Answers.com Integrates Yahoo! Answers Results
November 23rd, 2006 by pamela
Answers.com has announced that they have integrated Yahoo! Answers results straight into their content, pulling keyword matches results from the Yahoo! site.
Keyword matches are returned from Answers.com in the usual fashion, with Yahoo! Answers results contained in a right hand box containing related questions and answers from the internet’s largest Q&A site.
With over 60 million users worldwide, Yahoo! answers provides a fantastic supplementary resource for answers.com, with reams of community generated questions and answers on every topic imaginable, and some that aren’t. According to answers.com the partnership gives users the opportunity to connect reference information with real life experience and enrich the search process.
A search for ‘grapes’ (random, I know, it just popped into my head) returned dictionary, Wikipedia and nutritional information as well as a host of food site results, wine lovers data and various translations, not bad for a one word search. The Yahoo! Answers box allowed me to view Q&A relating to the types of spiders found in boxes of grapes, substituting sweets for grapes to aid weight loss and The Grapes of Wrath. Real life experiences indeed, and an interesting addition to some highly relevant search results.
Bob Rosenschein, CEO of Answers.com, explained the deal saying; “The phenomenon of the ‘wisdom of crowds’ has taken on extraordinary momentum, as evidenced by the meteoric growth of Yahoo! Answers.
“While our existing content is incredibly rich, relevant and cross-disciplinary, answers drawn from a community Q&A site provide a flip side - the dynamic, interactive voice of the people. User-generated content is a powerful wave on the internet and is a direction that we will continue to actively pursue.”
Answers.com are moving towards providing a dynamic search experience and as the notion of the online community grows, this can only be of benefit to the search engine.
November 23rd, 2006 at 1:43 pm
The whole ask a question and get an answer phenomenon has only just started. MSN have just recently brought out their own QnA in beta.
As the major SE’s just begin to address this side of the market, there are fantastic opportunities for brands to reach the public at a relatively low cost.
The engines will also benefit from learning the many ways that way people ask questions. Its like Ask.com but real life intelligence. What a great idea!
November 23rd, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Absolutely, I love Yahoo! Answers, it really has a great sense of community and its great to hear differing opinions from so many users, it can be a real eye opener. It can also provide some sloppy answers but I think that’s part of its charm. If MSN can do it better I look forward to seeing it.