Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

If you could reinvent Arnott’s classic snack, the Wagon Wheel, what would you change and why?
- Yahoo!7 Australia Answers Team

Do you remember this TV advertisement?

Wagon Wheels were one of the most iconic snack foods for Australians growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. The TV ad above, along with several others were recited over and over by kids across the country – I’m fairly sure there was one with iguanas, snails or sardines as well, does anyone else remember them too?

Recently, my fiancé and I were travelling in country NSW and came across Wagon Wheels in one of the service stations we stopped at. Extremely excited, they were quickly purchased and consumed. They tasted just as we remembered them, it literally was a jolt back to our childhoods.

Check out the history of the Wagon Wheel below:

Arnott’s product innovation team have been hard at work figuring out ways to reinvent the classic snack. Perhaps you can lend them a hand?

Kate
Community Manager

It’s August and whether you are planning a holiday to some great, exotic locale or are just back from one, Answers is the place to celebrate your vacation! This month, we are doing a special initiative in the Travel category where we invite you to share your fondest memories of landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes and skyscapes through your travel stories and anecdotes.

Spread over four weeks, with each week catering to one particular theme, this initiative will showcase the best holiday destinations and the most awesome travel stories that come from you! So start working on that travelogue of yours and include details like places to stay, things to see, best shopping deals and the like. And don’t forget to tell us why it is among your favourite holiday destinations! We’ll be awarding 50 bonus points for the best story each week.

Not only that, we invite you to share your favourite photograph of the vacation on one of these Flickr groups:

Landscape group – http://www.flickr.com/groups/100naturallandscapes/

Photo by Ian BC North.

Cityscape group - http://www.flickr.com/groups/26328425@N00/

Photo by aufmkolk (hafoto.de).

Seascape group – http://www.flickr.com/groups/seascape/

Photo by S John Davey.

Skyscape group - http://www.flickr.com/groups/98509261@N00/

Photo by Cobalt123.

Once you post your picture there, remember to leave us a comment with the Flickr link on the blog, or add the link in your answer. At the end of four weeks, your story and photograph could be featured on our blog.

And here are 5 steps to ensure your Flickr photo makes it to the contest:

1. Log in to http://www.flickr.com/
2. Sign up for Flickr with your Yahoo!7 id if you don’t have a Flickr account already
3. Join the Groups (whose links are mentioned above)
4. Upload your Travel photos there
5. Copy the link of your photo and use that in your answer!

This week’s question is about dreamy landscapes. Meadows full of flowers and green grass, a winding river, a roaring waterfall, awe-inspiring mountains, or endless deserts – what landscape inspired you the most and made for an unforgettable holiday?

What was your most picturesque and idyllic holiday in the countryside?
- Yahoo!7 Australia Answers Team

Kate
Community Manager

A few weeks ago, we announced that we were conducting “The World Interviews David Beckham“, live and exclusive on Yahoo!.

We gave you the chance to participate, by posing the question: “If you could ask David Beckham one question, what will you ask him and why?“. The winner would receive a football signed by David Beckham as well as the opportunity to have their question presented during the interview. How cool is that?

We are pleased to announce that mum of 3 j’s has won with her question: How do you and Victoria cope as parents? Are you hands on like the rest of us or do you rely on Nanny’s to raise the children. Do your kids realise how famous their parents are?.

There’s a box of goodies on the way to her in the mail, along with the jabulani ball signed by David.

mum of 3 j’s question was also chosen to be included in the Yahoo! interview that was streamed live across the world last night. As it was the middle of the night for Australia, our colleagues in Singapore kindly asked the question on behalf of Yahoo!7 and the Australian Answers Community.

You can catch mum of 3 j’s question at approximately 28:25 into the interview. David talked for quite some time in response! If you wish to view a larger version, please visit Yahoo!7 Sport.

Once again, congratulations to mum of 3 j’s! We hope you enjoy your football and the interview

Kate
Community Manager

Following my previous blog posts The Taste of Autumn and Food and Drink Month on Answers, our experts in the Food & Drink category have embraced their inner foodie and shared their favourite recipes on our open questions.

