A Review of Yahoo Answers: Is it a Fair and Helpful Site?

I have been involved on Yahoo Answers for a number of years. I believe it's a unique and helpful website, in spite of some problems I'll discuss momentarily. For those unfamiliar with Yahoo Answers, anyone can post questions regarding just about anything, and most of the time quickly receive answers from various people.

There is a wide range of categories on Yahoo Answers that covers many areas. The topics range from personal issues, technical matters, politics and many others.

Let's say a person has a problem with his or her computer, a relationship dilemma or another personal matter. The individual can post a question and get a number of responses within minutes, and more within a day or two.

When answers appear, it is the responsibility of the person asking the question to consider the validity of each response. The replies must make sense and feel right. If a person does not have the ability to recognize the legitimacy of the answers, he or she should not post on the site, in my opinion.

I personally use the site to ask opinions about political matters, and it stimulates a lot of replies from people with diverse views. Many individuals express themselves on the site by initiating topics in the form of questions.

Yahoo Answers has a reporting system for questions and answers that genuinely or supposedly violate the rules and guidelines of the site. These questions and replies appear to be removed automatically, with an opportunity for the poster to challenge the decision. In other words, the system is based on "guilty until proven innocent," with no burden of proof falling upon the accusers.

I have found that people routinely report posts that are perfectly respectful and do not violate any rules, whatsoever. It is false reporting and it usually occurs because people simply disagree with what has been posted. Usually, they report a "violation" because the post is in conflict with their political views or their personal agenda. I have been informed that only a small percentage of "challenges" are successful, and the posts that are reported remain removed. It is very flagrant, in my opinion, and very unfair.

Yahoo Answers is a free site, and some have argued the reporting system is the best that can be expected under that circumstance. I don't consider that a valid argument and I believe a more reasonable system can and should exist.

I'm going start engaging in discussions elsewhere and using Yahoo Answers mainly for asking about technical issues, and helping people with their personal problems.