Why is it?

Question

Why is it?

That most questions asked on Yahoo Answers appear to be written by people who cannot spell, have no knowledge of grammar and have difficulty in asking any form of question without recourse to expletives? (and have no idea how to spell)

Also have you noticed the number of people who ask for medical advice? Why would you ask a serious medical question on some thing like Answers? What’s wrong with a Doctor?

Last but by no means least, many people ask questions, the answers, to which they could well find by just doing a bit of research on the net. They just appear to be too lazy to bother.

Now I am sure I will get a lot of abusive replies just because some people will think it’s old fashioned to act in an intelligent and polite manner, but there are many intelligent people out there who I am sure will understand my reasoning. Lets start a revolt for common sense and good manners.

Answer 1

I'm with you on the need to be polite and genuine...

I also agree that this is not the place to ask serious questions, especially of a medical or seriously world shattering nature...

Having said this... I have been a member of many online communities for some years now and find it a great way to learn and discuss things...

There is a lot of overlap these days from SMS and text language...

so u rite lik dat 4 eva :) Nothing wrong with this in texts where you have a character limit, but please remember that not everyone can understand when language is written in this way...

Kindness and good manners make the world a nicer place to be!

Laura :)

I agree with Kat that communities are so diverse... but the art of communicating is not to confuse the others...

Answer 2

Yahoo answers will never be a serious site because of the range of people who use it. I don't think this is a bad thing because as in life you meet and talk with people who have a range of differences (as well as similarities). The grammer and spelling is perhaps unimportant to someone who is in a hurry to submit their question - and this isn't an exam, you don't get extra points for using good grammer or getting all your spelling correct. It doesn't make YA any less fun or informative.

I believe medical advice is sought after by people just curious if anyone has had similar symptoms and could perhaps shed some light on their problems. And anyone seriously ill or in need of medical attention would not be sitting typing questions on YA - they would be sitting in the emergency room or dialling 999 (or 911).

And maybe people are too lazy to do their on web search - but why have a dog and bark yourself? If people are willing to answer then the questions will be asked. Personally I prefer to do my own searches but I have been using the internet for years and I know what keywords to type in and where to look. Other people might not be as clued up (and I know a few of them). This doesn't make them stupid or lazy - it just makes them learners.

Common sense and good manners are commendable, but when the spotlight is on you common sense can go out the window. For all those people that ask "do you think I could be pregnant?", panic has probably set it and without anyone else to turn to, it offers a bit of relief to ask a bunch of strangers what they think - even if the answer is "silly cow".

Keep ALL the questions and answers. I'm not a stupid person generally (although I have my moments) but if YA lost all the funny questions and sometimes even funnier answers, I'd lose interest in it. Its the range that makes it such a good site to visit and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Answer 3

I totally agree with you, although some of the questions asked that could be searched for on the internet, bring back loads more answers than it would on a search, plus it also means that other people find out the answer, so if they ever need it they already have it. What i don't like is that you can't understand some of the questions asked & then people start giving really stupid & sometimes offensive answers. I agree that there should be more common sense & good manners on here though. Every other word DOESN'T need to be explicit!

Answer 4

I think when it comes to the medical stuff there's a lot of people who plan to go to a doctor if necessary but who are worried about whatever they have in the middle of the night and who hope to get feedback that will reassure them in some way. I don't think they're looking for more than that.

With regard to the spelling and grammar issue, someone mentioned it is 2006 and not 1906. I'm one of the people who see the value in the same spelling and grammar that has served us well for hundreds of years. I don't think ignorant should be considered equal to modern.

I do think people figure they'll get a quicker answer on here, and that's ok as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes I do a quick search just to kill time and give them a solid answer, sometimes I figure someone else will do that.

I figure when I sign on to this site I know what I'm getting into and need to go with it. It is certainly representative of a democracy on here, isn't it.

Answer 5

I do agree but every so often, inbetween all the crap, some people do give very informative, well educated answers. The other stuff can just be funny, abusive or downright rude. But, that said, it can be fun to answer other people's questions and test your own knowledge or try out your powers of expression and compassion or whatever's needed for that question. I actually quite enjoy it, although i've only been here a short while and it may wear off!
Actually ive just read some of your previous questions and you refer to yourself as acting intelligent and in a polite manner but in the first questoin i viewed you go on to say all homosexuals should be put down and killed. What a two faced contradicting ball bag you are!

Answer 6

You know in fact I think the idea of the Answers in really nice and it might help alot of people if we really use it properly.

I mean when you answer a question you should either know well about the subject or at least have a respectable point of view worth to be heard by others.

What I really see is mostly insulting, non sense or people want to get more points..

Medical questions might be fine if they are answered by specialists, why not, there might be doctors among us.

It's the younger's use of the Answers that is really abusive, but I like the idea very much.

Answer 7

You have a good point. Many people put/answer questions just for fun, or to kill some time; some of them use provocative and denigratory terms just to sound more interesting (as if that could work;), some others are very young people trying to look older; The absolute lack of grammar knowledge is astounding, it's a fact though, so, just hope they'll somehow manage to improve sooner or later;) however I think everyone has the right to say whatever he/she feels like saying, be it right or wrong; we have a saying : 'the world is nice because it's made of different things':)

Answer 8

But seriously, what about the spelling!?! (add exclamation points to taste, simmer for ten minutes, then let stand for twenty... durring which time you get some perspective).
For the most part Yahoo Answers is the dessert of life. Most people come here to recreate. Regarding serious inquiries, most people knowledgable enough to ask "fact-based" questions have been trained in the skill of research.
To the extent we commoners overlap with the elite thinkers of Yahoo, you have my apologies.
Spelling poorly is not a recent phenomenon, it is at the root of our shared language. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, woe to the person who lacks the creativity to spell a word more than one way.
I intend to continue answering questions because I find it enjoyable.

Answer 9

My point exactly. I set questions to probe the intellectual and find it down right cheeky to go and source the answer to a simple question with a typically long quote or life story. ie Why are Traffic Lights Red, Yellow and Green. I got a reply from an old journal explaining the reason, amounted to about 500 words!! Some people think i ask questions because i dont know the answer, well if i ask : what colour is the sky, I dont expect to be told - are you a bit thick ? Let common sense prevail and send all the numpties back home!

Answer 10

There is no predictive text (t9) on yahoo answers and most people don't bother to sperll check.
Many people seem to ask the first thing that comes into their head, or in the case of teenagers, expect someone else to do their homework.
As for medical advice, I don't know, but a lot of questions relate to
pets, for which there is no NHS website. The advice is usualy the same; - get it to a vet!