no.stupid.answers

As you know, WikiAnswers is based on the wiki concept (anyone from anywhere can add to or edit answers) and answers are grown collaboratively over time by the community. This is the cool new world of user-generated content – where you are the writer, editor and publisher!

But we’re all human – at least most of us – and we do make mistakes. Come on, you know what I’m talking about. When was the last time you spelled definitely as definately or used their instead of they’re? It happens.

There are also those lurking among us who enjoy nothing better than having a good time at the expense of others. On WikiAnswers, that often comes in the form of posting useless, offensive or inflammatory answers or remarks.

So what happens when you come across a question whose answer leaves little to be desired?

You can edit it directly or Flag for Improvement! This handy new link located on the left in the menu area allows you to mark a Q&A as one that could use some TLC. This is especially useful when you are in a hurry or simply don’t have the knowledge required to improve an answer.

When you click on the link, you are presented with the following pop-up:

You can choose one or more of the options listed and even place a detailed comment as to why you are marking an answer as needing improvement. These flagged Q&As (little outlaws!) can be accessed here or you can Browse by Category and see only those Q&As in a particular topic area.

See something you want to clean up?Simply click on the Q&A, select Improve Answer and make your improvements. When you are done editing, remove the flags and comments related to the changes you made by clicking off the little checked boxes or selecting Edit Flags.

So the next time you come across something questionable or in need of some help, don’t turn a blind eye - remember to Flag for Improvement.

Every edit goes a looooong way… ;-)

Folks often wonder how long it will take to get their question answered once posted on WikiAnswers. Truth be told, it varies considerably. Your question might receive an answer immediately – within hours or minutes - or it could take awhile. It all depends on how hard your question is to answer and who out there is generous enough to tackle it. But there are some simple steps that you can take to improve the timeliness of receiving an answer.

1. Make sure your question is clear and legible. Folks can’t and won’t answer your question if they don’t understand it. Before submitting it, double check for accuracy. It should be a complete sentence, not a fragment. For example, ask “How do you change a tire on a Jeep Liberty?” and not “Change Jeep tire?” Also avoid complex questions with many parts. Asking “How do you change the left front tire if it went flat on Route 66 in the rain and you’ve never done it before but want to learn please thank you?” may not generate a quick response.
2. Place your question in the appropriate category. Proper placement gets your question in front of the people most likely to answer it. So if you’re asking about something related to an indoor palm tree chances are that placing it in Houseplants will generate an answer ten times faster than placing it under Coin Collecting.
3. Ask a Supervisor to feature your question on WikiAnswers and Answers.com home pages. They are happy to do so and will often follow-up with you to make sure that you are satisfied with the answer received.

Out of courtesy, try to make sure that your question is specific enough to answer, yet general enough to be applicable to other people with similar questions.

The votes are in and the final counts have been tallied. Drum roll, please. Announcing the Winners of WikiAnswers 1st Annual WAmmy Awards!

Answer of the Year

Winner - Joe Hepperle: “How do you know when a man is serious about you?”
Honorable Mention - QuirkyQuantumMechanic: “Can a car engine be used for a helicopter?”
Honorable Mention - Schnazola: “If a player kicks a soccer ball in a high arc toward the opponent’s goal will the velocity and acceleration of the ball be zero at the highest point in its trajectory?”

Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner - Chris (the founder of WikiAnswers
Honorable Mention - Neila222
Honorable Mention - Marcy

Funniest Question

Winner - Buxtonp: “When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died did he start to decompose?”
Honorable Mention - (Anonymous): “What color are smurfs when you choke them?”
Honorable Mention - (Anonymous): “When sign makers go on strike is anything written on their signs?”

Best Contributor in a Supporting Role

Winner - Deb
Honorable Mention - Ksmail
Honorable Mention - Brave3

Rising Star / Best Contributions by a New Supervisor

Winner - LauraFrog
Honorable Mention - EvilTechie
Honorable Mention - HisPowr4u

Funniest Answer

Winner - Schnazola: “How do I dry out the marijuana that got wet when I accidentally washed in my jeans?”
Honorable Mention - Zem: “Are crop circles the work of a cereal killer?”
Honorable Mention - An8thg: “How do you stop pesky in-laws from coming over?”

Best Researched Answer

Winner - Rosencrantz: “What are some examples of Newton’s three laws of motion?”
Honorable Mention - Joncey: “How was information controlled in World War 2 in Britain?”
Honorable Mention - USCitizen: “What types of tanks did America use in World War 2?”