Before I reveal our menu and the winners, I want to thank you all for your participation and great answers posted during the last week and-a-half. You’ve been really respectful of the community guidelines but, at the same time, creative with original recipes. It was a real pleasure to discover your ideas.

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce our Autumn menu and our winners!

Entrée (starter)

• Bruschetta with a red wine vinegar, garlic and olive oil dressing submitted by music_is_life14 -Best Answer-
• Malt vinegar marinated Bluff Oysters with white pepper submitted by Hman (Response #2 selected by me)
• Soupe au Pistou (Pistou Soup) submitted by AJ in Exile (Response #3 selected by me)
• Crispy noodle salad submitted by Bri (Response #5 selected by me)
• Field Mushrooms with lemon & olive oil, served with a small salad submitted by Cherie M (Response #6 selected by me)

Main Course

• Ale, Barley and Sausage Stew submitted by almarj70 -Best Answer-
• Potato Salad with onion, celery, dill pickles and mayo with brown mustard and pickle juice submitted by barbara via Joanne’s question on potato salad -Best Answer-
• Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti submitted by BullyH (Response #6)
• Steamed Salmon on a bed of spinach with scallops and asparagus submitted by *Jellz* (Response #9)
• Slow cooked pork belly in a smoky bbq mango sauce served on a sweet potato mash with blanched sugar snap peas submitted by Stiffler (Response #16)

Dessert

• Call Me Guilty Pumpkin Cheesecake submitted by AJ in Exile -Best Answer-
• Tiramisu submitted by zcapan (Response #6)
• Apple Crumble submitted by almarj70 (Response #7)
• Microwaved Bananas with Hokey Pokey Ice Cream submitted by BullyH (Response #9)
• Lemon Meringue Kisses submitted by Sonia (Response #11)

Once again, congratulations to our head chefs Joanne, barbara, music_is_life14, almarj70 and AJ in Exile. And also congratulations as well to everyone else who won

The best answers received 200 points for their appetising dishes, whereas the other participants I selected above received 100 points each for their answers.

Please keep in mind that the Food & Drink category is full of great recipes from the community. We’re pretty sure you’ll able to find what you’re looking for in the existing questions or discover new culinary experiences as we did during this operation.

What is your favourite entrée, main or dessert? Do you know how to cook it? Please share your thoughts in this blog post or ask a question about it

Again, many thanks for all your contributions!

Kate
Community Manager

It’s time for your inner foodie to shine!

Throughout March, we are celebrating the Food & Drink category on Yahoo!7 Answers by creating a menu of Autumn food with help from you!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far, our mouths have been watering endlessly

We’ve decided to extend the questions until Tuesday, so you have the weekend to find your favourite recipes and share them with us. To enter, simply answer one of these

• Entrée (starter): What is your perfect recipe for an entrée or starter?
• Main course: What is your recipe for the perfect main course?
• Dessert: How would you prepare your perfect dessert?

On Tuesday, we will select the best answer for each of these questions. As a reward, the user chosen as the best answer will receive 200 points. But that’s not all! We will be choosing 4 other responses from each question as well, they will get 100 points reward for their involvement. So get answering

Kate
Community Manager

A few days ago, we announced the celebration of Food and Drink during March.

To do this, we are creating a menu of food from community contributions, suitable for consumption during the cooler months of Autumn. Unlike most of the world where it’s now warming up for Spring, we are the complete opposite, with Autumn being the current season down here in Australia and over in New Zealand.

The menu will contain the best recipes for cooking an entrée (starter), main course and a dessert. These recipes will come from yourself and the other foodies in the Food & Drink category on Yahoo!7 Answers, it’s your time to shine!

Our first request for recipes comes from Joanne:

• What are the ingredients, other than potatoes, in your favourite potato salad recipe?

If you have an amazing recipe for potato salad, be sure to share it on her question above!

And now for the other questions…

• Entrée (starter): What is your perfect recipe for an entrée or starter?
• Main course: What is your recipe for the perfect main course?
• Dessert: How would you prepare your perfect dessert?

If you have a favourite dish or recipe to share for any of the above, answer away!

