Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

I just moved into my very first home. It’s all very exciting, for the first time in my life there are no flat-mates slobbing on the couch, no one else is hogging the bathroom and I can do the dishes whenever I want. The freedom is breathtaking.

Yet after a month, I feel that something is missing. Ever heard the adage, ‘A house is not a home without a pet’? Obviously Barack Obama felt the same way, which is why he recently bought a Portuguese Water Dog for his family after moving to the White House.

My yearning was further exemplified after reading Marley and Me. This cute story is about a young family and their rambunctious Labrador, Marley. It has to be said that Marley wasn’t the most obedient dog in the world. He was so friendly and excitable but his brute strength and size made him a challenging dog to have around. Training him was an insurmountable and teaching him any tricks completely laughable. Despite these challenges, he was a much loved member of the family.

Of course, like all good books, Marley and Me has been made into a Hollywood blockbuster, with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in the starring roles. Both celebrities have asked questions on Answers recently about pets.

Jennifer Aniston asks What is your funniest family pet moment?

Owen Wilson asks What are some good tips on how to train a puppy?
Perhaps if his character had that advice, he might have done better training Marley!

Once I read all those great funny family pet moments, I really felt the urge for my own furry friend. My one concern is that I’m living in a flat, obviously a huge dog like Marley would be out of the question.

I’ve always had cats but they’re usually outdoor cats that love climbing trees and chasing lizards. How do you keep pets occupied in an apartment so they don’t chew up the furniture?

Hope you can help!

Caitlin
Community Manager

To ensure that you get the most out of Answers, we would like to remind you to set a correct email address on your profile. This way, not only will you receive notifications on your questions and answers, but you will also be able to receive emails from other users as well as updates. From time to time, we will send you communications regarding your usage of Yahoo!7 Answers and community feedback regarding your participation.

How do I update my email?
Go to your profile page on Answers and click on Edit My Info. Make sure you have entered the right email and you’ll have nothing to worry about.

The Email Communications from Yahoo!7 Answers tab allows you to choose which notifications you want to receive.

And remember: we will never display your email or use it for any purpose than to send you notifications regarding your questions and Answers. If you choose to allow other users to contact you, your e-mail will not be visible and you can opt in and out of this option whenever you want by going to your profile

Have more questions? Leave us a comment and let us know!

You may have noticed there has been a little extra assistance in the Family and Relationships section recently. Yahoo!7 Answers now have an Aussie based relationships Knowledge Partner to help out the lovelorn of Answers in the mystical world of dating and relationships. Coined ‘The Love Coach’, Carolin Dahlman, is the face behind the name and is thrilled to be joining Answers.

Who is ‘The Love Coach’?
I am Carolin Dahlman. I’m 35 years old, I was born in Sweden and now live in Sydney. I am the author of 5 books.

How do you help people?
I do one on one coaching. I analyse my clients to see what they need to change to get more control over their love life. What can they do, think or be to reach their goals? I ask questions to make them see the answers from within and develop. I push, give energy and create self awareness.

What made you want to help people with relationships & love?
I have always wanted to do something meaningful. It took me into politics for 20 years, but now I can still work to create happiness but in a more positive way. I love my job.

What’s an example of how you’ve helped someone?
I have successfully coached several people who have been tired and bored in their relationship to find energy and passion towards life and their partner again. I have made people more aware of what they have been doing wrong, so that they now are able to change.

If you could choose 5 words to describe you, what would they be?
Analytic, warm, energetic, happy, honest

So whether you’re dealing with an ex-partner, hoping to get a new one or need some help with the relationship you’ve got, The Love Coach is on hand to answer your questions. And in coming weeks, we’ll have even more great Knowledge Partners to give expert answers to your questions in many other areas of life. Stay tuned!

Caitlin
Community Manager

The war memorial at Lone Pine, Gallipoli

This year, Anzac Day means just that little bit more to me. It’s not that I ever shunned it – I’ve always felt it was one of the most important days for Aussies and Kiwis, a time to thank our predecessors for the ultimate sacrifice – dying for our country.

However this year I feel I understand it more than ever. Last November I had the privilege of visiting the amazing Gallipoli site in Turkey. This was a particular important pilgrimage, one that was definitely a must-see in the land of ancient ruins, crystal clear waters and the best kebabs in the world.

So what is it about visiting this site that makes you really appreciate the ANZAC legacy? Well if you remember back to school or watched the film Gallipoli with Mel Gibson in it, you probably remember the basic storyline but I’ll give you a refresher:

Most of the men recruited into the Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 were sent to Egypt to meet the threat which the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) posed to British interests in the Middle East and to the Suez Canal. After four and a half months of training near Cairo, the Australians departed by ship for the Gallipoli peninsula, together with troops from New Zealand, Britain, and France. The aim of this deployment was to assist a British naval operation which aimed to force the Dardanelles Strait and capture the Turkish capital, Constantinople. More

However things didn’t really go to plan.

