Why do you answer questions on Yahoo Answers and LinkedIn Answers?
Posted on January 22, 2008
Filed Under Internet, Social Networking / Media |
Forums like Yahoo! Answers and LinkedIn Answers see hundreds of answers being posted in response to questions asked by users of these sites. And the amazing part is this interaction takes place between people who are mostly stranger to one another. Why do they do this? What motivates people to spend their time and effort responding?
When I asked these questions around, the most interesting reasons came from an employee of Yahoo Singapore: he does so because he LOVES HIS COUNTRY and wants to answer any questions related to Singapore. On another note, he added that he does so to come out top ranked on Yahoo Answers and because he generally wants to help around.
And when I asked some users of LinkedIn, some reasons came as follows:
- Help someone in need: If someone is in need of some information, opinion or advice, why not help out if you are in a position to?
- It’s about give and take: Only when you help others, will they be forthcoming when you have a question of your own. It is a form of professional courtesy.
- Personal Branding: It shows others for what you are, increases exposure and opens doors of opportunity.
- Insights: When you participate, you get insights which you may otherwise not have got from people you would not know. It helps understand other people’s perspective of things. It always teaches something new.
- Networking through conversations: When you participate, it may lead to conversations. And these may lead to networking opportunities – especially with like-minded people.
- A good feeling: Of the answer has been able to help someone, and they acknowledge it, it generates a warm feeling inside.
- Mini Journalism: There are some who want to be writers of articles and books, and till cannot do so, this is a means of expressing their views.
- Exercises the brain: When you answer a question, you think about what is being discussed. And this exercises the brain into further thinking.
Some even said they do so because they feel like it. Do you answer any questions? What are your reasons?
Read more in the comments below.
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39 Responses to “Why do you answer questions on Yahoo Answers and LinkedIn Answers?”
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Well there’s a number of things:
1) A desire to actually be helpful. I may have information someone out there needs, why not share it?
2) Competition. It’s always fun to look at the standings of people in your network and try to answer more questions than they do.
3) Personal Branding. Answers (especially accepted answers) are a way of increasing your exposure and showing others where your skills lie. You never know when that will come in handy.
Hi Ajay,
The Q&A section of LinkedIn to me is a great way to learn more about otherones insights. We all look at subjects from different angles. It gives me the chance to learn more about other cultures, other believes, other opinions. By participating this Q&A it enrichess my way of thinking. And I hope that others get the same out of it when reading my questions and answers.
Ofcourse it’s nice when my answer is rated ‘best’, but that is not my goal. And I’ll answer all question that captured my interest.
Kind regards,
Erik.
Professional courtesy - When I notice the question and can be helpful to others, I answer, knowing that others will do the same for me when they can…
Sometime ago I was not prone to answer to much to online questions, because I was seeing it as a waste of time and a sharing of valuable knowledge. Currently I have completely changed my mind: I have found so useful to share knowledge, and I have seen so many kind people helping me for everything I´m asking, that I really think it´s one on the best way to collaborate with each other, and obviosly to create its own network…
Hi Ajay,
Because I feel like it
Eileen
It is human nature to share what you know with others. I would like to pass on my learnings to others so that they can benefit from it.
I also feel the need to be able to reach out to others. I can do so by reading their comments and adding my two bit worth to it. It helps me understand other people’s perspective of things.
There is always the feeling that someone appreciates your response and puts it to good use. It warms up my insides and I enjoy that feeling.
Hence, I answer the questions
Hi Ajay
You are right in one aspect.
Some people do answer just for the sake of answering.
Like speaking to hear your own voice.
These are the people - who keep an account of how many questions
they answered, how many were rated good - so on.
Since you seem to be a blogger - you would have an answer to your own question. Why do people blog too??
But on this forum - atleast till now - I see professional discussions,
ideas, views being exchanged. And yes - Question and Answers too.
A good platform to express yourself, hear and be heard.
And when some one does appreciate your answer - or writes a “thank you” note to you - it does give you a good feeling. Who knows - there could be a giant sleeping in there, and what better way to wake it up?
But if linkedin becomes - an also ran - site, then we better stay away from the discussions.
