Yahoo Answers is like the Wild West for questions. You can ask anything; and the general public answers your questions. With the general public giving answers, you get a range of helpful answers to completely stupid youtube-like responses. It’s a mixed bag, and that’s what partly makes it fun. Anything can happen.
Yet, Yahoo will delete questions. This is the Wild West, man. Don’t delete questions! Is this Yahoo trying to be all intellectual? I got news for you, Yahoo. You ain’t intellectual.
Yahoo, you are the Youtube of search engines. Yahoo is like Sears. All utility. No style. Yahoo is the White Sox fan of search engines.
Here are six questions I submitted that Yahoo has deleted:
Are there any web development agencies in Chicago that do Drupal work?
— Why did Yahoo delete this question? It seems like it would be really helpful.
Are there any artists who made artwork with other famous artist’s signatures?
— Yes, this is an obtuse question, but obtuse questions expand the spectrum of types of questions that can be imagined and asked.
If you found a magic stick, what would you do with it?
— Only a person with cold, hardened heart would delete this question.
Is there one screen to see if any of my friends made any new playlists in Spotify?
— Another specific question that would be a help. Maybe too specific?
What American cities have the most parks?
— Now this seems to be the type of question that Yahoo would totally want. My mind cannot comprehend why this question was deleted.
Why do ewoks like croquet?
— Yes, yahoo hates ewoks.
It’s funny that I’m reading this comment now, because earlier today I discovered that Yahoo deleted another question I had: “Who is your favorite current baseball player?” It’s a shame, because there where ten answers to that question. Some of the answers made good arguments for certain players. I wish I captured those answers.
After seeing Yahoo delete that question, I came to the same conclusion you did, Erik. That Yahoo doesn’t want questions that ask for subjective answers. Yahoo wants questions that can be proven by fact. I never thought of yahoo questions being a place where they want only fact-proven answers.
Maybe I never thought of Yahoo this way, because i listen to a podcast where three brothers take questions on yahoo answers and give their advice. They often use relationship questions. If yahoo doesn’t want subjective questions, then they shouldn’t have relationship questions on there at all.
I’m sure Yahoo deletes questions that people post with the intention of using that space for free advertising. So that may explain the agency Drupal question. The same sort of logic may apply to the Spotify question. And the very least it inadvertently advertises another internet service.
The parks question is legit. It’s a shame it’s gone.
I’m guessing Yahoo wants their answer service to be strictly fact-based. That’s all I use it for. When you get into non-fact based answers, then there’s some really, really bad and very wrong answers that people provide. It completely devalues the entire system.
The White Sox have a death metal rock video commercial? Wow. Are the band members wrestlers from the WWE? Oh wait, that would be too professional. They would have some local wrestlers.
Yahoo! is the White Sox fan of search engines? I don’t White Sox fans quite have that identity. That utilitarian, no-frills aspect is sorta accurate. But then you see the latest White Sox commercial where it’s a low-cost attempt at making a heavy metal death rock video. That’s not no-frills. It’s more of a pandering to the lowest common denominator.
Oop. Yahoo has now deleted eight of my questions. Here’s is the 8th question: “How much will a pack of ‚Äú2013 Topps Tribute World Baseball Classic Edition‚Äù cost?”
My 9th question to be deleted on Yahoo Answers is: “Who is the person I should contact if I have an idea for a postage stamp?”
My 10th question to be deleted is: “Who do you prefer being in charge of the Chommell Sector? Senator Jar Jar Binks or Moff Panaka?”
Clearly Yahoo does not know about Star Wars politics. This is a legitimate question. Both Senator Jar Jar Binks and Moff Panaka were in charge of the Chommell Sector at one point.
My 11th question to be deleted is: “Who is the best artist today at making traditional monuments?”