This week’s featured user is highly deserving of the spotlight, with a 52% best answer rate. Loz is a final year veterinary student who takes time out from her studies to help members of the Answers community with their queries about their feathered, furry or fin covered friends.
Loz’s many responses are informative and give all the necessary details without waffling on – a winning formula with askers!
Yahoo!7 Answers Team
Sometimes when it gets to the weekend all you want to do is PARTY! Be it a small gathering with close friends or an all out night on the town, you just get the urge to let your hair down and get your groove on.
All over the world, as it approaches knock off time on a Friday, people are heading out with their dancing shoes to have a great time, make some new friends and create some awesome memories. You could be anywhere in the world – Spain, Manhattan, even Buenos Aires in Argentina – as long as you’ve found a happening location and the music is pumping you’re well on your way. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in a nightclub either, a pool party is a great way to unwind and have some fun – as long as you don’t get cold!
The most memorable parties aren’t always the ones that you are looking forward to the most. Sometimes the mood and the atmosphere help turn it into a good night, sometimes you might find yourself in an exotic location that lends itself to good times, or perhaps it’s just because someone across the dance floor has caught your eye!
So where’s the best place to party in the whole wide world? Wherever your friends are!
Have a great weekend!
Clea
We’d like to welcome our friends from the Yahoo!7 News Team to Yahoo!7 Answers!
As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, there are so many big thinkers on Answers who are interested in learning about and discussing current events, and the News team is also really keen to hear what your thoughts are on particular stories.
Today for example, the Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd mentioned that if Labor wins power in the next Federal Election it is likely that there will be another referendum held to determine whether or not Australia should come out from England’s rule to become a Republic. If you remember back to 1999, the previous referendum was a huge talking point for all Australians, and it seems nothing has changed. Last time Australia voted against the idea, but the News Team is wondering what would make you give a yes vote if there were to be a second referendum on the subject.
You’ll be seeing Yahoo!7 News Team questions pop up in the Best of Answers module on the homepage from time to time – so keep an eye out, and in the meantime you can always read the latest stories at www.yahoo.com.au/news or watch the 4:30pm weekday bulletins by clicking on this link.
Yahoo!7 Answers Team
The flooding in the UK has generated a lot of questions on Answers
Yahoo!7 Answers is for anyone and everyone and for all types of questions, relating to everything from household matters to personal finances. Often questions only require a short and basic answer – but there are some that demand a lot more thought and input from those who respond.
Answers is a good place to come to when you have a question about current issues or news, as it is more than likely that there will be someone who can fill you in on any details you may have missed in big stories.
There are certainly some big thinkers out there, who want to hear from others about the important issues that might not affect our day to day lives but are still worth knowing about – whether it be about licensing for young drivers or about the total ban of smoking inside some Australian pubs and clubs. Global issues get a great deal of attention too, with users still concerned about the whaling being carried out by Japan and people wanting to hear the latest about the terrible floods that have devastated much of the UK. There are plenty of questions too where you may not agree with the asker’s point of view, but they are still interested to hear your opinion on a concept or theory.
Questions like “Who will win the Australian Election?” don’t actually have definitive answers, but that doesn’t stop people from guessing !
Clea
Potter fans are already queuing…
Only one more sleep to go!
And many will be doing that outside their favourite bookstore – even through freezing night-time temperatures, just to be one of the first to get their hands on the final installment of the amazing Harry Potter series.
Although a nasty spoil sport leaked the tome to the internet a few days ago, most people aren’t going to ruin the excitement for themselves and will wait until they have their own copy of the book in their own hands before sitting down to find out what becomes of Harry, Ron, Hermione and the evil Lord Voldemort. There have been hundreds of theories flying around cyberspace and Yahoo!7 Answers as to how the series will end – some suggesting that Harry will die (oh I hope not!), many speculating about which side Professor Snape is really on and lots wondering what the final Horcrux actually is.
July has been a double dose of Harry Potter mania, with the fifth movie being released in cinemas a couple of weeks ago and reviews pouring in about whether or not it was an acceptable representation of the book.
I am predicting a quiet weekend around the world as children and adults everywhere stay indoors to read what will no doubt be an amazing climax to the world’s most popular series of books… followed by a lot of questions on Answers about the outcome!
Clea
It has been many weeks coming, but we are finally able to announce that a winning response has been chosen for the Yahoo!7 Answers / Be a Better Planet $50,000 question!
The judges had the heavy going job of reading through and considering more than 1100 fantastic responses – many of which had truly inspiring ideas on how to use $50,000 to create a more sustainable environment in Australia. It was great to see that so many people put so much thought into their responses and certainly very difficult for the judging panel to choose just one winner.
In the end though, it was user Fritz whose answer was chosen as best –
“The best use of $50,000 for the planet would be as a reward to the greenest school in the country. The money could be shared out to schools who are implementing a go green program. It may be divided into $30,000, $20,000 & $10,000 to provide a number of prizes that would encourage schools to go green. It is our children who will be most affected and it is our children who need to change the way we use our planet.”
