Why is it that real questions seem to go unanswered?

Question

Why is it that questions like this seem to get answered before questions with real substance?

Answer 1

Well, you have 10 people who have now answered your question. Happy?
Peace.

Answer 2

I haven't been participating in Yahoo Answers that long, but I cherry-pick those questions I do answer. I only answer real questions and avoid all the social questions as well as the adolescent flirtation.

I agree with what others said; it requires that people think to answer real questions. It also requires that you have some life experience as well as some wisdom, and being thoughtful and well-spoken and literate helps enormously as well. I'm a teacher, and before that a journalist, so I would think that my basic literacy, plus some life experience and a bit of wisdom has netted me quite a few best answers.

I also think that there are a lot of people out there who are perfectly nice, but when they come online, they don't want to think. They just want to relax, have a nice time, shoot the breeze.

But that in itself is paradoxical to me. If someone doesn't want to think really deeply and just wants to have a good time, then I could think of two dozen things off the top of my head, from playing games to going to see a movie to having sex to sleeping to... whatever, that would be more fun than answering questions, and giving answers that aren't deep or terribly helpful.

We all know Yahoo Answers doesn't have any major prizes yet that I know of. You just get points for answering or rating, and the real reward is not points but knowing that you have helped others and have relieved a bit of ignorance in the world. So maybe, being the idealist that I am, people's overriding sense of wanting to help others overcomes their laziness and craziness.

Cheers, I hope this helps. K, teacher, traveler, blogger, thinker, introvert, asker and answerer of deep questions :)

Answer 3

I've noticed the questions that seem to get the most answers are the ones that don't requie any actual knowledge but require an opinion or an answer drawn from the person's experience.

Questions about math, science, legal troubles, or other questions that are less "what do you think" or "what should I do" require a level of familiarity most people on the site don't have and often get far less serious answers.

Answer 4

I think i know why,,Most of the people in here are little kids who don't know what the heck they're talkin about so how are they going to answer questions with real substance? Most of them can't even type

Answer 5

I wonder the same thing, I try to answer the serious questions that's if I have the knowledge to answer them. Sometimes I'll answer the silly ones for a quick two points, but they have to make me chuckle at the question to get a response.

Answer 6

No one seems to know the answer to real questions. Not everyone I would say, but most.

Answer 7

because the real questions seem to get burried by all the nonsense questions and questions that have been asked millions of times before and that people don't seem to go and look to see if they have been asked.

Answer 8

From what I've seen, there are more people on Answers that enjoy making silly comments than taking the time to answer a well thought-out question.

I feel your pain, I really do! *smile*

Answer 9

Because people play for fun...
I agree with you, I have not seen any serious answer a long time ago...
I had to delete one question I asked due o 0 answers received...

Answer 10

Probably because the real questions require real thought.

Answer 11

A real question needs and educated answer and to be honest with you people don't give educated answers they just write to be read.