Disappointing statistics found on Yahoo! Answers.?

Question: Disappointing statistics found on Yahoo! Answers!.!?

Yahoo! Answers was recommended to me as a place to have good literary discussions with other writers and readers!.

In the past couple of weeks, I have been more than a little disappointed with results!. What follows are the types of questions found in the Books & Authors category!.

60% - Twilight baloney posted by giggly pre-teens with no writing experience, but after reading Twilight think they are novelists!.

15% - "Write My Story For Me" - posted by people who want to write a book, but have never even written a grocery list!.

15% - "Title My Book For Me" - posted by the wannabe community!. They bang out 5 pages of narrative and for some reason feel they need to title it!.

10% - "Is My Story Good" - If you have to ask, then you'll never know!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I love people who march into a new place and act like they know it better than it knows itself!. You and several of your answerers behave as if some injustice has been wished on you when in fact all of those kinds of questions are perfectly appropriate for this category!.

I've said this before and I will say it again!. I do not answer Twilight questions, I rarely answer writing questions!. I do not consider myself to be superior to any of my fellow users and yet, somehow, I manage to rack up a ridiculous amount of perfectly valid, interesting and entertaining (to me) answers!. You find what you look for!.

Another thing I will repeat for your delectation is the little tidbit that if you don't like the state of something then the simplest thing you can do is to work positively toward changing it!. That does not mean indulging yourself in every petty comment that springs to mind, which I've noticed is something that you and several others here are fond of doing!. That energy would be better spent either looking for or asking questions about books or related topics that do in fact appeal to your obviously overwhelming intellects!.

Or you could go climb a tree, I guess!. That worked for about ten people for about a week before they realized that hating people isn't nearly as much fun if you don't get to rub their noses in it!. Now they're back, but I will say that I enjoyed the break!. Snobbery is one of the human traits which I admire the least!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

This category, in particular, became the way you describe it in the past year or two!.

Before that, it did have some (see it flash by!) redeeming value!.
Not entirely free of the statistics you quote here even then, but actual and rather enlightened interesting questions used to be more frequent!.

Am signing off now and have nothing further to say but agree with you!.
Except that a "giggly" might tag you!. Often happens (if known how)!.

Of course, what you do is up to you!.
Like announcing 'love irony!.'
I have a type of what I sometimes call fun, but sometimes just gotta' leave!.
"So it goes!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

Your percentages are just slightly off there Russell!.!. because now and then!.!. probably somewhere in the2-5% range there are questions actually about other books and occasionally even authors (not that very many people ever answer them)
I'd say its more like: 65% Twi something
10% Write My story
10% title My book/name my character
10% Is my story good
5% about other books and authors or some aspect of that diverse realm!.!.!.

Don't let it get you down!.!.!. I try to get past everyone saying any idea anyone comes up with is Twilight!.!. like there are any original ideas to work with anywhere!.!.!. It's the 21st century now folks everything's really already been done!.

Take a look at mine from today!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Truly it is sad!. This place is supposed to be practically sacred made only for book discussions (mainly DIFFERENT books) and for aspiring writers not to find out if their work is good, but how to go about publishing their work or discussing and comparing writing tactics!. This is why I have been working on separating books and authors into two sections: books and authors!. Sadly, no one really wants to help!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I understand where you are coming from!. I do come here occasionally, and it's supposed to be a place to gain valuable knowledge and insight from people, but it has turned into a place where people just come to discuss insignificant things!. Twilight is driving me insane!. Too much is too much!. Maybe you can be the pioneer!. Try starting a conversation!. Try asking a meaningful question!. It might not harbor good answers but evenually it might catch on!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Hi Russell,

Yes, it's been getting bad these last few weeks, or are we already talking months!? I can't remember!. When I started participating round here, there actually were a lot of fantastic discussions, and that was still the case when I came back to Books and Authors this summer - at least there still were these discussions!. But now, there is the Twilight craze, which has been driving me mad for - oh, never mind, ages anyway!. I am trying to remain calm and focussed, and I am also trying to get rid of my bad habit of smashing this godawful novel at every chance I get!.!.!. Ooops!. There I go again!. ;)

Cheers
SWww@QuestionHome@Com

like I said, it needs a filter!. The section is too big to encompass ALL literature just like sports is filtered!.

I would love to read peoples opinions and thoughts about some classic books but they are probably on page 10 by the time I log on!.

also YA is firmly against "discussion" like in a forum!. You will get deleted if you engage in such forum type activities!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Russell, dear, that has been going on for months now!. And you know what!? If I haven't exploded yet, then I'm sure you can conquer this, too!.

