Thing 34: Online Answer Sites

I have little experience with Online Answer sites before this Thing. I have run across Yahoo!Answers when doing general surfing, but that is about it. So first I read
The Future of the Reference Desk, That Thing You Do, and a bit of Librarian 2.0: Interviews of the Future of Librarians.

Next, here are the sites I looked at:

AskMetafilter
ChaCha
AllExperts
WikiAnswers
Yahoo!Answers
Askville
Answerbag
Mahalo
SnappyFingers

I didn't look at Folkstown, which is down for maintenance. All of these seemed browseable except for Snappy Fingers, which requires a query in the search box. I have to say that these are appealing. I was interested to see the questions and answers.


So, why would someone prefer to ask a stranger, possibly unqualified, to answer a question for them rather than to contact a librarian who can answer them with authority and reliable material? Based on what I've read and seen, here's what I think:

• Want opinions, not facts: they have questions regarding behavior, like: What do you do when your neighbors have a barking dog that they cannot control?, How often do you makeout?
• Want anonymity: want to ask their question privately
• These sites are social, you can ask questions you would ask friends and get feedback, but you probably wouldn't ask a librarian: Why doesn't --- love me as much as he used to , How long must I wait before getting tested for Aids if I just had sex?
• Don't want bother for themselves or others, a quickie answer will do
• Question is answered "enough,", person has fleeting curiosity, it's just enough to know a short answer, general validation is fine
• Want to talk with people who've shared an experience: parenting, wedding, fandom, etc., speak to a "regular" person who's experienced something: When is the appropriate time to seat a step mother of the bride? Thanks , What classes are better if I want to go to college?, Jonas brothers fanclub webpage won't let me buy tickets! why?
• Want answer to a very"of the moment" question: When is the next season of the sho time show Weeds coming out
• Have a question that can be answered quickly, by the right person: "I can't remember the name of this movie. Can you remember this movie?"
• Want something besides answer of status quo, a fashion magazine or book might suggest this, but : Do jelly cubes really help strengthen and grow your hair?
• Want to ask for advice, then judge the quality themselves rather than be told what is "right, " you can accept what sounds good and reject the rest because
• Sometimes you want to hear what you want to hear!