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Yahoo! Answers, A Librarian's Worst Nightmare

Slate has an interesting look at the realm of online question and answer forums. Yahoo! Answers is boasting over 120 million users and 400 million answers placing it just behind Wikipedia for most visited education/reference site on the internet. While this may be a great insight into crowd mentality and search preferences, it seems to be a "complete disaster as a traditional reference tool." "For educators fretting that the Internet is creating a generation of 'intellectual sluggards,' the problem isn't just that Yahoo!'s site helps ninth-graders cheat on their homework. It's that a lot of the time, it doesn't help them cheat all that well. [...] Like Yahoo! Answers, Wikipedia isn't perfect. But for savvy browsers who know how to use it, Wikipedia is an invaluable source of factual information. In the last two years, there's been a heated debate over whether Wikipedia is as trustworthy as Encyclopedia Britannica. This obscures a crucial point: Wikipedia is at least reliable enough that such a question can be asked. Take my word for it--no one is going to make any such claims about Yahoo! Answers any time soon."

5 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. just like any resource, useless if improperly used by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    most of the 'kids' we deal with are only able to learn something if it shows up on IM, Itunes, or comes in a text message on their phone. looking up stuff for school is an annoying inconvenience for them. fortunately, it would appear that the creators have taken their plight/lack of training, into account.

    for the rest of us 'adults', it might be a little different.

    http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=video+cloud+spraying

    now there's something worth looking into. if it were good for us, someone would be bragging about it.

    corepirate nazi execrable costs outweigh benefits
    (Score:-)mynuts won, the king is a fink)
    by ourselves on everyday 24/7

    as there are no benefits, just more&more death/debt & disruption.

    fortunately there's an 'army' of light bringers, coming yOUR way

    do not be afraid/dismayed, it is the way it was meant to be.

    the little ones/innocents must/will be protected.

    after the big flash, ALL of yOUR imaginary 'borders' may blur a bit?

    for each of the creators' innocents harmed (in any way), there is a debt that must/will be repaid by you/us, as the perpetrators/minions of unprecedented evile, will not be available.

    all is not lost/forgotten/forgiven.

    no need to fret (unless you're associated/joined at the hype with, unprecedented evile), it's all just a part of the creators' wwwildly popular, newclear powered, planet/population rescue initiative/mandate.

    or, is it (literally) ground hog (as in dead meat) day, again? many of US are obviously not interested in/aware of how we appear (which is whoreabull) from the other side of the 'lens', or even from across the oceans.

    vote with (what's left in) yOUR wallet. help bring an end to unprecedented evile's manifestation through yOUR owned felonious corepirate nazi glowbull warmongering execrable.

    some of US should consider ourselves very fortunate to be among those scheduled to survive after the big flash/implementation of the creators' wwwildly popular planet/population rescue initiative/mandate.

    it's right in the manual, 'world without end', etc....

    as we all ?know?, change is inevitable, & denying/ignoring gravity, logic, morality, etc..., is only possible, on a temporary basis.

    concern about the course of events that will occur should the life0cidal execrable fail to be intervened upon is in order.

    'do not be dismayed' (also from the manual). however, it's ok/recommended, to not attempt to live under/accept, fauxking nazi felon greed/fear/ego based pr ?firm? scriptdead mindphuking hypenosys.

    consult with/trust in yOUR creators. providing more than enough of everything for everyone (without any distracting/spiritdead personal gain motives), whilst badtolling unprecedented evile, using an unlimited supply of newclear power, since/until forever. see you there?

    "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

  2. you missed my point by circletimessquare · · Score: 0, Troll

    it is valid to point out where the hivemind is hypocritical and inconsistent from one opinion to the next

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  3. Re:so what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Who said anything about regulation? Yet another straw-man from the Ron Paul nutbags.

  4. pick a subject matter by circletimessquare · · Score: -1, Troll

    now ask a random sampling slashdotters their opinion on that

    you will get a bell curve

    the middle of that bell curve is the hive mind on that issue

    anything other concepts i can help you with today?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  5. What the fuck am I talking about? by circletimessquare · · Score: -1, Troll

    i guess i don't know!

    i guess you do, and you're going to whip me into shape!

    you're magical and patronizing

    awesome!

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it