Yahoo! Answers is celebrating its 1st birthday today with a party and the release of some interesting survey data which shows why Q&A type services are growing online and why Yahoo! Answers has set the mold in this area.
In its first year,Yahoo! Answers has more than 16.6 million users and has amassed 60 million answers from its active community.
The survey, which was commissioned by Yahoo! and conducted by Harris Interactive, indicates that one in three online adults (33%) have used a Q&A site, and, of these, half (52%) say that information from a Q&A site has influenced a decision they have made:
*Ask the Web: One in three online adults (33%) have used a Q&A site, and of these, half (52%) say that information from a Q&A site has influenced a decision they have made
*Mass input: the majority of online adults (55%) would prefer to get many responses from a group of individuals rather than an individual response from a close friend or family member
*Tough questions: 77% of online adults responded that they would be more likely to turn to the Internet if they needed an answer to something their friends or family weren’t familiar with
*Fast and Free: 81% or respondents said they would likely look to the Internet for answers to specific questions if the service was free, and 79% would turn to the Web if they knew they could get answers in minutes
Greg Sterling, local & social guru, adds:
“This would seem to be “the wisdom of crowds” in action. What’s also interesting is how Answers has surged in popularity but not had any impact on search market share. The challenge now will be for Yahoo! to leverage the content and functionality more broadly.”
Your thoughts?
