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Filed under: Web services, Microsoft, Social Software

Windows Live QnA: Answers care of Microsoft

Windows Live QnAMicrosoft has launched Windows Live QnA, an ask-a-question-get-an-answer site in the style of Yahoo! Answers and Google Answers. The site, currently in beta, relies on a reputation system whereby good answers (as determined by the question's original poster) increase your "score." It's got plenty of Web 2.0 trappings, including tags and integration with Windows Live Messenger (in the form of your Messenger contacts being highlighted), and there's a "Superstars" page that shows which users currently have the highest score. Microsoft Program Manager Betsy Aoki describes some of Windows Live QnA's more interesting features and gives some tips on how to garner the best results on the service's official blog.

Filed under: Internet, Yahoo!, Social Software

Rating the Questions on Yahoo! Answers

Y! Answers Question ToolbarSomething new has appeared at Yahoo! Answers. A rating toolbar for each question and for each answer. These provide the ability to quickly click on a "thumbs up/down" to rate each question/answer. There's a button to "report" the question/answer for abuse, another to email the question to a friend and another to add it to your "watch" list, MyWeb, de.licio.us, MyYahoo! or any other RSS reader.

That's all good and well, but how is this going to improve the community at Y! Answers? The Y! Answers blog says this will help "identify content that is valuable to the community" but does it bring it to the forefront while burying the crud? I don't see this happening now but hopefully it will happen soon.


Filed under: Internet, Yahoo!, Social Software

Yahoo! Answers is a disaster

Train wreckAccording to James Derk in his Scripps Howard syndicated column, Yahoo! Answers is now a disaster. He says it was once useful but now is overrun with spam, chat-happy posters and others who simply disregard the guidelines knowing there will be little to no retribution.

I have to agree, sort of. It hasn't become the putrid cesspool the Yahoo! News Message Boards are, but can I see it coming.

Filed under: Developer, Fun, Internet, Yahoo!, Social Software

Bots arrive at Yahoo! Answers

BuddahbotBuddhabots have begun making appearances on Yahoo! Answers. Buddhabots' artificial intelligence is being demonstrated according to it's creator. "The Buddhabot is the first and only AI to compete with human beings to provide the best answers on Yahoo Answers new social networking site."

Ron Ingram is the human behind Buddhabots and according to his blog, "I look for questions randomly and let the Buddhabot respond on my behalf." This leaves me to believe Buddhabot isn't scanning Y! Answers and responding faster than a human could which would be rather irritating. It has answered 100 questions over the past three weeks and, to its credit, eleven have been chosen as the "Best Answer." I, a mere human, have a 57% "Best Answer" rate. Phew.

Filed under: Business, Developer, Internet, Google, Yahoo!, Social Software

Yahoo hires a Social Search Strategist

yahoo hires database geniousTrying to one-up Google, Yahoo has just acquired a Database genius. Yahoo hopes to beat out Google by specifically targeting social search.

Raghu Ramakrishnan was formerly a professor of computer sciences at UW Madison, and will now be concentrating on studying links between computer and human search. With the help of Raghu, Yahoo is planning a social attack with its array of recent acquisitions including Flickr, del.icio.us, and its recent Yahoo Answers.

Featured Time Waster

The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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