Rgds
Zia
enjoy answering the questions here on linkedin. It allows me to help others and also be helped in return. For every question I do answer there are questions I don’t answer yet those who do give a response teach me something new.
I don’t see it as a competition and I don’t care who ends up getting the best answer. I simply enjoy it and in the end meet new people and find like minded people. I think linkedin Q&A’s (cannot speak on yahoo since i have never seen them) are a great way to find like minded people to connect with.
After connecting many of us continue to correspond or chat by phone and eventually do business together - or send business to each other.
I do see a bit of small mindedness on linkedin in recent moths, a few who answer for a point not to help. But they will soon find that they are simply showing the world their true colors and not really helping after all. In time they will see that helping others does in fact help themselves.
I cannot say I agree with your friend who only wants to help his/her fellow countrymen. I think the best part of linkedin is that I can hep or be helped by people around the world.
Deep down we are all the same and whether people like it or not we are all equal.
There are a few reasons.
First of all, I think it’s good if I can help someone. Sometimes people need to get different perspectives to see the whole pictures.
Secondly, I believe that sharing my ideas with others and seeing what others think, improves my knowledge and shows me different perspectives on that subject. So I’m not giving away my knowledge. I am giving people a taste of what I know and improving my knowledge at the same time.
Thirdly, it’s personal branding and networking. I can find like minded people out there and connect to them and even get business. The Q&A has introduced me to new connections worldwide, like you, and even resulted in new business opportunities.
I think Q&A are the most valuable feature for networking on LinkedIn.
Regarding Best answer - that is important to me for two reasons.
1. It’s good to know that the person that asked the question found my input really valuable and helpful.
2. Personal branding. It shows those who view my profile that I provide really valuable knowledge within my field of expertise.
i sometimes realy profit from the answers here.
that is why i mainly answer some of the questions.
i am benefitting and i want to contribute to pay back and so we are all in a win win situation.
it is like you are enjoying the services the government offers to citizens and you are willingly paying your taxes.
it might sound Utopian, but actually it does not cost me that much. so why not?
Networking is part of my long term career plan
In order to be an expert is it necessary to
1) Know when to ask other experts
2) Have a network of experts
I work with quality assurance and I have to implement standards and governmental requirements in a way there:
1) Ensures compliance
2) Is cost effective
3) Ensures sufficient quality
It is good input to hear how other persons have interpreted standard and law requirements.
Usually I answer questions in the weekend in order to brand my profile. It is part of my long term career plan to increase the chance of receiving good headhunt offers
Linkedin answers also seems to be an efficient way to build a track record there proves I am an expert in my field.
I also answer linkedin answers in order to maximize the answers I receive to my own questions. My questions are usually related to
1) Other persons interpretation of standard and law requirements in order to determine sufficient level of quality
2) Hunting for vendors / experts of specialised services
Dear Ajay,
My main reason for answering is that I have answer to someone’s question.
I do try to answer at least one question each day, and some of that is to do with personal exposure.
I definitely don’t do it from a sense of competition. Answering a question for the sake of answering just results in bad answers.
Ideally, I would like to author books and contribute articles. I am at the moment not donig that, so I answer questions ! I used to participate in usenet groups. I think linkedin answers is the closest to usenet groups relevant today. It allows one to spend a few minutes and create a mini-article which is hopefully useful to some one. It also allows me to take a few minutes away from my routine and focus on the larger picture which I always find is a relaxing thing to do.
I must agree with what most people say: sometimes I just feel like it, other times I do it with the special purpose of networking or building up a “profile” in a system like this one. Some other times it’s just for fun or because i think I can be helpful to someone.
But there is one other thing that noone mentioned: to order my thoughts on a given topic. I’ve studied a lot about certain topics, others I know due to experience and some others I know due to investigation and research. In all three cases I start feeling confident on a topic when I explain it to someone else.
Having to write about something that will be published and “you are supposed to be the one that knows” makes me check and re-check that what I’ve written is correct and accurate. So I tend to re-read old material, make a few tests or search about it to confirm what I know and what I’m saying is right. Or, even better, get to know something I’ve didn’t know about but it’s related.
