Answerbag

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Answerbag
URL answerbag.com
Slogan Every Question Deserves a Great Answer
Type of site Q&A website
Available language(s) English
Owner Demand Media
Launched 2003
Current status Active

Answerbag (known colloquially as "AB") is a collaborative online database of FAQs, where questions are asked and answered by users. Instead of the one question—one answer model, multiple answers to a given question are presented, in descending order of user ratings. As of December 2006, Answerbag was the second largest social Q&A site next to Yahoo! Answers.[1] In a comparison with Yahoo! Answers and MSN Live QnA, Cnet declared that Answerbag was neck and neck with Yahoo! Answers.[2]

A user who has created an account can ask and answer questions, comment on answers, rate questions and answers, and suggest new categories. Users have profile pages where their points and submissions are reviewable by other users, and 'leaderboards' show current and all-time contributors in categories such as "Most questions asked" and "Most positive ratings received."

Contents

[edit] History

Answerbag was founded in July 2003, by Joel Downs and acquired in early 2006 by Infosearch Media. However, on October 3, 2006, Answerbag announced it would join with Demand Media. Although there is not a real document for the history of Answerbag ever since its creation in 2003, one of the oldest users has answered some questions by including certain parts of Answerbag 1.0 and 2.0.[citation needed] In late 2006, Answerbag received press attention by announcing that it would release a read/write API for their Q&A database.[3] Answerbag has changed its format and completely overhauled the design of its site recently.

[edit] Comparison with Yahoo Answers

Answerbag has a smaller user community than Yahoo Answers. The time taken to receive an answer to a question is also relatively slower than that of Yahoo Answers.[citation needed] All the questions in Yahoo Answers are time based which means that a question will be removed when the time frame ends. Answerbag allows unlimited answer time in comparison to Yahoo Answers. Flagging a question is yet to be seen on Yahoo Answers. A distinctive feature of Answerbag is that it allows users to post pictures and video. [4]

[edit] API

Answerbag released the first Social Q&A API in February 2007, allowing other sites to read Q&A and contribute new Q&A from their users into the shared Answerbag database.[5]

[edit] Community leaders

On August 1, 2007 Answerbag publicly announced the creation of community leader roles, who are chosen by site staff to help moderate the site and manage content.

[edit] Levels and ranks

Answerbag recognizes the most prolific members by awarding them points and medals, along with ranks. When a user receives points, the user levels up, but it takes more points for the user to level up the next time. The levels are as follows in order.

Level 1-2 Beginner
Level 3-4 Novice
Level 5-9 Contributor
Level 10-14 Wiz
Level 15-19 Authority
Level 20-29 Expert
Level 30-39 Professor
Level 40-49 Brain
Level 50-59 Sage
Level 60-69 Maestro
Level 70-79 Guru
Level 80-89 Swami
Level 90-99 Genius
Level 100- Illuminati

Top ten contributors of the week.

As a user also receives points, as it adds together, the user may also qualify in the ranking system, ranking from 1-100. The more points a user receives, the higher rank they will be.

    [edit] Project Answerbag

    On December 2007, member Kyogre-Stataen presented a special document known as Project Answerbag. This document consisted of a complete series of descriptions of the structure of Answerbag, moderations, and points systems.

    After a short time, several users have adopted these guidelines as the official structure of Answerbag. It is still uncertain whether Project Answerbag has officially been declared as the official document on Answerbag, since no official authority has been issued at this time.[6]

    [edit] 2009 Redesign

    In late 2009, Answerbag was made over with a new design and features, including a private message system. The redesign did not go over well with many veteran members, as some have voiced their displeasure on the website.[7]

    [edit] See also

    [edit] References

    1. ^ Hitwise Intelligence - LeeAnn Prescott - US: Yahoo! Answers Captures 96% of Q and A Market Share
    2. ^ Dropping knowledge: question-and-answer sites - Internet
    3. ^ Answerbag bets the farm on widgets and an API
    4. ^ Wenzel, Elsa (2006-08-31). "Editor's review". CNET. http://reviews.cnet.com/online-software-services/answerbag/4505-9239_7-32058758.htm. 
    5. ^ Answerbag Stuffs Answers On Your Site | WebProNews
    6. ^ Would you like to read the completed version of 'Project
    7. ^ Displeasure voiced

    [edit] External links

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