Could I write a novel using Yahoo Answers?

Question

It occured to me that there might be a novel in the making in some of the questions. Would I need to get the permission of everyone I "quoted"?

Answer 1

I think you're onto something; the only way around it is to base your novel on Yahoo Answers, but call it something else; and change the user names and answers slightly.
I often check out people's profiles when they impress me, and read some of their previous answers. It is great material for building up characters you know very little about. If you focus on four or five askers and answerers, you can make-up things they might be likely to say. In which case it is fiction, right?
You could keep a notebook with some of your favourite quotes from here in it, and attribute them to your characters, even if someone else said it. All you have to do is make it fit your character's mentality and rearrange the words.
Personally, I'd love to read your novel, and I hope you keep it true to the real thing. I know there are a lot of stupid things on here, but there are some gems also and some people really have a great sense of humour and write well; they deserve to be promoted. If you made it factual and not fiction, it would be really nice if you could give them credit for their words of wisdom or humour.So I suppose you would need their permission for that.

Answer 2

You put "quoted" in quote marks. What are you thinking? Not to quote questions and answers directly; that's not a novel. Perhaps to write a mystery story where the clues come out in Yahoo! Answers? Just make enough changes in the facts to obscure the origin of the question or the answer. But a "Help, I'm afraid I will be charged with murder when I didn't do anything wrong" sort of question would have intriguing possibilities. If you are writing fiction, you don't need to worry about getting permission to use a little bit of someone else's words. Just change them enough to make them fit your story.

Can't you just see it? I think I'd like to write one. Let's see: auntb93 is dead, and there are 500,000 suspects! LOL

Answer 3

I am sure somebody will write a novel around Yahoo Answers and similar on-line sites, if that have not done already. They will probably change round the details so it won't require permission, not just copy out answers as they stand. They'll write about a site called Zajoo or something like that.

I suggest you start by reading Yahoo's copyight notice and terms of use (which we all tend to agree to with little thought when signing up to this and similar sites).

I think I have read that Yahoo hope to use Answers as a sort of information repositiory like Wikipedia, which could bring them at least indirect commercial benefit.

There are a number of issues about Yahoo Answers, quotation of answers being one, which I think users need to think about more than they do but this is not the place to go into them.

Answer 4

Forget about writing a novel using Yahoo! Answers. Reading Yahoo! Answers is like reading a novel--a novel with hyperlinks. If you get interested in a character, just clink on his/her avatar, read the "about me," look at the questions they've raised, look at the questions they've answered and the responses they've composed. Maybe they even have a 360 page online.

Whatever you look for in a novel will be right there: conflict, suspense, mystery, sex (lots of sex implicit and explict), local color, stream of consciousness, shifting point of view, protagonists, antagonists (did I say sex, lots of it), foils, foreshadowing, irony, humor (slapstick comedy--and, oh, lots of funny sex), dialect, idiolect, play with language, play on language, play against language. You name it; it's there.

A genuine novel. Just waiting for a New Critic. Or an archetypal critic. Or a deconstructionist. Or a feminist critic. Or a postmodernist. Or a historicist. Or a Freudian. Or a Jungian. Or an impressionistic critic. WOW! Just think of all the dissertations English departments could produce on this novel.

The only thing is, the novel is just waiting for an appropriate title.

I thought of "Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing."

The only problem is that Faulkner already used that one, didn't he? Maybe a sequel.

Sound and Fury II

Sound and Fury III

Sound and Fury Infinitum

Benjy Redux

Answer 5

Probably not from individuals as all responses are in the public domain but you should check with the Answers company as you may need permission from Answers themselves.

Answer 6

Absolutely 'cause:

- Readers from all over the world.
- Readers can express their opinions.
- Copyright protected.
- Advertisement directly on web.
- Many topics can be choosen to write.
- ...
- Most important: Long life novel ('til yahoo bankrupt, LOL)

Answer 7

Good luck with that!!! I think if you are in a public and fast moving forum such as this you are giving up any rights to intellectual copyright. But hey I'm no lawyer! and you could breaking the law by breathing these days, the world is so litigious.

Answer 8

I guess you could formulate the basis of a novel and see how it goes....
Asking questions like.....
What is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to you (plot)
What type of person would do.... (characters)
What was the best era in history (setting)
What is your favourite place (location)
etc. etc.
It would at least get you on yahoo news pages (any publicity is good publicity!)

Answer 9

Yes, the answers are proprietary even if they are volunteered on a publicly viewed board. They are still someone's ideas, not yours. Plus, everyone can check what they wrote in the past and it wouldn't be hard to prove they were the source.

Answer 10

You could, but I think it would be rubbish. Anyway, if people want to post personal details on here then they are already making it available to all and sundry, I don't see why you'd need their permission to use it in a book. It's all anonymous anyway.