Has anyone ever used Yahoo Answers? We often get people coming from there because they have been referred by people that have used us as a source of information. personally, I don't use it very often myself but I just happened to go on that today to have a look. I have got an account as I have answered a couple of questions in the past. Anyway, to get to the point, some of the responses to questions are just unbelievable. It seems that a lot of people just don't know what the hell they are talking about and are just dishing out the most ludicrous advice.

Somebody bought three goldfish , put them in a tank that had never contained fish before and they died 24 hours later. Nobody addressed the issue of cycling and that you can't just put fish in a reciprocal full of water and then expect them to live. I'm not saying that these places haven't got any members who know what they're talking about, but from what I've seen, there are lots of people who try and give advice when they really don't know what they're talking about

I wouldn't trust yahoo answers either and also I would take what wikipedia says with a pinch of salt as any old tom dick or harry can add their two cents.

Much better to come to a little site I know ...oscarfishlover.com hehe

The problem with places like Yahoo Answers if you have lots of people who may have a little knowledge but think that they can answer all the questions. just because you know a lot about goldfish, doesn't mean you can help someone who keeps Oscars. All you end up with is information that may be half right.

I would say the general consensus on here is that we normally agree with each other and give pretty much the same information. I've noticed on many of these other community type websites that offer information on just about anything going, every answer often contradicts the one before.

if you rely on yahoo answer.... i believe the one asking will end up without
any fish at all....

the only consolation is that whenever you lost your fish, the guilt feeling
will be lesser since you will believe you have done what has been told...

yahoo answers sux!

Yahoo answers are the LAST place anyone should go for advice! It's main failing is that it gives you "points" for each post you answer and bonus points for each answer chosen as the best. It's much the same way as any forum that has a post count. Those with higher post counts are often accepted on the premise that they have the most experience based on counts or points.

Not in defense of Yahoo, but I have seen this occur on many other forums and as a result have ceased membership with them.

When someone is seeking answers, they have no idea what is fact or fiction, else they wouldn't be looking. It's just like some people think googling for an answer is "research". We have become lazy and full of ourselves when it comes to a "hobby".
As a network and systems engineer, it took a lot of education and many sleepless nights of cramming to learn enough to acquire employment. With a hobby, someone can be wrong for many years and still think they have all the answers just because they lucked out. They wrongly consider themselves well-informed or an expert based on years and not on knowledge.

excuzzzeme wrote:


It's easy to see who is right and wrong when you actually have a little bit of experience yourself. After all, a lot of us have been doing this fish keeping hobby for a number of years so we are fairly experienced and have learned by our mistakes. Many of us have had the same fish for a number of years so we must be doing something right. However, newcomers have to put their trust in someone if they are looking for advice and help.Why the hell they choose to go with places like Yahoo! answers before a dedicated website like us, or a few other OF forums, I just don't understand their mentality.I don't mean to sound conceited and arrogant, but we are not a difficult website to find on the Internet. Also, you only have to search the forum to see that we have helped a lot of people successfully

As for the points thing on Yahoo! answers, I know what you mean, just because you've answered 1000 questions, doesn't make you the person who has all the answers. We had a similar system on here a while ago, it's actually called Karma. The way it is supposed to work is if you think someone has given some good advice that you think deserves a thumbs up then you would click once on a thumbs up ssymbol and they get one Karma point. However, people were getting awarded karma for doing absolutely nothing,, maybe because someone just like them. So in the end I removed it and it isn't coming back again.

there is actually websites dedicated to the art of "trolling", which is giving fake/false information to people on yahoo answers, then laughing when they actually do it.
it also shows how stupid some questions are.

some of it is quite harsh, some is a little funny...

I think for those with lesser experience should test the answers given against a majority of info and see if it jives. If 10 ppl say yes and 1 says no - then likely yes is the correct answer. When it comes to Yahoo, the reasons and rational behind the answers seem like they come from the moon they are so far out. At least with an established forum, such as this one, the majority of answers are based on actual experience and research.

"It MUST be true, I read it on the INTERNET!"

i like reading yahoo answers just for the stupid responses, lol....

If in doubt, go to Wikipedia

I never take information as being the gospel truth when trying to find an answer. I do as you have mentioned, is test the answers against a pool of answers. Even that doesn't guarantee that it is correct but at least it is likely to be more correct than some way out Yahoo answer.

I came here because the main focus is on Oscars and not cars, motorcycles, FPS games, etc. I hardly consider myself to be an expert, just well-versed in what I choose to answer. I would rather answer 5 questions right than to answer 100 wrong. Post counts and like scoring doesn't impress me. The answer poster's attitude and information is what I look for. We were all beginners at some point and didn't just one day wake up with all the answers to our hobby.

Due to severe medical problems I am very forgetful. Many times I must re-read answers repeatedly until it gets "locked" in. Sometimes, I can answer something correctly and never know how I knew the answer or where read/learned it from. I assure you, Yahoo answers is not a serious source in my book. They are of the mind-set that a) a fish will grow only to the size of his tank b)Oscars fit in a 55 c) it's ok to keep goldfish in a bowl, etc.

Thanks for the great information on this site!