Question Answer Web Sites

If you've ever wondered why the sky is blue, or how many cups are in a gallon, there are special sites on the web that can answer those questions and more. Basically elaborate message board forums, sometimes they are called Q&A or Answer web sites. Ask a question, any question within reason. If it's a good one you'll probably receive plenty of replies and answers. You can even answer questions yourself.

You'll find a few that charge fees like appraisal or consulting services, but most answer sites are free to join. In a way answer sites are almost like social networks, even having a few similar features. Most have dedicated communities of volunteers and participants. Answer sites are provided to ask questions and/or answer them, nothing else. There are a wide range of categories and sub category topics to choose from, often moderated by volunteers. How do these sites make money? You'll see web ads on pages, so that might have something to do with it.

Sites like Yahoo! Answers or Wiki's Answers.com are the most popular, but there are others like Mahalo, AOL Answers and the Answer Bag. Why should this interest you? Here are a few possible reasons to participant on these answer sites, depending on your motivations.

For site members asking questions, answer sites could be a handy resource. Trivia buffs, hobbyists and software users are just a few interests people might have questions about. If you don't mind sharing your personal experience or knowledge on a specialized topic, answering questions can be an option beneficial to both parties. While having other motivations (see below), I am a former vocational instructor. The pleasure of passing on experience and knowledge to a curious mind is good for the soul. Not only that. I've reached and helped ten times more people in two years than twelve years in the high school/adult system.

Another reason for replying to questions on answer sites is more profit motivated. So it is important to read and understand the rules of each site. Most have similar conditions on usage, but may vary on specific definitions and could differ in how they punish violators. If you're interested in participating for personal profit, make sure you understand their rules. Having said that. These are general guidelines if you are considering joining an answer site.

Q&A sites all have several things in common. Without stating the obvious they will not tolerate any form of Spam, excessive promotional content or hyperlinks to ad pages. The definition of Spam or the kind of promotional content you can include, varies with each site. In general you can provide a link in your answer to a web page that has other links to ads, only if the page contains detailed information on the topic being discussed. Some answer sites permit links to trial, open source or free software, even commercial sites if the question is specifically asked.

How this affects your commercial interests depends on the business. If you just have an item to sell this may not be for you. The content of your answers and any links must sufficiently answer the question, not persuade the reader to buy something. If you're willing to put in the time, answering questions could be promotionally beneficial for your business, but don't expect to make millions. That's not the idea. This is more about slowly building a customer's confidence trust and loyalty, a more long-term approach to advertising. Think of the local chiropractor or nursery owner's weekend call-in radio shows, only they have to pay for the airtime.

As an example I own a commercial web site. With an eclectic mix of commercial interests it is appropriately called What Nots. The only actual merchandise for sale is collectible vinyl records and resale items. I also write published online articles like you're reading now, which is why I'm a member of answer sites. I'm not getting rich doing this but how I go about it may give you a few ideas if you're thinking about participating in answer sites for your business interests.

My articles are published online on a pay-per-click basis. I receive a small percentage every time someone clicks and reads each one. Depending on the topic I may even get an additional upfront payment of a few dollars, but by no means this is a get rich quick scheme. Therefore I intentionally write informative articles that can be referred to year after year. Focusing on several basic topics like TV/Film Careers, Vinyl Records and other reference-type articles like this one.

If you own a web site and have at least a few published articles on a specific subject try this. It is not this simple but for now the basic strategy is to answer questions, hoping the person asking the question will click your link to a web page. This page will have direct links to the pay-per-click articles. The goal is achieved if the visitor clicks an article to read. Better yet, they click other articles on the page. Now here are the details.

Owning my own commercial web site I create a page related to a topic I write about, for example a page about vinyl records. That page has links to every article on the topic but is not just a list of links. The content of links in your answers must be relative to the topic and informative. Almost all answer sites forbid the use of landing pages, which is a page with only links to other sites.

So the content of this page must also have detailed information, to a certain point. Somewhere between your original answer to get them here, and what is contained in the articles. Making the page visually appealing helps too. My publisher permits me to use excerpts from the article, but I prefer writing different versions as a show of sincerity. Thus building confidence and trust to read other articles. My publisher also permits me to sell ad space on my link page, providing another source of potential income.

The article links on my pages are divided into chapters. Each link has specially written text and visual aides not found in the article, enough information to generate interest. Sometimes even videos are embedded on the page. Promo or tutorial videos are a great way to enhance a page, and is a whole other topic to be written about later. Anyway I prefer to cut out the middleman and keep the additional ad profits (if any) for myself.

If you don't like the idea of paying for your own commercial web site another option is to join a specialized social network like Squidoo or Ning. Sites like these provide space for you to create informative pages with images and videos, much like mine. These sites generate traffic with search engines and profit from the ad space included on all their pages.

If you haven't written many articles and want to forego the expense of a commercial web site this may be an option. They're free to join although pages must be strictly informative and not promotional in content. I'm a member of several and still maintain pages at their sites. In recent times these sites have significantly limited the amount of related links you can include and are after more content on their pages. Can't really blame them.

Getting back to answer sites, I will include a link as part of my answer. For general questions a link to my web page with all related articles, or a direct link to an individual article for more specific questions. Above all, you must answer questions with enough related information to properly answer it. This is very important. First and foremost you must answer the question. It doesn't have to be a term paper. A couple paragraphs of general information will do just fine. Answer sites have moderators who carefully monitor and quickly detect violators. So you'd better answer with more than, "check this out" and "click this link" or you'll find yourself receiving violation notifications in your user email box. Also avoid generic copy and paste answers. They are often frowned upon at some sites when used extensively.

Having participated in these sites for a few years, here are some considerations you should know before joining any answer site with profit in mind. It can be time consuming. Going through lists of questions finding one relevant to your article can take time. Plus the time you take to answer each question. Some sites like Yahoo! Answers have advanced search engines with nifty features to make this task much easier. Others like Answers.com just list questions in general categories to wade through.

Above all, you must be patient with those asking questions. There are many serious adults both young and mature who participate in answer sites. There are also many young people, some even young as twelve. So you get all kinds. They might be looking for a test answer, or just need help. Some are deciding on new careers or need advice for current ones. Others hang out and socialize to a certain extent. A few inhabit answer sites out of boredom, so there are always the silly questions and answers.

Common mistakes are spelling and grammar. Just remember that adults accustomed to text message language often ask questions too. So you never know. You'll get along better by ignoring it. Answer the question and avoid pointing out spelling or grammar mistakes. People of all ages are naturally curious. Whether looking to get clicks for articles or not, honoring that curiosity is the main goal of any answer site. Not only that. Before you know it, a feeling of satisfaction will come over you from answering questions. Sometimes I'll even answer without leaving a link.

So what will you gain from sharing your knowledge on these sites? Badges, shapes or color designations and a big, hearty thanks. You got to keep thinking long term. Besides. You don't have to answer questions every day. I'll normally spend a half-day or two on these sites once a month. Afterwards I'll see a significant spike in my web site stats on Google Analytics. So the effort does bring readers to my pages and pay-per-click articles. In two years several articles of mine have reached 14,000 clicks, not to mention other articles nearing that number. Sometimes visitors will even stay and explore my web site, a goal any online entrepreneur hopes for.

Although writing pay-per-click articles for online publishers won't make you rich, they can be helpful in generating traffic to your commercial web site or social network page and earn a little extra income in the process. Answering questions on answer sites helps potential readers discover those articles. Hopefully they click to read them. This is only one technique to get your business or web site noticed. There are many others. It only takes time and effort. Good luck with all of your endeavors!