Next Friday, we will select the best answer for each of these questions. As a reward, the user chosen as the best answer will receive 200 points. But that’s not all! We will be choosing 4 other responses from each question as well, they will get 100 points reward for their involvement. So get answering

Kate
Community Manager

There’s just a little over an hour left to get your open questions in for our celebration of the Food & Drink category, happening throughout March and April.

For details, please visit our post on The Taste of Autumn!

Good luck!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by James Bowe

Throughout the month of March and into April, we will be celebrating the Food & Drink category on Yahoo!7 Answers with a menu of Autumn food created by you!

Unlike the rest of Yahoo! Answers globally who are currently preparing to embrace Spring the days here in Australia are getting steadily shorter and the weather is growing colder, so we will be focussing on foods suitable for eating during the season of Autumn. With your help, the menu will feature dishes for an entree (starter), main and dessert.

What do I need to do?

We’re glad you asked! By 12 noon AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Tuesday, the 16th of March (that’s next week, 4 days away), we’d like you to submit open questions to us about a recipe you’d like to know for an entree, main dish or a dessert. They should be for dishes suitable for Autumn fare.

You can submit them by leaving a comment here with your link or by sending an email to us at y_answrs_team_au@yahoo.com.au.

Make sure your questions are open for the duration of a week. If you want to extend the duration of your question, simply click on the “Expiration Date” available in the action bar below your question via the “Edit” dropdown.

What next?

Stay tuned to our blog!

If your question is selected, it could appear for a full week in the Best of Answers module on our Answers front page and receive 50 bonus points to your Answers account. If at the end of the opening period of your question, you carefully select a better quality response, we will offer 20 extra points.

Be sure to keep an eye on this blog for further details as they emerge.

We look forward to your questions!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by gerreeeeee

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the Will you design my Valentine? contest! Whether you posted a pictured via the flickr pool, commented on the blog post or answered the question we asked, it was great to see the community getting involved!

Each winner received an extra 100 points for their loving contributions to Answers.

The winner of the flickr component of the contest is Gerreeeeee, you can see his entry above. Congratulations!

The best poems, sayings or messages from the blog

Why are the clouds in the sky above? the moon shine bright at night?
Why does the ocean breeze taste like salt, the sun give radiant light?
Where always is an answer, there always is a reason.
The leaves need to begin to fall to continue with the season.
All things were made for another… in perfect harmony…
I believe that is why you are here, because (name), my reason, you were made for me.
I LOVE YOU

Happy Valentines Day — Lou

Roses are red violets are blue,
The sun is hot and so are you.

Roses are red violets are blue,
You love me and I love you too!

Love is sweet like cany but friendship is like a rock,
It only brakes when you throw it away, so lets be a bit of both but lets mostly be sweet and have a happy ever after. — Rose

My best valentines ever will be this one because on the 16th I get to find out the sex of my baby (I’m 5 months pregnant). — Samie

This is my best valentine as I get spoiled by 2 boys; I can share my love with the world for my fiance and our adorable son — Sarah

Best answer from the question “What does Valentines Day mean to you?”

Valentines Day is not as big of an event here in Australia as it is in the USA. It is growing and shops are dripping with gift ideas anyway!!
I like the idea of Valentines Day being about celebrating love for someone- unfortunately it seems to have become a little (A LOT) more commercial than that.

It falls on the Sunday here for us, and we both have the day off- we have no plans and that is just so we can relax and spend the day together.
The past couple of years we have made Valentines Day fun by only buying $5 presents! They are of course very cheap and cheesy but its fun and makes it more about the small and sentimental value of things not about the over the top hype of it all. We know how much we care about each other and don’t need one particular day to prove it. I know I would rather get a bunch of flowers or a present on a random day of the year for no particular reason than to get a gift just because its Feb 14th. — Jade!

Thank you to everyone who entered, we hope you had a great Valentines day!

Kate
Community Manager

Just a quick reminder that the Will you design my Valentine? contest ends at 12:30pm AEST (Sydney and Melbourne time).

This is in just under 3 hours time.

Good luck and get your entries in!

Kate
Community Manager