How does Yahoo Answers compared to just doing a Yahoo or Google search?

Question

Which method produces better, faster, more irrelevant results and why?

Answer 1

You get opinions and you get the results complied.

A simple search will never give you the opinions of the search site or the searcher. It will give you the opinions of the pages that you research. You may have to do several research searches to find what you are looking for and you might get different information or even incorrect information.

On Yahoo Answers you will get it all. Errors, the truth, even down right lies. But, if you get a sampling of all the answers then you can get an idea of what the best answer is. One person may hit it on the head, but if five people say the same thing then it may be that they are right.

However, the people on this site are not professionals in all the questions they answer. A few are and their answer could be the actual right answer, different from everyone else. If you have a health question and a nurse gives you an answer then you can give her answer more weight. But, if a nurse of doctor or other health care professional doesn't answer the question then you can use the average answer that most of the people give.

The results of a search here take longer, because each person has to make their own search or, take the time to phrase their own answer.

The results of the question vary with the type of question that you ask. If you run a poll then you will bet better results than if you did a random search. It will tell you how many people believe in the idea. Of course that will be among the number of people that know how to use a computer, and that are on Yahoo Answers and are willing to spend time answering questions and are on-line and see the question soon after you post it. So it is dependent on the time too.

At least with answers from this board you know that some people are taking the time to bother to really answer your question. They are doing the research or phrasing the answer, or just taking the time to think about it enough to give you an answer.

If you want to know a simple fact, like when WW2 started then you should not go here. The Wiki sources and others give you facts and cold hard data. You come here when you don’t know where to go to find that data or how to even phrase the search. You come here when a simple computer search isn’t enough to give you an answer. Or, as a lot of people do, you come here when you are too lazy enough to do the work yourself. It is amazing how many people want their homework done by others. They get the questions, but rarely do they learn. Sure they could read the response and know the answer to that question, but the research process gives them more than just the answer. It tells them the path that was taken to reach that answer and the false trails that had to be ignored.

Yahoo Answers is what you put into it. If you phrase a careful question and proof read it to make sure it makes sense then you are likely to get serious and careful answers. If you just use it as a short cut then you are wasting your time.

As an answerer of questions I have learned a lot that I didn’t know. I have also checked on my answers and found that I was wrong. I have taken the research paths and I have taken the time to craft a careful answer, as I did in this case. How much weight you give to the answer depends on what you think. In my case the length means something, and my point score means that I have done this a lot. When you look for answers from people like that, and I am far from alone, then you avoid the stupid answers from people who are just coming here to waste time.

Finally, the answers you get all depend on the question you give. If you want facts then you can find them on the Internet. It may take a long search, but you can find out almost anything. But, if you want opinions then this board is the fastest place to get those. If you want complied answers then this board is faster than doing the research yourself, and if you want answers from a wide range then this board is the place to go.

Answer 2

Depends on the subject and how relevant it is. Strictly speaking, for general reference material it is better to browse. If it's something very specific to a certain focus topic, then you can look for a message board site that know that particular subject very well and can get better answers on their forums than here. I'd always recommend searching first, then if you can't find the resources to answer something specific, then ask in here. Of course, this is a more of a general Q and A site so don't assume we are all experts. Here you may find someone knowledgeable who can answer it, or maybe not. Answers vary from very poor to extremely good, but, hey, at least it's here to use and see if you can get something back, then draw your own conclusions from whatever feedback you get.

This particular question however is probably best asked here than through a search since you get opinions from the right people to ask who actually use these services and can give you instant feedback on their experiences.

Answer 3

Yahoo! Answers can be pretty good... although often times the answers are often swayed by opinions more than they should be (for example someone says "I'm having problems with Windows" people answer "Buy a Mac" - this isn't an answer its hype) - but if you don't really know how to effectively search through a search engine (and in my experience about 1% of people on the net know how to effectively search) then its about the best bet to go with Answers

Answer 4

I find I get far more information about something when I google it or do a search on yahoo. Most of the 'answers' here are opinions or people coming up with smart @$$ answers

Answer 5

Yahoo answers is website with Questions ask by ppl and with Answers given to that question by ppl.. yahoo and google search are search engines use to search websites in the internet.. so the concept in yahoo answers is different from Yahoo or Google search.. so no point of comparing them..

Answer 6

People dont seem to understand that they can type in a question in the yahoo or google search box and find out whatever they need.

Its a matter of convienience.

Answer 7

sometimes the stuff you find on yahoo answers is explained better by people that have experienced it. or sometimes you need to find examples of real life situations that you need to relate to. yahoo answers also has multiple people from different walks of life giving their opinions on something. i think this site is good if you need to hear different opinions.

like my friend was thinking of buying a salvage vehicle so i looked it up on yahoo and people gave examples from their experiences on why salvage vehicles are bad. some even claiming to be mechanics.

so you dont just get one answer from one website like a search engine would give you, but you get a palette of many answers that can help you.

Answer 8

Milkshake

Answer 9

If you can't find it on google, someone at yahoo answers can probably help you. (alot of questions here should have been researched on goole first though) so I would say, first try google, the go to Y!A.

Answer 10

Just do a Yahoo search because it brings up any relevant questions asked on Y!A. :)