Yahoo Answers Exposed Further

Yahoo Answers #3
By Jon V

Hello everyone, sorry for the many months not posting on this topic. Today I'd like to further illustrate the very poor levels of service that are delivered in the Yahoo Answers forum, in particular the fish section. As stated in previous blogs, YA was started with the intentions of allowing people to ask questions and get input from people all over the world that may have some knowledge or experience regarding certain things. With fish, it's no different. One real problem with the fish keeping hobby is that only a few things are an exact science as such, nitrogen cycle issues, PH, Redox, Electrolyte Balance etc... basically things that you can study and verify in biology or chemistry. The balance of topics are really more or less semi supported opinions.

Due to things being very arbitrary in fish keeping, such as proper stocking levels, compatibility of fish, substrate questions, equipment performance are just a few heated topics that come up. Where there is a failing on the end of YA is that there is little to no quality control aspects. People can post and advise to such things that are actually not in an askers best interest there, but YA has no control really to prevent or even block such input. From my point of view, there isn't as much care on the quality of answers but more concern over your avatar or links being posted. To me, I feel that if you address the quality of input, you take a secondary step to removing the typical trolling morons that haunt there. If a person is under the "threat" of having their answers removed due to inaccuracy or invalid answer to the question, trolls would be less likely to take the time to post in there. That's my speculation, and I'm sure there will be some ardent YA supporters that wouldn't agree, however, this is my blog, and I'm not a fivespeed302 and will ban you out for speaking your mind. You don't really have to agree if this will impact trolls or not actually....read on.

A secondary impact that YA either doesn't realize or care about, with not having quality control on answers, is that an asker can pick an answer based sheerly on thumbs up and down. Clearly that thumbs up and down were aimed to reward accurate on target responses, and steer people away from bad advice, the troll aspect has allowed egotistical maniacs, such as Mantra, Danielle Z, Dareyll R, llriffel, and Jack the Wong to mislead an asker to accept their input. What's a real shame is most of the input these people give, are either completely inccorect or at best only semi accurate not covering all important aspects. By use of multiple ID's the TU and TD aspect can skew someone to follow some very bad and piss poor advice.

YA has also attempted to lighten it's burden of trying to police trolls and inappropriate content by implementing this Community Moderation control, which to me, not only was trying to pass the buck off it's own responsibility, was extremely poor and not well thought out when implemented. One MAJOR flaw with this particular system, is the fact that someone can too easiliy gain trusted reporting status simply by the same way they can up levels of accounts. Create multiple accounts which are soley aimed to flame an answer, but the one main id is saved and reports against the bogus ones, and thus raises the trust factor of the real ID of someone out to do no good. Sure, once they decide to go after someone, and out of spite just report to get someone's answer removed, they take a hit, but what do you think Trolls do? They don't CARE if they take the hit. They have the time it takes to boost up as many ID's as needed, knowing the person that is giving the right answer but gets flagged is going to get sick of that bullshit and give up. THAT is their goal. YA totally failed to understand this as they don't seem to really understand what a Troll is really out to do, cause disruptions.

I've said this time and time again in the forum there in YA, there are so many things that need to be done, but just aren't. Community Moderation failed and I'm not the only person to post as such in the YA forum either. It's far too easy to manipulate. Live monitors are crucial and essential to improvement in that forum. Without an actual "judge" or "screener" on these reports, as well as the answers themselves, there's going to continue to be bogus reports against good people's answers, and 1 time of that happening is 1 time too many. I have yet to see YA ever just come out and admit, they are in over their head really, need more staff and are hiring. They just continue to find the cheapest and easiest solution out there. The people that suffer are those that know what they are talking about, aren't afraid to post it, try to help, and get swarmed on by malicious trolls.

Yet another aspect I've said would really help go a long way in YA is to simply eliminate voting all together. If you force an asker to pick a BA, it will impact people using multiple accounts, to some degree. Until the Community Moderation gets done away with along with voting, the bot aspect won't be deeply impacted however. While it's not a total cure for things, one thing it does is make an asker be responsible for putting up questions. There is a certain user out there in YA now that continually bombards the fish forum with question after question. It's a little 13 year old boy who's parents don't seem to monitor his internet usage, and asks so MANY questions the boy can't possibly absorb and learn everything he's asking. I've taken enough psychology to know, this isn't about curiousity or learning, it's a cry for attention the kid doesn't get at home. YA has to make people like this pick a best answer. It's a total waste of time for people to give a good quality answer and have to wait for voting and even then, monitor that answer if you feel you are right against bot voting trolls. Again, I'm sure some circumventing could be done if this was implemented, but it would be an improvement on current situations.

Finally, I'd like to display some very fine outstanding answers picked or voted as BA's in YA to show you why it's in your best interest to avoid YA itself and join more professional forums such as Everything Aquatic or Cichlid-Forum.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ao35emwYiDnUU2gMPJV3rpbty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080911213420AAe73it&show=7#profile-info-Xibbj4Mhaa

A true asshole at work here disseminating misinformation:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080908195850AA4RsOl&r=w&show_comments=true&pa=FZB6NWHjDG3N56z6v_2wXDcd1yFTvoYUjm1aXuPzRJUslIRiQcGQ3A--&paid=add_comment#openions

This one should give you a good laugh:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArQHXAUsST1qzau4pY5etWzty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080907215503AAnjTaZ&show=7#profile-info-KqvtWjbgaa

I'd love to know just what makes a cichlid from Malawi automatically a Mbuna and if that's accurate, then what in the hell is my Nimbochromis Venustus or my Aulnocara Baenschi?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnLp9FTnyQksK02W9O92bN7ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080908082536AABeamg&show=7#profile-info-VcTlcvJsaa

On top of that, this dickhead really likes to try to convince everyone that any fish from Malawi is a Mbuna, second time, same answer.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ao35emwYiDnUU2gMPJV3rpbty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080905035143AA1wxX2&show=7#profile-info-bxIjNO1Qaa

Funny this person never bothered to answer all aspects of the question. Once again, something like this, the asker should have stepped in and picked one

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aibxkei2WTugnZRRjmrUj0Hty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080903194533AA4oigL&show=7#profile-info-YU51MbZDaa

This isn't aimed so much on soop, other then 7 votes and didn't get help from FC? LOL :P Soop is all right in my book, but it's that asswipe Jack yet again wanting to spread incorrect information.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aibxkei2WTugnZRRjmrUj0Hty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080828091946AA3ET9A&show=7#profile-info-vF1QbxgHaa

Here's a real full of themselves idiot I'm happy to say didn't stay around long.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqojUC90hJaQ_OjTFbHnu6Lty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080825072919AAAbXST&show=7#profile-info-UvFLnV9uaa