Whether you’re a Yahoo! Answers “veteran” or a newbie, after a short time exploring the site you’ll come to realise one of the basic truths of Answers:

So what makes a good question?

A good question is articulate, to the point, and contains all the necessary information and/or background that the potential answerers need.

Of course, the definition of “relevant” information varies among the different categories, and some questions require specific details… You’ve probably thought of them when you were composing your question.

But just in case, here are some general guidelines:

• If the question deals with automobile maintenance and repairs, include the make, model and year of the car. Same goes for electrical appliances.
• If you’re asking for help with the identification of a wild animal or plant, please indicate the corresponding geographical location (country, state or province, etc).
• Providing a geographical reference is also vital if you’re asking about legal matters or financial issues, such as taxes.
• Computer problems? Don’t forget to mention your Operating System and software version number. If it’s a hardware problem, then make and model are essential.
• If you’re looking for help with Physics, Chemistry or Math topics please include the full details of your problem (specific conditions, additional factors, etc.).
• Asking for recipes? You can mention which units you use (pounds or kilos? Liters or ounces?), thus you’ll avoid getting indications that are harder to understand.

If you remember these recommendations, they’ll help you to get better answers.

The above is based on my personal experience, but I’m just one user. So what about you? From your experience on Yahoo! Answers what are your top tips for getting great answers to your questions?

- Calimecita

Calimecita is a biologist from Argentina, Level 7 and a two-time former Featured User on the Yahoo! Answers UK & Ireland blog: here and here.

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I’m not sure if it is the economic crisis (people have more free time), because I’m getting older or because the seas are changing, but to me it looks like we’re in the middle of a new baby boom. A lot of people around me have had or are going to have kids soon: at work, among my friends, my family…

In fact, my sister is going to have a baby in three months and she’s starting to get everything prepared. I’ve been taking more interest in the Pregnancy & Parenting and Education categories to find out more about what she’s going through. I have to admit that it’s a much more complex world than what I first thought. For a start, as soon as you get pregnant everything becomes unclear: can you change your hair colour? what cheeses can you eat? can you keep your exercise routine?

Thanks to my sister and the Yahoo!7 Answers community I have discovered that most of these questions don’t actually have a yes/no answer (for example, you can eat almost anything as long as it is cooked,  you can practice certain sports like swimming or yoga, but you need to be careful with contact sports).

Getting ready for the baby also isn’t easy. Which stroller should I buy? is a common question, and now I understand why. Last week I went to buy one with my sister and it’s really hard to choose between a wide range of functionalities, features and colours! There are so many things to plan, from how to budget for a baby to what sort of things do you need to take to the hospital when the big day comes?

Then once you get the baby home, it’s a whole other ball game. How do you dress a baby? (it’s still hard for me to picture myself doing it some day) and how do you change a nappy? Once they get a little bit older, you’ve got to think about what food to give them, how to teach them to speak,  and how to entertain toddlers on a daily basis. I am sure that some of the tips will help first-time parents.

Now, here is my question (I’m sure my sister, among others, will be thankful for your responses!): What are your tips for first-time parents? Share your tricks to save money, how to make your baby sleep and what are the best techniques to relax after a hard day?

Share your knowledge!

This post is from our Guest Blogger – Silvia, the Spanish Yahoo! Answers Community Manager

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