you can—that way you’ll have to walk clear across the parking lot to get to your car in the morning and the evening.

When you get home from work, play with your kids outdoors to cut down on TV time and make exercise a family activity. All of these things can help make corporate employees more active (and productive!) both at home and in the office.

Question: “i was just about to ask this question: i am not muscular. i need biceps and a six pack. should i exercise every day? what should i do? i love yahoo answers. i find everything i need on here. thanks yahoo!” — wil

Answer: Thanks for the kudos. For us to see those muscles, you have to work off excess body fat and then have muscles to show! Think healthy eating, cardio, and weights! For a few easy and quick workouts, check out this article from Shine.

For more tips and tricks, and to see what questions our fitness gurus answer next, be sure to check back here next week!

In a primarily agricultural society like ours, the importance of harvest festivals cannot be overstated. Come January 14, and everyone in India gears up to celebrate the harvest festival even if most of us live far away from agricultural lands and in the midst of polluted cities.

What is this tie we have with the earth?

Makara Sankranti is a festival like no other. Called Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Lohri in Punjab, this is a festival that unites all of India’s sons of soil. Despite being essentially an earthy festival, it is also deeply spiritual. It is symbolic of new beginnings and fresh starts, of good tidings and peaceful existence.

In Karnataka, typically the festival is celebrated by exchanging sugarcane and a dish made with sesame seeds and jaggery. People wear new clothes and meet and greet each other before settling down to a lunch of pongal (khichdi/ lentil dish made with rice). In villages, the day begins early and farm animals are washed and prayed to. They also organize fun games and events in the evening so the whole community can get together. This practice also acknowledges the fact that after this day the days start becoming longer and warmer. Thus it is also a celebration of the decline of chilly winters.

So what is your story? How is Makara Sankranti celebrated in your state?
Answer the question or leave us a comment.
And a happy harvest festival to you all.

Cheers,
Bhumika Anand
Community Manager

Did you know that on average, 10% of questions are in tie-breaker status at any given time on Yahoo! Answers? And, at any given moment, there are literally millions of questions open on Answers?

For many members, it’s easy to get swept up in the “Ask” and “Answer” flow as you watch the steady stream of answers that come in when you ask a great question. But then the tough part comes: picking a Best Answer! How do you choose?

If you’re looking for a few tips on how to pick your next Best Answer, here are a few taken straight from our community :

“To put it simply, I go with the one that is the most useful or the least useless. I do notice the number of thumbs-ups and downs the answer gets, and I use that and the level/BA percentage of an answerer to determine whether or not I should trust the answerer, but the main deciding factor is what I think of the answer itself. A concise but comprehensive explanation beats a long drawn-out half off topic lecture.” – Luigi
However, “According to the specification of the question I read carefully and I compare it to the other questions, I make sure their answers make sense and have more clear explanations. Not always the thumbs up are right and this person can be wrong, So I read & understand before I give my best answer…8)” – “Evo_Raptor”
“[…] If there are two equally good answers, I choose the one with better grammar, punctuation, and spelling.” – *Sombra*
“I pick Best Answer by re-reading through all the answers again from my question. Then pick the one that was the most helpful, informative, and the answerer was polite while giving me the information I needed.” – Future Pet Vet
“Whoever has clearly spent the most time answering the question and not just put silly 1 word answers or sarcastic comments. Also, if i believe the answer is 100% true.” – Craig and Charlie

Even with tips like these, picking a best answer can be tough—and for many Answers community members, it becomes so tough, questions go unresolved and end up in tie-breaker status.

But for those of you who enjoy helping the undecided pick a Best Answer, be sure to check out the Answers TieBusters group—a group dedicated to clearing the backlog of undecided questions found on Answers: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Yah00AnswersTieBusters/

All in all, remember: If you asked a question, choose a Best Answer! Otherwise your question may end up in Answers limbo, and you may never give someone the joy of earning a Best Answer!

Great news! Since we launched Yahoo! Answers, over 1 billion questions and answers have been posted from across the world. It’s a huge number but the way we see it, it’ s a true testimony of how great of a community-driven knowledge website Answers is.

Did you know that:

• The Answers community counts over 179 million users. That’s more than half the population in the United States!
• Yahoo! Answers is available in 26 markets and is translated in 12 languages. From English to Japanese, we’ve got you covered!
• Every day, an average  of 15 million users visit the site. That’s how many people visit Disneyland every year!

As we strive to make Answers the best source to find and share information, we always take your feedback into account and greatly appreciate your efforts in helping us fight abuse. Remember to regularly visit our blog for announcements and advice on how to make the best out of Answers. We thank all of you for helping us reach that landmark.

How can we improve your experience on Answers? Leave us a comment.

