Is there a reason to continue answering questions on YA?

Question

After answering questions in a YA technical forum for 7 years, I have to wonder if there's a reason to continue.  There is no reward for providing professional-level technical help other than getting a BA vote by the asker and seeing your ID rise on the top ten list in that forum.  But YA stopped BA voting a year or so ago and they do nothing to motivate askers to select one; so it mainly never happens (at least, not in the technical forums).  I've been on the top 10 list for years so it's not a big deal for me, but why should anyone else bother?  It seems Yahoo has made the entire YA app a waste of time.

? · Accepted Answer

At the root of it, you're helping people. Isn't that why you starting doing it in the first place? You're lending your technical expertise to someone that greatly appreciates it. You get more than just a BA thumbs up, you get that warm fuzzy feeling knowing you helped someone out of pure kindness without any expectations of any type of return. You're helping people, and at times where it feels like its for nothing, they greatly appreciate it.

ILoveCoffee · Answer

Yahoo ruined the greatest and most beautiful and engaging Q&A website ever. They removed all the beautiful colors and replaced them with all dull and ugly white. They removed all the cool and useful features and made it more difficult to navigate. They removed all incentives to stay here and develop your profile and replaced that with a more easy to ask, more easy to answer style. Shame of yahoo.

? · Answer

Its more about just helping answer questions, and I like reading stuff here, so I'm not really expecting to be paid for this.  You can leave anytime you want.

Anonymous · Answer

you know - the reward is in the process

we learn by thinking, it keeps our brains active and keeps us learning new things about our topics

and

when we know a lot about something we can teach others and help them learn

so yes - there are good reasons to keep answering, sharing knowledge is pleasurable and worthy

however it is nice to get a BA here and there- you have reminded me it is time for me to close my questions - i do it in blocks of 100-200, maybe you have reminded some other people also

best wishes

Elle · Answer

When you help people, it's very rewarding. In general, if you keep on helping people than you will feel rewarded and you might just get that feeling of Ohh, I helped someone today.

Is there a reason to continue answering questions on YA?

5 Answers