Yahoo! Answers

Yahoo! Answers is an information-cum-social networking service from the Yahoo! group. Basically it allows users to ask questions and seek answers for them from people from around the world. They can select the best answers from among these answers. Yahoo! Answers also uses a points system. For every question asked, 5 points are spent.

For every answer given, 2 points are earned and if the answer is deemed as the best answer by the person who asked it, the answerer will get 10 points. Anyone who has a Yahoo! account can use Yahoo! Answers to ask and reply.

But Yahoo! Answers is much more than a website where people can ask and answer questions. It is a complete social networking website, though it may not follow the same methods as other similar sites. For example, it does not allow people to chat with each other, though their email addresses are public.

Marketers find Yahoo! Answers to be a good place to advertise their business opportunities because of two reasons. It is a place where they can establish their credibility by posting informative answers with their website link, which is allowed here. Secondly, Yahoo! Answers gets an amazing amount of traffic each day. It is only behind Wikipedia among informative websites.

What are the Pros of Yahoo! Answers?

Anyone that has a Yahoo! account can use Yahoo! Answers. By answering questions, they send out the message that they know their business well. The rating system can be used to establish credentials above competitors.

Yahoo! Answers is a free worldwide service with millions of visitors each day. Top celebrities have Yahoo! Answers accounts, which make this a high-status website to be promoting business opportunities on.

What are the Cons of Yahoo! Answers?

There are guidelines to be followed while asking as well as answering questions. Disobeying these could lead to blocking of accounts, which is a terrible loss of face to a business.

It takes time for Yahoo! Answers to bring any positive results. A lot of answers need to be made before visibility is attained and that could take time and effort.

There are spammers on Yahoo! Answers too. Marketers need to know that they must not cross the line.