Head over to the Yahoo! Answers blog and check out the latest episode of Answers on the Street, an initiative by our team over in the United States of America.
Think you have a better answer? Let us know by leaving a comment below or answering the following question:
What if you ask a woman if she’s pregnant and she’s not?
- Yahoo! Answers Team
Kate
Community Manager
This is reposted with the permission of Flickr user, netchicken. This post, written by him, was originally posted on his website – http://stuffucanuse.com/.
Currently the citizens of Christchurch New Zealand are living through another earthquake. The first occurred in September 2010 and rated 7.2. This one in the last few hours was 6.4, however the damage for those in the central city was far more severe.
Videos and some photos I took can be found on my flickr account.
This quake occurred at 12:51pm, just after and during lunch. I teach in a private college, and at that time every one of the students and staff were outside having a BBQ as part of a welcome to new students. Its nothing less than a miracle that none of the students or staff were injured.
Current shocks are recorded automatically here.
The four-storey Pyne Gould Corporation building collapsed, and many people were feared trapped inside.
Here is a video taken at Sumner, a coastal town on the edge of the city.
Bus hit:
To read the rest of netchicken’s post, along with further photos and video, please head over here.
Our thanks to netchicken for sharing the above with us, be sure to visit his site – Stuff U Can Use – and check out his photos on Flickr of the earthquake’s devastation.
Kate
Community Manager
A state of emergency has been declared in Christchurch, New Zealand, after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the city and surrounding Canterbury region at approximately 12:51pm this afternoon.
The quake was reportedly felt in Wellington, Greymouth and Dunedin. There has been at least 1 death confirmed with more fatalities expected, many are feared to be trapped in buildings or under debris. Authorities are requesting people to send text messages rather than call friends and loved ones, as the phone networks have either sustained damage or are experiencing strain.
For all the latest news and updates, head to Yahoo!7 News. Alternatively, you may wish to follow Yahoo!7 News on Twitter.
The thoughts of everyone here at Yahoo!7 Answers are with everyone in Christchurch and across New Zealand at this time.
Many of you show a lot of interest in the content that appears in the “Best of Answers” module and often ask how this is selected and what decisions go into what we choose to highlight. Today, we’d like to tell you more about this prominent module on the Yahoo!7 Answers homepage. Follow us behind the scenes!
Firstly, the module called ‘Best of Answers’ actually features a number of different types of content; so let’s start with an overview of each of these types:
Best of Answers
The purpose of the ‘Best of Answers’ module is to highlight the most interesting questions posted by you, the community. We can use this to feature either open or resolved questions. Of course, if we choose a resolved question then we include the first few lines of the best answer too.
For this module we really look for content that’s unique or unusual. The kind of content that makes us go ‘Whoa, I always wondered that’!
Special Feature
The Special Feature template is used to highlight questions that are being promoted by our team. Examples include Celebrity questions or official questions asked with our Team account (i.e. Safer Internet Day).
Featured Sponsor/Featured Partner
As you’d expect from the name, these feature questions asked by one of our Sponsors or Knowledge Partners.
Featured Content
We use this space to surface posts from our blog or links to our pages on Facebook or Twitter.
How can you make it onto the Best of Answers?
We check the site every day for interesting questions, but that’s not the only way we select what we feature. In fact, we encourage you to submit any content you think deserves to appear on the Yahoo! Answers homepage. Have you found an interesting or quirky question? Have you provided a fantastic answer and helped someone out? Send it to us y_answrs_team_au@yahoo.com.au and it might be selected to appear on the Yahoo!7 Answers homepage!
To increase chances of being featured:
- You’re question, open or closed, should be of general interest, and ideally something that is not widely known
- Your answer should not be easily found on the internet
- Try finding questions showing unique or experience-based knowledge
- Ensure that an avatar or a personal image is used
- Make sure the content is clear and well expressed
- And last but not least, the content needs to abide by our Community Guidelines and the Yahoo!7 Terms of Service.
If you submit your ideas and are not featured right away, don’t worry: the Best of Answers module is updated several times a week!
We hope this overview will give you a better understanding of how we choose content to as the ‘Best of Answers’.
On February 8, 2011, Yahoo! will be joining forces with INSAFE, to celebrate Safer Internet Day and to help raise awareness about safety online.
Answer our special question: here.
This year, efforts will address safety around “virtual lives” encompassing online gaming and social networking. The slogan for 2011 is, “It’s more than a game, it’s your life.” Staying online and being connected has become critical for today’s youngsters, and not being connected frequently means social exclusion.
GET INVOLVED
It’s easy to take part in this exciting one-day event!
Learn more about online safety tips
Think before you post. How you represent yourself online – the way you play games, the photos and texts you share, your avatar, and your profile – all add up to who you are. Invest in your online image.
Be a good sport when online. If you wouldn’t do it on the field, don’t do it online.
Take action and report bullying. By standing by and watching, laughing, or doing nothing when you see bullying happen, you become part of the problem. Don’t be a passive bystander.
Spread positivity when texting. Texting is core to staying connected and what you text is a reflection of you. Be thoughtful about what you text and confident that your texts portray you the right way. Remember messages can be misunderstood without body language to support your meaning.
Get out and connect with your world. It’s estimated that teens spend 7.5 hours a day watching some form of media. The Internet is fun, rich world, but don’t forget to unplug sometimes. Get out and connect with your friends in the real world.
Learn more about online safety. Yahoo! Safely is a global resource that provides parents, educators and teens with tips and advice on online safety. The site covers important topics such as managing digital reputations, avoiding cyber-bullying, and learning how to minimize risks on mobile devices, as well as provides guidance on how to safely use specific Yahoo! products, as well as a Yahoo! Answers Safety Guide.
Share these online safety tips for youth with your family and friends
Support Safer Internet Day by updating your Yahoo! Pulse status with:
“It’s more than a game, it’s your life: http://www.saferinternet.org”
Help drive awareness of online safety by sharing this blog post on Twitter and Facebook. It’s easy – just click `Like` or `Tweet` from the box at the bottom of this blog post to share it online.
Participate in the Safer Internet Day Fair
Join us in a “real” celebration of our virtual lives in the SID fair, by registering online or contacting your national awareness centre or SID committee. A video clip has been created in all official EU languages. Watch the clip and find further information about the activities being organised in your country through the Insafe website.
Share your own advice with the Answers community
Now over to you to share your own advice with the Answers community by sharing your tips on how to stay safe online in this week’s featured question:
The best answer will receive a bonus 50 points and an additional ‘top 5′ best tips will receive 10 points each!
Here’s to staying safe online – not just on Safer Internet Day, but EVERYDAY!
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