Archive for the 'Yahoo Answers' Category

Askville, Linkedin or Yahoo: Ask Who?

Amazon has tried it’s own version of “Yahoo Answers” called Askville. Askville.com was earlier launched in December 2006, so this is a re-launch of Askville in a way.

That’s a brave move, I’d say after Google Answers and practically everyone else who duplicated the concept of Yahoo Answers collapsed.

Amazon describes Askville as a “place where you can share and discuss knowledge with other people by asking and answering questions on any topicâ€?. We have heard that one before, so what’s new?

Amazon is rewarding Askville.com users for the use of widgets in answering. So you can add Amazon products, google maps, videos from YouTube, Google, Bolt, etc. Now this reward is in the form of experience points, and virtual currency called “Quest Coins” will be redeemed through another Amazon affiliate site, Questville.com to be launched later this year.

You guessed it right, “Experience Pointsâ€? and “Quest Coinsâ€? will not be easily gained! However, Amazon has mentioned that Askville.com users who answer questions could receive Quest Gold, which will be redeemable for USD50 or USD100 Amazon.com Gift cards for a limited time.

Internet powerhouses and Web 2.0 players are constantly re-inventing the wheel, and in the process, users get split across the board. Those who seek answers seek a site that features “Best Answers” and those who answer seek “Best Returns”..I guess a combination that separates these two out might be a better answer.

Orkut Ask Friends a Question

“Ask Friends a Question” in Orkut reminds me of “Yahoo Answers”. Supposedly the idea is derived from “LinkedIn answers”, and you can now ask questions to your friends on Orkut.

When you ask a question, Google automatically suggests relevant categories based on the keywords/text of your question. The code Mobius is used for this first application on Orkut platform.

For example: I asked “Anyone interested in guest blogging?”
And the suggestion I got was ” Blogging Resources and Services“.

Orkut Ask Friends

“Ask friends” for Orkut users would mean:
Relevant questions.
Relevant answers.
Common questions.
Common answers.
Trust and reliability.

“Ask Friends” for Orkut (or Google) would mean:
More searches
More ads

If you find this a cool feature, go to Edit Feeds, add Ask Friend’s application, navigate to Mobius and fire. You also have the choice to ask “Among Friends” or “Individual Friends you choose”.