Is Yahoo Answers more of a resource or a recreational outlet? What do you bring to and take from YA?

Question

Did you find some good information, or an answer to a question you couldn't resolve elsewhere? Do you ever use YA for a quick answer as opposed to searching yourself? Do you like YA more for casual and informal topics like fashion, music, cars etc? What would you change about YA, and why? This is a wide question, so I'm throwing out in the society-other category so more folks will see it. Have fun answering. The answers should be at least entertaining for all to see, eh?

Answer 1

Good question! I take YA to be both a resource and a form of recreation. It's quite addictive! Among all the perverse and knuckleheaded questions and answers, there are some true gems of knowledge, insight, and humor.
I bring a middle-aged life of searching, knowledge, experience, and travel to YA, and take from it the occasional bit of profundity, wisdom, and some good laughs.

Answer 2

Both! I use it as something that often stimulates my mind and sets me off thinking about things that I never would've thought of before. I ask questions in such a way as to give me more ideas. I don't consider it so much of a definitive resource, since even the most direct of questions will get multiple, different answers. But then, I have used it as such from time to time. Once I needed to know how long I should let an electric oven sit before it's preheated enough. It's common sense, but not for a bachelor like me who "cooks" almost exclusively with a microwave! And sifting through web searches and websites that probably assume that if you're visiting that site, you know something so simple already, would just be a waste of time. But for the most part, I've asked much wider sociological, philosophical and epistemological questions, which don't necessarily have a "right" answer, and where it's much more interesting to see the different ways people answer than to try and find a single answer that's "correct". I think that's the true power of YA, the ability to get diverse opinions on any subject quickly, in one place.

Answer 3

Definitely the latter. Too many of the questions are either banal, or over complicated (what's the meaning of life?), and most could be answered by a quick jaunt through the 'net, but for laziness. many seem to be sort f an independent poll (like "have you ever done X?"). I prefer to do my own research (although I HAVE learned a few things from some of the computer related answers).

Answer 4

It has been use full to me as a research source, and also as a quick reference source when I have been lazy and have found it 2 be use full on both counts I personally can see no reason to change it so leave it alone please

Answer 5

its just good to read other people interprations of the questions some funny and some sicko,s so it does help pass the time lot of good info in here another 2 points for me