First, British and French warships attempted to sail between the peninsula and the Turkish mainland, a stretch of sea which had been heavily mined by the Turks and was commanded by large numbers of gun emplacements. The naval attack was a disaster, many ships being sunk or run aground. The land attack by French, British and ANZAC troops was badly planned, badly directed and made without any proper maps of the area.

(The) errors in range finding and a drifting tide meant that most of the proper landing points were obscured and the troops were going to land in the wrong area. By landing in the wrong areas, there were no pre-prepared plans of attack and the troops were not able to get off the beaches as the cliffs were insurmountable and the Turks were putting up a strong resistance. More

The peninsular

So basically the men who did survive were stuck in trenches for 8 months in all kinds of stinking hot, wet or freezing cold weather with limited medicines and food such as bully beef (the WW1 slang for tinned corned beef which was mostly fat), and hard tack.

When you visit, it becomes all too real how awful it must have been. The trenches are only a matter of metres apart, so close that during truces, troops would exchange food and cigarettes by throwing them across no man’s land. It was examples of this camaraderie that inspired ‘The Anzac Spirit’.

These qualities of the Anzac Spirit cluster around several ideas, including endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, and mateship. According to this concept, the soldiers are perceived to have been innocent and fit, stoical and laconic, irreverent in the face of authority, naturally egalitarian and disdainful of British class differences. More

The importance of mateship between soldiers and countries was even commented on by Kemal Attaturk, the Prime Minister of Turkey after the war and highly regarded as the Father of modern day Turkey.

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours… You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.” More

Seeing these trenches, it really hit home how awful the conditions would have been and made me realise that these were young men who were bravely fighting for our country.

For me, Anzac Day is a day to say thank you to all these young men and women who have stood up and fought for our country’s freedom in every war. It’s a time to remember the hardship they endured and to have hope that one day, we won’t feel the need to fight each other.

What does Anzac Day mean to you?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Strictly Ballroom is one of those movies that will always remind me of my adolescence. I think my first crush may have been Paul Mercurio in that tight white singlet and floppy hair. And for a young girl with two left feet, it was quite encouraging to see daggy Fran being transformed into a graceful Ballroom dancing champion with a hundred times more flair than her bleached blonde competitors.

Baz Luhrmann was the writer and director of that classic Aussie movie and it was pretty clear he was destined for big things. He went onto film a remake of the Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet, thrilled us all with the singing dancing fun of Moulin Rouge and put our country on the big screen with Australia.

Now Baz is looking for a new project and wants your help. He’s asked the Answers community:

If you could influence the next film I make or the next story I tell, what would you encourage me to do?

Check out this video of him asking the question.

Don’t forget to Answer!

Caitlin
Community Manager

Hey everyone,

As many of you will have noticed, last week we underwent some maintenance work that caused both Answers to be unavailable and some unexpected behaviour when it returned. This formed part of essential engineering work that needed to be completed and we’re happy to be able to confirm this is over.

We are aware, however, that during the time the site was unavailable we caused frustration and disappointment to many of you, our most committed and loyal Answers contributors. So we want to say sorry for the inconvenience we caused.

We have seen many of your comments about the maintenance work and we are happy to clarify that this will not affect any Top Contributor badges, Leaderboards or any other features. We would also like to assure you we only undergo this kind of work when it is truly necessary and intend to minimise any occurrences of this kind in the future.

Many thanks for your patience and understanding on this,

Yahoo!7 Answers team

Know someone who shares your interests? Fascinated by a relationship guru or a physics expert? Let your favourite users become part of your very own personal network on Answers.

How does it work?
Adding people to the Answers Contacts Network is literally a few clicks away! It can be as simple as following the “Add to My Contacts” link on any profile page or Avatar rollover. You can also invite friends from outside of Answers to join your network. Your friends can even be Contacts from your Yahoo!7 Address Book. Visit our “Invite a Friend” page to start sending out invitations to your friends. By adding people to your network, you will have direct access to their Q&A. Their most recent content will appear on the Answers homepage and on your profile page. You will also be able to see which questions your friends have starred. If you want to look at more Q&A, click on “My Network’s Q&A”, which is located at the top of your profile page.

Users who have added you to their network are called “Fans.” You can view your fans by clicking on the “Fans” tab on your profile page. When you add someone as a “Contact,” you will appear in their “Fans” tab as well.

What if I don’t want fans?
Easy! You can always opt out of the contact network.