I used to answer those "Is my story good!?" questions, but after being bombarded with "You have no taste" mails, I threw in the towel!.

Twilight questions!? Ditto!. You do not know how many times I had the urge to smash the computer into tiny bits or rip out my hair or gouge out my eyes with a fork!. Too many to count!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes, it's the sad truth; incompetence is taking over the internet too =)
But there's really nothing you can do about it, we live in Americana!. I suggest you ask those sophisticated questions yourself, that'll start the stimulating conversations/arguments everyone' s dying for!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes, that's basically all that is in the Books & Authors category!. Sometimes you might be able to find people asking for literary elements for their reading assignments, but other than that!.!.nothing else!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

And ironically this question is not actually a question!.

Harry Potter is awesome!. I think crazy Twilighters just want to find a place to say that it's better than HP, which it's not!. Can we discuss this!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

yes the books and authors section is quite a fail, mostly due to the twilight craze!. i hang out on religion and spirituality!. stuff happens there!. i suggest trying that out instead!. although twilight comes up sometimes in there tooWww@QuestionHome@Com

So whats you question!?
My answer is who cares what people are talking about on here!. Nobody told said you had to read and answer their question!.
Let alone do a little statistic thing about it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

If you want to get technical about it, Yahoo! Answers rules state that Yahoo! Answers is not meant to be used as a forum or chat room or any place to discuss, really!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You are right!.
I'd much rather see questions about "What's this book!?" Or!.!.!."What happened in this part, I don't understand!?" Or!.!."Who wrote this!?"
The twilight stuff needs to die down a bit!. =/Www@QuestionHome@Com

You know, THESE "questions" are the most disappointing of all!. Beyond disappointing, in fact!. Sickening, I'd say!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Unfortunately you're correct!. This place is getting bad!. I wish I could have seen it before the Twilight craze began!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

That is exactly what I see on here!. It's terribly disappointing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Too true, too disappointing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

This is why I hardly hang around here anymore!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Twilight "baloney" -- Most of what I see is fights between the twi-hards and twi-haters, twi-hats, whatever!. They like to argue, and I guess in a way it's a discussion, one WAY out of hand!. The most annoying thing about this is that they ask the SAME questions over and over again, both sides!. I have also noticed that the whole Twilight deal has encouraged most, not just teens!, to write vampire/first person POV's books!. I think, in a way, it's great that they've been encouraged to read and write, but they should stick to their talent/hobby!. "Writing is a skill!." I hate ageism, I don't believe that ALL teens should be based off this large percentage--keep in mind that there ARE *good* teen writer's that have skill, that not all are obsessed with Twilight and not all are writing vampire novels!.

I hope it fades!.

"Write my story for me" -- I've also noticed that! I made a comment to one question that if they have to /ask/ for the idea than how the heck are they going to write it!?! It's ridiculous!

Title my book for me -- those are just annoying!. I don't like how they give you a short, or long, long, winding description about their book and then expect you to give them a title!. IF they get it published most publishers' change the name anyways so why take so much consideration into the subject at all!?! The most important part is the material itself and I wish they (the obviously new writers') would come to understand that!.

"Is my story good" -- I think that some are just pessimistic and wanting honest opinions!. It's a way to get feedback, maybe they should take it another site -- but isn't Y!A (with supposedly experience writers, amateur readers, variety!) participants supposed to help out and answer!?

I think, in summary, we just have to ignore it!. I've personally only been here for a month but I look for the questions worth answering!. At least there's variety and the Twilight Q's are fading, finally! There's not one Twilight question, reg!. question, Twilight question, reg!. question, etc!.

Maybe we're getting past that!?! If you want a really good forum for authors/writers you'll probably have to look up a different site!. This doesn't seem the place, I didn't even /think/ they had some questions like this asked!. I thought it was a serious site, how wrong I was! lol!.

If they bug you I would advise you to ignore them!. lol!. WOW, this answer was waaaaaay longer than I was expecting!.

But in all, shouldn't we help the future authors, whether they're teens/adults/elders !. !. !. !? It's possible they MIGHT get published and become the next best thing, wouldn't it be "cool" to be a part of that!?!

--MPWww@QuestionHome@Com

Yes, I quite agree!. It seems that those of us who DO agree are those who wish for better answers and an overall better Yahoo answers!.