This answer was decided upon as the winner because it was a simple idea that can easily be implemented, but it has the potential to have a positive effect all over the nation. Yahoo!7 and Be a Better Planet are now working with a partner to create this incentive program for schools, and we will definitely keep you up to date as it progresses!
We have to say thanks one final time to the Be a Better Planet Judging Panel, which includes Planet Ark founder Jon Dee, University of Technology Professor Derek Eamus, Better Homes & Gardens presenters Jason Hodges and Joanna Griggs, New Idea editor Robyn Foyster, All Saints star Virginia Gay, media personality Annalise Braakensiek, Yahoo! founder David Filo and Yahoo!7 CEO Ian Smith. They certainly had their work cut out for them choosing just one winner out of so many brilliant responses.
And of course thanks again to everyone who took the time to answer – you’ve helped to make this competition a huge success and we hope to see you again soon on Yahoo!7 Answers!
Yahoo!7 Answers Team
Thanks to the dedicated team at Answers your favourite site is constantly growing and changing, with frequent updates that we hope will make it more enjoyable for you to visit. We always mention any changes in the blog but I also like to remind you from time to time of some of the features that you may not have ever noticed.
For example – did you know that you can look at open and resolved questions based on which have the most or the least answers? You can also sort them regarding to which date they were posted. The default is set to the most recent questions, but you can change this to see which questions have been waiting the longest for people to answer. Look underneath the Answer, Discover and Vote tabs to see this option…
You may have noticed one of our latest additions is the Camping section, under Outdoor Recreation in the Sports Category. While it may not be ideal camping weather in most parts of Australia at the moment it is still fun to take a look and maybe get some ideas for your next trip when the weather gets warmer – or maybe get some ideas for how to cope if you’re camping in the freezing cold!
My childhood memories of camping always seem to circle around what we forgot to bring on each particular trip – i.e. spoons (Easter 1989) or toilet paper (Christmas 1987). So it’s not suprising that a lot of the questions in the camping section revolve around what people should remember to pack before they set off! Insect repellent is also a hot issue for campers who want to avoid days spent swatting flies and coming home covered with mosquito bites… and if that fails then it never hurts to know how to remove a tick!
There are several questions from nervous people (mostly girls I’ve noticed!) who are about to embark on their first camping adventure and aren’t sure what to expect, and also a lot of users inquiring what food would be best to take along that is easy to carry but also tasty. People are always on the lookout too for some activities to do while they’re out of the city and making the most of the great outdoors.
We are certainly very lucky in Australia that insects are the main causing of our camping misadventures – and that we don’t have to be adequately prepared for how to handle an encounter with a bear!
Clea
It’s a big month for this week’s featured user – as a Harry Potter fan she has both the latest book and the latest movie to get excited about!
Mandy S manages to find time between following the exploits of the world’s favourite wizard and raising two small boys to spend time on answers giving advice on her favourite topics, which include the aforementioned Harry Potter, all things involving relationships – especially weddings and engagements, and parenting. According to Mandy, neither of her children has ever done anything in the “normal” way, so she feels able to answer questions in the parenting category with her own unique perspective, offering advice ranging from what to feed kids for lunch to how to convince them to behave in public.
Having earned more than 400 best answers since joining in late 2006, Mandy S’s secret to success is that she gives straightforward answers that are informative and helpful and she speaks from experience without belittling others. It is her respect for other members of the Answers community that means her answers are often chosen as best over thirty or forty other responses!
Mandy S is a big fan of Answers because she loves giving her opinion – and every time she logs on there are literally thousands of people wanting to hear what she has to say!
We’re very happy to have you Mandy S – keep up the good work!
Yahoo!7 Answers Team
Music is the spice of life. It can change our emotions, add meaning to an event or picture and inspire our daily lives. Our days are constantly filled with music, be it as we trundle down the aisles of the supermarket, watch TV, as we drive in our cars or as we listen to whichever portable device we happen to have handy on the bus. Even a ringing mobile phone fills our life with music.
Is it possible to name one song as the best ever? Many have tried, but of course it is all a matter of opinion for each individual person. It is just as difficult to decide on what is the world’s saddest song or to even to decide which is the best song from a particular artist or band. Looking around on Yahoo!7 Answers, there are lots of great questions along these lines, my favourite being the one that asks for the best song to convey to someone that you are, like, totally OVER THEM!!!
Answers is a great resource for finally discovering out who sang that song you’ve got stuck in your head, for seeking suggestions on what music to use at your wedding, or even to find that inspirational song you’ve been looking for. It’s a great tool for getting hold of song lyrics and for hearing from people who are interested in the same music genre as you are.
If only I could ask that kitty what he is listening to!
Clea
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