Yahoo Answers? How do you handle the excessive reporting?

I, like many of you, have been active in Yahoo Answers. I haven't spammed it or anything, but search our people asking questions that I can answer. When appropriate, I direct them to my site. However, I find that there are tons of people out there who are just overzealous about "reporting" and Yahoo is quick to kick you off. Anyone else had this experience? Tips to avoid it?

I don't bother using them anymore to answer questions. Last time I read their TOS, it was ok to link back to a website if you provide good value, but apparently, their moderators aren't familiar with their TOS...

Have you found other places like Yahoo that you like instead?

I've never had a problem. I, like getagrip, rarely use it but sometimes when I'm looking up something in the process of getting inspiration for a post topic, an open Yahoo! question will pop up and I'll then just go ahead an login to answer it.

How old is your account? I've been signed up with them for AGES (literally, since Answers was brand new), so there's a good mix of all different type of questions I've answered too, not just my niche area. But I thought I'd ask because maybe you set the moderators off by 1) having a fairly new account and 2) using that fairly new account in a way that could come off as spammy (despite the fact that you're providing value).

What I would suggest is having an even mix.... spread out the answer topics you choose and have it be something like 1 answer linked to your site for every *thinking* I don't know, 6 or so other questions you answer (as an example). I don't think there's a science to it.

By the way though, I've not found Yahoo! Answers to be of much value for driving traffic (hell, not even for backlinks... but I'm not surprised that Yahoo! would structure things that way). Maybe the traffic thing is just the case with my particular niche, I don't know.

Hopefully a few other veterans will chime in now and correct a few misconceptions .

Good thoughts, Singapoor. Thanks!

Don't mention it,

My thoughts exactly except written better than I could've penned it, Singapoor.

Awwww, thanks Viola *blushing*

Hi HappyGal,

I've had one of my yahoo accounts banned by mindless moderators who don't know their own T.O.S.

I was very careful to offer valuable answers and to post good questions. I even put up some Wikipedia links and other authority references quite a bit more than links to my pages.

What I would suggest is to do that anyhow. It's a good tactic to stay afloat for a while.

If you get a complaint from a specific section, don't post anything there for a while. Avoid asking the same questions. Back off for a few days if you get a warning.

The moderators are trigger happy and always seem to believe the complaint. They won't listen to you when you explain how it's in accordance with T.O.S. and that you've been voted first answer several hundred times (like I had been).

They take complaints very seriously. Three or so strikes and you're out. That's how it went for me.

Like Singapoor, I've found that although your questions and answers can drive a fair amount of traffic (my record was 70 or 80 in a day), it doesn't convert. This may be due to the fact that there are a lot of young kids hanging out in certain sections.

Most marketers strike out with Yahoo Answers but it's worth a try as long as you have a good plan. If you get banned you can try creating a new email account.

Poke around and see what works. Good luck.

~Newbie Shield~

I always choose around 10 or so questions that i would like to answer and only put my link in the resource box in 2 of them.

Why i don't put my link in all answers?

Well Yahoo hates spammers and if you start putting your link in every answer you give you'll send out warning bells.

It's best to be safe the sorry. So only choose a few to put your link into and the rest just write short quick answers to balance things out.

I always like to answer in different categories too ??“ to make it look more natural ??“ rather than just answering in the one category.

You overall goal will be to get best answers for those questions that you gave your link to, so try and write a really good response for those ones.

I too am banned from yahoo answers for who knows what. I didn't spam them either I gave good answers. So, they're no doubt trigger happy plus there's all this reporting from competitors.

I primarily was interested in back links at the time which was several months ago. They're not necessary don't waste too much time worrying about their nonsense.
Sonni57

I've been banned by Yahoo Answers so many times that they can go toss over. You offer value (and sometimes there's no link) and they get pissy. I mean you can get banned for breathing. The only thing they allow to run ad nauseum are comments on religion, and people get nasty in those forums. I'm surprised what actually gets to slip through.

But that's Yahoo staff for you.

Yeah, it's just the strangest thing. Problem for me is that the people who do come to my sites through them tend to be pretty sticky (based on what I can tell from analytics)...so it's hard to wash my hands of them completely.

Because of what I promote it worked well for me for a while and then I too got banned, don't know why, but Newbie Shields is right, there are a lot of young kids there.

Quit saying "Shields", I'm not related to Brooke



~Newbie Shield~

Opps sorry. lol. If I understood the meaning behind your screen name, it sure would help. If its a star trek thing, I still would not get it and no I am not a blonde.

Hi Robin,

That's okay.

Can anyone tell her what my name means?

~Newbie Shield~

PS. hee..."Star Trek thing"...George Lucas would be outraged!

Who is George Lucas? I am a music person, have not turned on a tv in years.

Now I am really curious.

Who is George Lucas?

Star Wars.

Hello All,

I have never used Yahoo answers, but thought it would be another way to drive traffic to my site. Have you tried linking traffic to a Squidoo article and then hopefully having visitors click on your site through your squidoo article? Maybe they will not ban you if you direct traffic to a squidoo article.