Why ask life-changing questions on Yahoo?

Question

I've seen people ask for advice about medical conditions, divorce, bankruptcy and marriage. One person even wanted to know what to name her twins! These people need to seek professional advice, not ask a bunch of yahoos on yahoo. Would you ask for help on a personal, life-changing decision on this forum?

Answer 1

Yahoo Answers gives them exactly what they are looking for --- validation. They might "ask" for help and good advice, but what they actually want is someone to agree with them. When someone finally does agree...they get 10 points and the questioner gets an "attaboy" for naming their baby boy Promise, going back for the 5th time to a cheating babydaddy, or dating a 45 year old while they are 18 because "age ain't nothing but a number".

Back when I cared about the points, I just told them what they wanted to hear...now I'm honest...and most people don't like it.

Answer 2

NO
Not anymore, that is.

I asked a parenting question a while back and within hours I realized I was a fool for asking such a personal question online. When you do that you open yourself up to any kind of cruel, crackpot, or misinformed answer or advice. Its like walking into a bar you've never been to, standing up on a table and asking for opinions about your personal problems.

However,
This forum IS good for general questions like "will the Yankees make the wildcard" or "Why is the president in denial about Iraq", Its a good place to hash out differing opinions in a relatively safe way.
Its also a safe place to get general info on subjects you could never get information on in real life. I asked some questions about homosexuals here a while back simply because I wanted more information on a sect of the population that I had no first hand information on. Ignorance is dangerous and in my day to day life I see no gay people and if I did I either wouldn't know it or I'd be unable to ask them the kinds of questions I asked here. Thanks to the answers I received I am a more informed person in the real world.

Why ask life changing questions?
You probably should not.

But that doesn't mean there's no value in the forum.

Thanks,
-A. Yahoo.

Answer 3

Definately, how am I going to find a professional who can tell me that putting sugar on your tongue will stop a burn or that Preparation H will alleviate a chigger bite or puffy eyes or that Colgate toothpaste removes crayon marks off walls. We are REAL people who live life. I have found that a degree on a wall only means that that person read the books and passed the tests they were supposed to. My grandma had no degree but boy did she know alot of stuff. Sometimes people know more than you do and this gives you a chance to hear many different opinions and choose the best one. Why pay $100.00 an hour to hear just one and from a person who may be following the latest trend in psychology. REAL people have REAL answers because they live REAL life.

Answer 4

ha, well for your first question... i don't know, but i wish i knew who these people are... you are completely right, people think this is like a formal educated answers sort of program. Maybe these people are scared of looking for real advice, and believe the public will provide something good... but they're just placing their lives amongst a bunch of people who just want to use up some spare time. As for the lady and the twins, she gave me Best Answer, and it turns out she was just kidding and wanted to see what people answered (she suggested ridiculous names, so the joke was on us.) And well that makes me believe that maybe a lot of the people may just as well be playing with us and just want to see the answers we provide.

Would I ask for help on a personal, life-changing decision on this forum?

maybe,
i could probably live with posting the question asking for advice, as long as I've already asked for help from a more reliable source, or as long as I'm planing to do so... but i think u mean, would i listen to yahoo users advice? My answer is DEFINITELY NO, why risk the fact that a minor with no experience in anything is pretending to be a Doctor, etc.

Answer 5

To get real unbiased answers. If you ask your friends they might lie to spare your feelings or something like that. As far as twins names, maybe they just want suggestions. It isn't very different from looking in a book to get a name. But the medical questions that are serious, that I will never understand. They need to go to their doctor, not to Yahoo!

Answer 6

I agree, but it is nice to see what the normal, outside people of the world have to say, I mean if this is the way people on the internet think, it's pretty safe to say that the rest of the world thinks the same ways. I myself probably wouldn't ask life-altering questions, but I do like to see what other people think, I think it is interesting and sometimes downright hilarious! Have a fantastic evening!

Answer 7

Well I resemble that remark !
Yeah I admit it I am a yahoo.
This sure beats housework ! Perhaps some folks have no support system at home or are lacking anything better do do at the moment -mostly I think people just crave some form of human interaction !

Answer 8

if we aren't supposed to ask these questions then why even have a yahoo answers. I feel that this is the reason we have yahoo answers honestly. I like the answers that I have recieved for some things and I read other people's answers for other questions not asked by me and they all have some insight and it is very good insight sometimes

Answer 9

Yes I would. There is something about having a personal answer to your question that makes you want to ask. That is why the "Am I pregnant?" question is on here 100's of times. These people want a personal answer, they want to to know that someone took a minute to write a reply. Even though they could have done a question search and found the answer.

Answer 10

People are often times "speaking their minds." They're frustrated, angry, sad and this is a forum where at least you can vent, rant and rave. Why do people ask Oprah about life changing questions? ( o _ 0 )