When I ask my questions, I always put at the bottom: "If you don't have a legitimate answer, please, don't even bother!."
But all I get then is exactly what I asked NOT for: Stupid questions by illiterates about WHY I put that!

Yes, this whole "Twilight" business is getting so annoying!
I just want to shoot myself!
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing it, but, maybe there should just be a section completely dedicated to these fans!. Then maybe we all can be happy about it all!.
(Am I right!?) :)

As to the "Is my story good" thing, I have posted 2 Q's concerning that, but I only do that do get the few (unfortunately *only* few!.!.!.) productive answers!.
These few have helped my GREATLY in my writing, and are helping get closer to having my own works published!.
However, this is not a place to have people write your story for you!

I agree with the others that say to, "ask some good questions for yourself", but I add that, haven't you already done that right now!? :) A good discussion is very enjoyable!Www@QuestionHome@Com

After things have been simplified and explained for poor me, I can answer your question!.
Dearest Russell, you may not want to improve anything, and that's fine!. In both the past (and the present) I've been exactly what I am: a "snide" little person who rants and rants when they're unhappy!. Honestly, what does it help!? Nothing at all!. It's hard to break a habit of complaints and attacks, but if I can do it, surely you can, too!. Sure it's tough and there's a detox stage, but make suggestions for the improvement of B&A, ask good questions, give good answers to questions that you enjoy, or just move!. I'm not being hypocritical because this is my goal-- I'm just stating it to you and suggesting that you join me!. It's not really helpful to post false, pessimistic statistics or give short, snide answers!. You're a smart man, so use that brain for something productive or fun!. It's all part of growing up!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

That would have been mine statistics too, had I been asked by an authority to collect the data on this very topic!. You have very justly observed in your survey (I hardly say its a question!.!.!.which is not) that true fact presently in vogue among readers!. Certainly I am not against in any form of literature so long people show eagerness to spend more time in reading rather than burning hours after hours before that idiot box!. However, recently YAnswers' "Book" section is flooded with that 60% colorless cake!.
By the way, you should have spared some percentage to the following categories too :
1!. "Suggest me books to read while on vacation"!.
2!. "Hey!.!.!.any book to read during break hours!?"
3!. "Do you like to give me names of characters for my novel!?" etc!.

Let me add, however, there are still avid readers (right on this very platform) who would wish to walk on different paths!.!.!.!.there are many who show anxiety to discuss Kafka, Nietzsche, Huxley, Wilde, Dostoevsky and other elite writers from the world of literature!.!.and thats what matters most, despite that depressing statistics!. Thanks!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Russell, your statistics are inaccurate; your 100% leaves out many types of questions to be found on Books & Authors!.

You really can find that for which you are looking right in this section!. If you dislike certain questions, pass them by!. Since Books & Authors is not divided into various sections, those asking questions about Twilight, for instance, have every right to ask them here!. Not having read the books, I sail on by!.

Some of the types of questions you, seemingly, have never discovered (and which I enjoy) include:
-the "play" questions (which are tons of fun and, at the same time, make you think)

-the questions asking for the name of certain books (forgetting a beloved book's title is frustrating & this is the perfect section to, hopefully, end that frustration)

-the questions asking for insight into certain books, characters, authors, etc!.

-the "above-and-beyond" questions which are thrilling to run across!.!.!.especially if you have something to add - these can be on any subject related to books, writing, authors, etc!.

There is far more to be found here than those in your statistics; you just have to be willing to search for them!.

Instead of using up your points to complain, why not ask the type of question of which you wish there were more!? Just a thought!.

I may not have said this perfectly (I'm tired), but I think you get the idea!. (BTW: You go, reader!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Interesting!. For the most part, I think that's correct!.
However, I would estimate (meaning from the top of my head, with no research) the statistics are:
50% - Twilight bologna OR comparisons of Twilight and Harry Potter
15% - "I have writer's block"--which, as you say, actually means 'Help! I can't think of any original characters or an original plotline!'
10% - Help me name my characters/my book
10% - Please critique my story!
5% - Can you please help me with my homework!?
5% - Can you recommend books for me!?
5% - Intelligent conversation or questions, such as "What is your favorite classic novel!?", "Which literary character do you admire the most and why!?", "If you could put yourself in the setting of any book, what would it be!?"
If you're looking for good literary discussions, you can either A) click through pages of questions until you find something interesting or B) create an account at www!.goodreads!.com!.Www@QuestionHome@Com