Best Advice Answer

Winner - SapphireMoon: “How do you avoid running out of things to say2?”
Honorable Mention - Marcy: “How do you tell a new partner about an abusive past?”
Honorable Mention - Getacar: “How do you become the best student?”

Best How-To Answer

Winner - An8thg: “How do you keep a dog from getting out of the backyard?”
Honorable Mention - TopSavings.net: “What steps do you take to set up a website?”
Honorable Mention - Mina1: “How do you cook a turkey?” (1st half of answer)

The Good Samaritan / Most Contributions

Winner - Dlmick
Honorable Mention - Brave3

The Know-It-All / Most Answers

Winner - Brave3
Honorable Mention - Dlmick

The Neat Freak / Most Category Changes

Winner - Ksmail
Honorable Mention - An8thg

Rookie of the Year / Most Contributions by a New Supervisor

Winner - An8thg
Honorable Mention - HisPowr4u

Eye for Detail / Most Questions Improved

Winner - Deb
Honorable Mention - Dlmick

The Crimestopper / Most Vandals Blocked

Winner - Ganderton
Honorable Mention - Dlmick

In You We Trust / Most Trust Points Earned

Winner - RoyR
Honorable Mention - Clay

Congratulations to ALL nominees and winners! Look for the WAmmy Hall of Fame coming soon!

Our fantastic, wonderful Supervisor WikiWand posted a series of questions and answers on the site this past week that all have something to do with communicating and wiki-ing effectively with other Supervisors.

One of the questions I really like is: Are there rules of courtesy between WikiAnswers Supervisors?

The simple answer is, no. There are no written rules, as we have always tried to maintain a fun, community-driven site; a site built on collaboration and free from endless policies and guidelines. Boxing gloves have never been required and we certainly don’t plan on promoting any ring action in the near future. So remember to keep it real… On and off WikiAnswers, a little bit of nice goes a loooooong way.

There’s a little ole’ category on WikiAnswers that goes by the name of Miscellaneous. And boy, does it need to clean up its act! Or rather, would you help us clean it up? As explained in a previous post, Miscellaneous is often used as a last (and first) resort for question placement. Unfortunately, most questions that go into this area could be better categorized somewhere else. Because we now feature over 2,300 categories (and growing each day!), there are very few questions that would truly qualify as Miscellaneous.

Currently this rough and tough area features over 13,500 Q&As. Wow! If each of us could spend just 15 minutes a day moving some of these into better categories, we’d have Miscellaneous cleaned up in no time at all. Together, this outlaw doesn’t stand a chance!

Recategorizing is easy. Simply click on Miscellaneous under Browse Categories on WikiAnswers home page. Select a question from this area and choose ‘Recategorize’ which is located on the left under Question Tools. Remove the checkmark from Miscellaneous and place a checkmark in the more appropriate category or categories. Select ‘Save’ and you’re good to go. One down, only a few more to go (give or take).

When correctly categorized, questions and answers are much easier to find. And more questions have a chance of getting answered. So won’t you help us out? It’s a great way to boost your contributions and get your name on WikiAnswers Top Contributors list.

The other day one of our awesome WikiAnswers Supervisors (Ganderton) posted a request for help on the forum. He – along with most of us – would very much like to see our Miscellaneous category lose some weight.

Miscellaneous is often used as a last (and first) resort for question placement. Unfortunately, most questions that go into this area could be better categorized somewhere else. Each day Miscellaneous packs on the pounds; in fact, for every 100 questions removed and recategorized, 30 more are added. Because we now feature over 2,300 categories, there are very few questions that would truly qualify as Miscellaneous.

Ganderton mentioned that his first action in the morning is to bring up new questions in Miscellaneous – with the entire page full of miscategorized questions. He does this several more times throughout the day; however, he has never found where he left off on the previous session. In his words, “It’s like bailing out the Titanic with a tea cup.” So we are asking for your help. If every Supervisor could dedicate just 15 minutes a day to moving questions out of Miscellaneous, it would certainly shape up fast.

Here are a few pointers: As a question reaches high popularity in the Unanswerable Questions to Edit category it will have various alternate wordings that can be swapped for the current version. This is an easy way to figure out what the person was most likely asking. Often the question will get answered by someone who understands gibberish and you can reword the question to reflect what the answer tells you.

(Another gigantic THANK YOU to Ganderton for helping write this post and for his dedication to WikiAnswers and the cause of the greater good. Onward and upwards!)