It is to note too, that reading questions is very helpful too. I’m subscribed to the Technology questions RSS feed. That means I read all questions asked under that category. Not necessarily the whole questions and their answers but definitely the questions. If they are interesting or I can be of help I click in and read answers and (sometimes) answer myself. I’ve learned a lot in the past months with that method and reaffirmed some things I already knew.
It helps me to network with like minded people and also share my experiences, learnings and thoughts.
Hi Ajay,
I completely agree with Mike.
However, the real purpose behind answering (and asking Qs, for that matter), is to provide my 2 cents over the given topic, which I hope will help the Qer and other readers. It’s nice to share knowledge, opinions and beliefs. Moreover, it also gives others a chance to understand the writer and find out if there is any common ground with potential for connection. Having one’s answer rated good/best and an “expertise in” tag is also a great boost for the ego as well as one’s image.
I must admit, it feels great to actually see one’s name being featured with some prose in the Q/A section
Having said that, I think it’s also about a “feel good” factor. I feel nice to have had my say, and the belief that people are reading and (possibly) considering/thinking over my opinions.
What about you? Why do you answer Qs, Ajay?
Hi Ajay,
For me Linkedin is a distraction, a constructive pass time, a channel to validate my thought process, a place to seek thoughts and views from, a place which points me to new websites and ideas.
Because they are there.
Because they offer themselves to me.
Because they start conversations and build connections.
Because the act stokes further inquiry and new ideas as much as it provokes past recollections and old knowledge.
Because we’re all questions unto ourselves, and every question ultimately deserves the answer it receives.
Because if no one asked anything, the responses would be telling.
I enjoy sharing my experience where possible, plus some of the questions are really engaging and FUN!
Pay it forward
Knowledge sharing
Sharing and caring
Ajay,
It’s all about “paying it forward.” If you are willing to share your knowledge and expertise with others, when the time comes, and you need assistance, people will respond to you. : )
Jill
I rely on forums, IRC and the like to get the answers that I need. It’s only fair to give back to the community when I have an opportunity to do so.
Whilst we may not to be able to help those who help us, by helping someone else, we are repaying what was given to us and - in a small way - making the world a better place.
It’s a great way to meet people and actually know something about them before you connect with them.
I want to share both my expertise and my point of view. People have done the same for me. I give freely and know that others will do the same so I can learn from them.
Shaun
I answer questions cause I certainly love helping others.
Just reading the questions also and other people’s answers add to my knowledge and makes me explore new ground.
I never thought of it as a sort of competition.
Questions and answers here give me an overview about what people have in mind these days, their inquiries, their thoughts and worries. They certainly give an idea about the person asking the question too.
I love participating here because I feel it’s a great chance to give a good idea about females (like me :-), engineers (like me also :-), my country and my religion!
For selfish reasons.
Writing down an answer in response to a question makes me think about it, and that exercises my brain.
Seeing other peoples’ answers can either expand my knowledge base or challenge my assumptions.
In any case, both of those outcomes are good for me.
It is so fascinating to communicate with people that I would normally not
encounter in ‘real’ life. I have learned so much and feel I have contributed to the well-being of others.
Linkedin is a wonderful resource for practical work related exchanges and it gives me a warm feeling in my heart.
There is so much goodness, intelligence and generosity in our world.
Thank you for your question, Ajay.
My best to you,
Elaine
Simple Answer would be ,
What You Give Is What You Get
With some questions I have unique insight that may spark a burst of creativity or productivity in others. So, this way I am contributing to the overall body of human knowledge and advancement.
Being helpful to others is a reward onto itself, of course. But, I also hope that people who gained something from my answer will see that I have my email openly posted, see that as a welcome sign and invite me to join their network.
I answered this question because it’s from YOU. The example you gave maybe valid in the case of Yahoo! which operates outside of the framework of a social network. But at sites like LinkedIn, it’s because of your network and the inherent need to help them come up with a solution to a pressing need.
Just because I want to get the answer and make clear such problem. That’s it:)
I currently answer questions only on linked in. To me it’s interesting to know what’s happening around and also affecting our careers by reading these questions. And answering these make me feel good - simply because I use my skill sets well. Over a period of time, at work, one tends to kind of do similar stuff and not necessarily use all their abilities and for me, avenues like these allow you to think and answer in other domains too! If it helps someone, that’s an added bonus.
