Warning: Yahoo! Groups

I recently spent my Sunday searching Yahoo! for a fun group to join. Since I am interested in writing/critiquing I spent my day sifting through groups having to do with the subject. I came across several hopefuls only to be told that the group had reached maximum occupancy. Finally, I came across one called Yahoo! Answers. I clicked on it and read the discription. I clicked further and was instantly joined without having access to rules. I was just there.

I realized right away how fun answering questions could be. I sifted through the childish questions until I found something that I felt I was in a position to intelligently answer. So I did. I tried to make sure my answers were thoughtful, honest, and polite. I felt that this was very important since most people who were commenting back to the original author were insulting and demeaning.

After answering 14 questions I'd reached my daily quota.

The very next day I received a notice stating that one of my answers was chosen as the best answer to a question. But within a few hours Yahoo! Answers wrote me to tell me that I'd violated their policy and that my account was suspended.

Suspended? After a day? After 14 well thought-out answers?

I wrote the company back and asked them what they'd thought I'd done to offend someone or violate the terms. I received a terse letter back, without explaining my trespass, stating that not only had I been suspended but after review I would not be reinstated. The letter went on to state that I would also lose my Yahoo! account and all information and emails stored within.

After reviewing Yahoo! Answer's Terms I still don't have a clue what happened.

I do however, know that the site is dangerous. There you can be verbally attacked on a whim. You can be treated as though you are the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. People from all over the world can insult and demean you at the drop of a dime. You can evidentally pretend you are someone other than yourself and post photos of young people of whom you are not. BUT you cannot write long helpful answers with references, thoughtful solutions to personal issues like pimples, or offer to help someone review their essay for college entrance. You can be threatened by an unknown Yahoo! worker and treated like a criminal. You can have your account erased as though it hadn't existed for the last 10 years.

All in the name of searching for a fun group. A group bent on helping others. But beware, they're not there to help you. No, one innocent, clean, helpful comment out of 14 will get you banned and your Yahoo! account erased. And you'll never know which one it was. You'll never know what horrible thing you must have said.

Oh, but don't worry. If you feel that this was in error you may write Yahoo! Answers and ask for an explanation. They will happily review your case and expel you from their ranks. And if you didn't feel abused enough, you may re-apply under a new account.