A month ago, we presented a blog outlining the five golden rules to ask questions on Answers. After receiving good feedback the community and based on your suggestions, we have decided to give out  the five golden rules about answering questions. After all, what would a great question be without a great answer? Here are THE rules to ensure quality-answers which will certainly improve the site’s content.

1.       Remember that you are answering to help the asker: Don’t answer just for the sake of getting points or to advertise your own questions to the community. IF you don’t know the answer, skip to a question you may be more knowledgeable about. And remember, we now have suggested questions for active users. These are questions that will automatically appear on your homepage.

2.       Be polite and respectful: No one likes to be ridiculed and insulted. If you don’t agree with the question, offer your point of view in a constructive and respectfully. Answers IS a diverse community where everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If YOU FEEL THAT a question or answer violates the community guidelines, report it.

3.       Use correct spelling: Avoid sms language and grammatical errors. An answer filled with spelling mistakes and typos is confusing and doesn’t improve the Answers quality. The more understandable your answer is, the higher the opportunities it has to be chosen as best answer or make an impression on someone else.

4.       Be relevant: Don’t digress or change the subject when answering a question. Give a concise answer that sticks to the point.

5.       Link to existing sources that have the answer to the question: If you know an excellent website or book that might help, mention it – as long as it’s not spam of course. Also cite your sources, they are always helpful if anyone wants more information.

If you want to know more about it, don’t hesitate to visit our community guidelines and our help pages. Feel free also to share with the community some good questions or answers that you found on the site in your comments to this post.

We all love being able to ask questions and get answers about any topic and share knowledge and experiences with a simple click. Whether you’re answering questions or just browsing, there a many ways to contribute to improving the content on Answers.

How can I rate great questions?
Like some of the questions out there? Why not star them? Giving a star to good questions helps Answers promote the best content on the site.
When a question gets a star, it gets nominated to appear in the “Popular” list on the Answers home page.
The list showcases what users find the most interesting.
To ‘un-star’ a question, simply click the star icon.

How can I rate bad questions or answers?
Sometimes, you see answers you either really like or feel they are not helpful at all. Once you reach Level 2, you have the power to rate answers by clicking thumbs up or thumbs down in the action bar below . When you thumbs-down an answer we will hide it. Click Show to display it again. Use the Report Abuse link to report abusive questions and answers. Remember: give an answer thumbs down if you feel it is not helpful for the asker. Report an answer if it violates the Community Guidelines.

How can I comment on an answer?
When a Best Answer is chosen, you have the option of adding comments and rating the best answer after the question is resolved. Every time someone gives a thumbs up to your best answer, you automatically get an extra point. The maximum bonus points a Best Answer can accumulate is 50.

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

The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week brings to you the best & biggest in Indian fashion. WIFW AW ‘09 unfurls the splendid collections of 102 designers on the runway and the exhibition area. With 34 shows 12 showings and 99 stalls, it offers six action-packed days of creativity aligned with business opportunities. All under one roof at the new five star venue InterContinental Eros. The clear goal is to promote and encourage designers grow their brands locally and internationally whilst developing strong links with the wider manufacturing and retail industries. This fashion week promises you six days of great business opportunities and absolute fashion.

Yahoo! India Answers is conducting a contest with profile WIFW wherein the following 5 new generation designers have asked you 5 questions on Fashion. The best 2 answers in the entire contest will win designer outfits designed by any of these 5 designers.

* Click here for Question from Ritesh Kumar
* Click here for Question from Jenjum & Jasleen
* Click here for Question from Pallavi Mohan
* Click here for Question from Jyotee Khaitan
* Click here for Question from Yuvraj Siddharth Nagpal

Before answering the questions, please read the Terms and Conditions for the contest and make sure you comply them before answering the questions under this contest.

Terms & Conditions

The contest shall be organized and conducted by Yahoo India Private Limited (“Yahoo! India”) and shall be open from 18th March 2009 to 27th March 2009 (both days inclusive) (“Contest Period”).

1.   The Contest is open only to citizens of India and eighteen (18) year or older at the time of participating in the Contest.

2.     To participate in the contest, the participants have to answer questions asked by the five designers of Wills Lifestyle India fashion week 09’ the names are Jyotee Khaitan, Jenjum/Jesleen, Pallavi Mohan, Ritesh Kumar, Yuvraj Siddharth Nagpal during the Contest Period. The participant can answer only once and edit his answer any number of times they want, but only the last entry received by Yahoo! India before the end of the Contest Period will be considered.

3.  Any entries for the contest after the date of the close of the Contest Period shall be invalid and such entries shall not be considered for the contest.