If I feel like answering and the subject is interesting.
This is brilliant, Ajay.
Thank you so much for letting me know.
It is wonderful to see all our answers together on your blog.
I look forward to reading the book.
Best, Elaine
Thank you Elaine for your response. It is mails like these that make all the effort seem worth it.
Look forward to staying in touch.
Cheers
Ajay
My reasons in no particular order
1) Keep alive an interest area. Generally people respond to their areas interest . In the bargain also find out ways to do things better or discuss alternatives.
2) Networking : Helps you getting to know more people.
3) Knowledge sharing makes you feel good.
Cheers,
Tarun
For me it is more about “sharing of knowledge”.. if I know it I’ll share it with no problems even if it takes some time to type out a detailed answer. Of course, personal branding, networking would be a result of this interaction.
And then to answer ur question further on why ppl do it, well, there are many (not speaking for myself :)).. who are really fond of distributing free gyaan, unsolicited advice etc
Hi Ajay,
A novel/unusual (at least for me) and good question, and it was quite interesting to read all the answers too. Haven’t been using the Answers feature on LinkedIn much so far, but have been doing stuff like that (posting answers and questions) on other forums for a while now, and my reasons for it are much the same as many of the others above, i.e. helping others and getting help from others, sharing knowledge, hearing diverse points of view, publicity, etc.
This question has motivated me to use the LinkedIn Q&A feature more as well …
And in the same spirit, here is a tip for those who may be limited by slow or erratic Internet connections that hamper their web surfing (and I’m sure there are still many, even in this age of broadband):
Google for the phrase “Accessing the Internet by E-mail” (or use slight variations on the phrase - to get more results, it help sometimes).
Here is the top hit (and probably the most famous one) for that Google query:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/internet-services/access-via-email/
[ The www.faqs.org site is a *great* resource - it is basically the collection of Usenet FAQs - Usenet being one of the precursors to the Web), and although some of the information there is dated now, it still is very useful for getting lots of technical/software fundamentals on many different topics). ]
A personal anecdote:
I first got to know of these techniques (Net access via email) many years ago, when Internet access was practically non-existent in India (except at some academic and government organizations via the National Informatics Center of India’s NicNet), after reading a book - I think it was called Modems for Dummies
(a pretty good book, despite the name).
Then I used the technique pretty heavily for some time (till we got cybercafes and then later home broadband in India) and through this, got to learn *lots* of useful stuff that has helped me in my career …
Though of course not comparable to the fast and interactive broadband experience, its better than nothing …
HTH and Thanks,
Vasudev Ram
Dancing Bison Enterprises
Software consulting and training
Site: http://www.dancingbison.com
Blog on software innovation: http://jugad.livejournal.com
Kudoos to great post!!
In my opinion, web 2.0 provides ultimate platform for communicating with people across the boundaries. Whenever in our daily lives a problem arises, we naturally try to work out possible solution or turn to experienced people for assistance….and this lays the keystone for communication.
Serving others is a sign of humanity.
AND Knowledge is not power until you share it.
But if you are among those who except one for one, take this….
These days people in western and European countries are very conscious of their online image.Building credibility requires participating in communities, initiating media outreach,and creating ventures to develop your net worth.
So, yahoo answers and linked in services are just examples of these concepts.
Hey Ajay,
Just ran across this and your podcast with Martin. Very well done there: http://inquireonline.info/category/blogs
BTW, even though this thread has not had a comment for a few months, I thought it a fascinating question, to which I agree with many of the answers and would share a few reasons that are not specifically above.
First, I don’t know why I answer some questions, but not others. Usually, it is because the answers did not address an aspect that I believe is important, and I want to help redirect or move the conversation forward in some way.
Second, I appreciate the return of the favor when I ask a question plus the added reward of enriching my network, as many people who I have answered a question of, or been reading or answering other questioners themselves have looked me up and become connections. Once connected, I have found it rewarding to be updated when they (such as yourself) ask or answer a new question that is interesting to me.
Lastly, I enjoy sharing an interesting quote, quip, clip, or some piece of my experience that gets me out of my role at work where I spend the majority of my time. Similar then to a Sudoku, it is exercise, as I look up the source or find other websites for people to have quick access to a more detailed resource.