I have mentioned Yahoo Answers earlier in this blog. I've been active on the site on and off for almost two years, progressing though the various levels one can achieve. Today, I reached Level 7 --Yahoo Answers top category . So, big deal, you say. For anyone not impressed with this accomplishment, let me run through how one earns the points needed to reach this exalted status. The main ways are by answering questions (2 points each) and by having your answers selected as best answers (10 points each). One can also get points by voting for best answers on questions (1 point for each vote and only one vote per question). To get to level 7, one must amass 25,000 points. Up until recently, I never thought I reach Yahoo Answers highest level, but with a final push over the last two months, I made it. So, do I win a prize and get some other tangible reward for my efforts? The answer, unfortunately, is no. Why then would anyone bother making the effort? I'm not sure, but I do know that there is a certain addictive quality to the site. I should also admit that my point total is kind of paltry compared with those at the top of the leader board. The current leader, who goes by the name Judas Rabbi, has earned more than 419,000 points. To give a little more context, there are 1230 more people who have garnered more points that I have. It makes one feel kind of insignificant. On the other hand, according to YA's FAQs, "With more than 21 million unique users in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide, Yahoo! Answers is the largest knowledge-sharing community on the Web." I'll write more about YA later on, but now I have to get back there and see what questions have come in.