• Go to your profile and click on “Edit my Info.”
• Uncheck the box that says “Allow other people to be my Fan” under the “Yahoo!7 Answers Network” preferences.

What about you? Do you already have a contact network? Any interesting stories with your friends on Answers? Leave us a comment and share your story!

We have some planned maintenance scheduled on Tuesday 14th April 2009 from from 18:30 AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time). We anticipate the work will take approximately three hours and Answers will be unavailable during that time. This is the first of the two planned outages.

Don’t fear though, there are plenty of other things to do on Yahoo!7 to fill your time!

• Check out the brand new Yahoo!7 Food site. It’ll be sure to get your tastebuds tantalised!
• Update your new Yahoo!7 profile with info about yourself and pictures for your friends to see
• If you’re heading out, install Yahoo!7 to your mobile so you can keep up to date with your mail
• Check out the latest episodes of 30 Rock and exclusive clips from Home & Away and other Channel 7 shows at Yahoo!7 TV

We appreciate your patience while we complete this vital maintenance.

Caitlin
Community Manager

Aaah Easter. As a child it was synonymous with Easter egg hunts and overloading on delicious, sweet chocolate. For many it’s a time of reflection and giving thanks. For most of us, it’s a welcome four day break from what has already been a tough year.

We all know that Easter is associated with new life. There are the obvious Christian connections and also rebirth is connected with the fact that it’s Spring in the northern hemisphere. But the origin of Easter is quite fascinating.

The word Easter comes from the Anglo Saxon word for April Eostremonath … They say Eostre simply means opening or dawn – Eostremonath being the first month of the Angle-Saxon year. More

So what’s that all got to do with bunnies and eggs? According to KC:

Rabbits and eggs are both symbols of the fertility goddess Eostre/Ishtar/Ostara. Her symbol is also the moon, in which some cultures see a rabbit instead of a face. Eggs also symbolise the moon and are the ultimate symbol of creation and new life. The basket is a symbol of the womb in which this new life is carried.

The feast day is pagan and was widely celebrated way before the time of Jesus. Like pretty much all holidays, it was adopted by Christians to help get more converts. However, since the point is to celebrate new life and the hope of continuance, Christian symbols of a Resurrection day and the old pagan symbols mean the same thing. Just like Christmas, we are all celebrating the same thing, just using different symbols. More

How about Passover, how does that fit into Easter? According to combat_medicus:

Easter is a Christian Holiday celebrating the rebirth of Christ after he was crucified. Passover is a Jewish Holiday and Old Testimant Christian Holiday (Judeo-Christian), both of which are about the same time of year. The passover holiday is called passover because they believed that if you put lambs blood on your door that the spirit would “pass over” your home and leave your first born child unharmed. More

So even though it’s not Spring in Australia, I’ll definitely pop a chocolate egg in my mouth on Sunday morning and think about the new life this day represents… and be thankful there’s an extra day of holiday for all my thinking! Happy Easter!

Caitlin
Community Manager

There has been a lot of interest and activity around our move to Yahoo!7 profiles.  A benefit of using one profile for your Yahoo!7 experience means you can now share your Answers activity with those you are connected to via your Yahoo!7 profile, even if they aren’t Answers users.

Sharing your updates will help you get better responses to your questions and will let show off your knowledge to your entire social network!

We have added two new ‘Updates’ features to Answers:

• one notifies your contacts each time you ask a question
• one notifies your contacts of each question you answer

Now, when you are at the “Preview your question” stage of asking a question you will be prompted to ‘Manage your updates’. Here you choose if you want to share your updates to your social connections.

By default updates will be set to ‘Don’t share my updates’ to keep your content private unless you choose otherwise.

To give you control over what and when you share, this option can be changed anytime you ask or answer a question.  You have full control over this setting from the ‘Edit my profile’ page too.

By not sharing your updates whatever you do on Answers will not appear on your Yahoo!7 profile.

When you ask or answer we offer a link to your profile to show you exactly who you are currently sharing your updates with.  Click the ‘Manage who sees your updates’ link to be taken to profiles which is the place where you can control who see all of your Yahoo!7 Updates.

Had enough of seeing this message?  Check the box and we promise it won’t bug you again.We’ve tried to make controlling your updates as simple as possible but, if you want more information about managing your Answers updates you can find it through these Help pages: http://help.yahoo.com/l/au/yahoo7/answers/updates/

If you are still unsure about how your profile works or how to change features on your Yahoo! profile, check out our sister-blog – www.yprofileblog.com – and this specific article that is addressed to Answers users.

We hope you like this new feature, we do!

Happy updating!
Yahoo!7 Answers Team