4.  Yahoo! India will choose 2 winners by choosing the 2 best answers out of the correct entries received within the Contest Period i.e. upto 23.59 p.m hours on 27th March 09 and the winners will be intimated via email on the email address submitted by the participant.

5.   The answers should not be abusive in nature and should adhere to answers community guidelines http://in.answers.yahoo.com/info/community_guidelines.

6.    Each winner will get one “one outfit” each from any of the 5 designers whose question they have answered.  (The “Prize”).

7.    The Prize shall not be transferable/ redeemable for cash. No request shall be entertained by Yahoo! India in this behalf.

8.    Any statutory taxes, duties or levies as may be applicable from time to time, arising out/ in respect of such Prize, shall be payable by the winner of the respective prize.

9.    All costs and expenses for collecting the Prize shall be borne by the winner and no claim of whatsoever nature will be entertained by Yahoo! India in this regard.

10.    Yahoo! India shall not be liable for any loss, damage, theft, or any other mishap caused to the Prize after handing over the same to the winners of the contest.

11.    The winner or his/her legal heirs shall have no other rights or claims whatsoever against Yahoo! India.

12.    This contest is organized and conducted by Yahoo! India subject to the applicable laws in India. Yahoo! India or any of its affiliates, directors, employees and associates shall not be liable in any manner whatsoever for any misrepresentation, default or any act or omission in relation to this contest.

13.    Employees of Yahoo! India and/or their associate and affiliate companies/concerns, advertising and promotion agencies are not eligible for participating in the contest.

14.    In case of any dispute or difference in respect of this contest, the decision of Yahoo! India shall be final and binding on all concerned.

15.    The terms and conditions of this contest are subject to the laws of Republic of India. All disputes in respect of this contest shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court/s at Mumbai.

16.    Participation in this contest implies acceptance of all the terms and conditions of the contest.

17.    Yahoo! India reserves the right to alter the terms of this contest or terminate the contest at its own discretion and without prior notice to the participant and without incurring any liability whatsoever.

Show off your Fashion Quotient and answer all the questions asked in the contest. May the best answer win!!

Shefali Gaur
Community Manager – Yahoo! India Answers

Time flies when you’re having fun with Yahoo. It’s already been a year and a half since we’ve launched Community Moderation on Answers. Everyday trusted users work together to report and remove any content that violates the Community Guidelines and Yahoo! Terms of Service. Here is a nice refresher if you’d like to be part of our effective system.

How does Community Moderation work?

Before:

Any user could report abusive content on Answers. A Yahoo! employee then reviewed the report and decided whether to keep or to delete the content. This system is still in place.

Now:

Thanks to Community Moderation, our efforts to control abusive content on Answers have greatly increased. Once a report is submitted to Yahoo!, Community Moderation measures the reputation of both the reporter and the person being reported. The system then determines whether it can remove the reported item directly from the site based on community input or whether further review is needed.

How does the reputation system work?

You must be very familiar with the Community Guidelines in order to become one of our trusted Answers users. When you feel you have a good idea about what’s acceptable on Answers as you begin to report content, you will build a good reputation and gain influence. The more accurate reporting you do, the higher your reputation will become.

However, if you abuse Community Moderation, your reputation will suffer. With a low reputation, your power to report and remove potential abuse will be reduced, which could result in a suspension.

The community is very important to the Answers team: without it the site is nothing, so we have set up protection mechanisms to filter out specific targeting of one user by another. Similarly the system promotes accurate reporters, giving them more influence.

How does the appeal system work?

Although very effective, Community Moderation is not perfect. Incorrect reports will occasionally happen and some users will find there content erroneously deleted. If your question or answer is reported, we’ll send you an email stating that it has been removed. If you feel that the system was mistaken, first read the Community Guidelines to double-check. If you still think there’s a strong case, click on the “Appeal” link in the e-mail to submit an appeal. This will be reviewed by a Yahoo! employee. If we agree, your question or answer will reappear on Answers, and whoever reported you will have less influence when they report abuse in the future.

We highly encourage you to appeal if you’ve read the Community Guidelines and are sure your content has been removed in error. If your appeal is successful, not only will your content be reinstated but your reputation will be boosted and those that reported you will lose reputation. Of course, we would advise you not to appeal for the sake of appealing either. If your content truly deserved to be deleted, it is very unlikely we will put it back on the site just because you’ve appealed.

What to do if you report spam content?

Easy! Report an abuse and indicate that it’s spam. You might remember that we used to ask you to report Spam on the Forum. The Community Moderation system is faster and will help you improve your reputation if you report correctly, so reporting spam using the “Report abuse” button is beneficial for everyone.

That was an update on how it works. We hope you found this helpful! However, if you still have questions, please leave us a comment and we’ll be happy to assist!

Shefali Gaur
Community Manager – Yahoo! India Answers