Google Questions and Answers
Encyclopedia
Google Questions and Answers is a free knowledge market
offered by Google
that allows users
to collaboratively find answers to their questions (also referred as Google Knowledge Search). It was launched in June 28, 2007 and replaces the fee-based Google Answers
service, discontinued on December 1, 2006. Google had chosen Russia
as the first country
to launch this new service.
Technologically, Google service most closely resembles analogous services by mail.ru
, Naver and Yahoo!. It is pseudonym
ous: the nicknames of the authors of questions and answers are shown right next to their contributed content. Google uses question tagging
to help users find relevant questions.
As most services of this kind, Google provides an incentive
system
to motivate people
to answer questions. It is based on assigning points for actions and a system of levels loosely based on the Russian system of academic degrees. An interesting feature of the incentive system is that Google's reward for visiting is higher than for posting an answer
.
On August 20, 2007, Google and Tianya
, a Chinese community website, launched a free Q&A
service entitled "Tianya Answers".
More languages were added, including English. The site is known as Google Baraza http://www.google.com/baraza/en/.
Knowledge market
A knowledge market is a mechanism for distributing knowledge resources. There are two views on knowledge and how knowledge markets can function. One view uses a legal construct of intellectual property to make knowledge a typical scarce resource, so the traditional commodity market mechanism can be...
offered by Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
that allows users
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
to collaboratively find answers to their questions (also referred as Google Knowledge Search). It was launched in June 28, 2007 and replaces the fee-based Google Answers
Google Answers
Google Answers was an online knowledge market offered by Google that allowed users to post bounties for well researched answers to their queries. Asker-accepted answers cost $2 to $200. Google retained 25% of the researcher's reward and a 50 cent fee per question. In addition to the researcher's...
service, discontinued on December 1, 2006. Google had chosen Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
as the first country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
to launch this new service.
Technologically, Google service most closely resembles analogous services by mail.ru
Mail.ru
Mail.ru is the largest free e-mail service of the Runet. The business was originally owned by Port.ru, a company founded in 1998 by Eugene Goland, Michael Zaitsev and Alexey Krivenkov as spin-off from DataArt. It received an initial investment of USD 1 million from the well-known investor James...
, Naver and Yahoo!. It is pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
ous: the nicknames of the authors of questions and answers are shown right next to their contributed content. Google uses question tagging
Tag (metadata)
In online computer systems terminology, a tag is a non-hierarchical keyword or term assigned to a piece of information . This kind of metadata helps describe an item and allows it to be found again by browsing or searching...
to help users find relevant questions.
As most services of this kind, Google provides an incentive
Incentive
In economics and sociology, an incentive is any factor that enables or motivates a particular course of action, or counts as a reason for preferring one choice to the alternatives. It is an expectation that encourages people to behave in a certain way...
system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
to motivate people
People
People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
to answer questions. It is based on assigning points for actions and a system of levels loosely based on the Russian system of academic degrees. An interesting feature of the incentive system is that Google's reward for visiting is higher than for posting an answer
Answer
Generally, an answer is a reply to a question or is a solution, a retaliation, or a response that is relevant to the said question.In law, an answer was originally a solemn assertion in opposition to some one or something, and thus generally any counter-statement or defense, a reply to a question...
.
On August 20, 2007, Google and Tianya
Tianya
Tianya may refer to:*Tianya, Sanya, town in Sanya, Hainan, China*Tianya Club, Internet forum in China*Tianya Haijiao, tourism site in Sanya, Hainan...
, a Chinese community website, launched a free Q&A
Knowledge market
A knowledge market is a mechanism for distributing knowledge resources. There are two views on knowledge and how knowledge markets can function. One view uses a legal construct of intellectual property to make knowledge a typical scarce resource, so the traditional commodity market mechanism can be...
service entitled "Tianya Answers".
More languages were added, including English. The site is known as Google Baraza http://www.google.com/baraza/en/.
Predecessor
Google Answers predecessor was also called Google Questions and Answers, which was launched in August 2001. The previous service had Google staffers e-mailing responses to questions for a flat $3 fee. It was up and functional for about a day. The demand may have overwhelmed their resources.Future
Google bought a similar site for $50 million in 2010, but discontinued it in 2011. Google has earlier done the same thing with others services that they later have integratedw ithin their own software. The site was called Aardvark (search engine)Aardvark (search engine)
Aardvark was a social search service that connected users live with friends or friends-of-friends who were able to answer their questions, also known as a knowledge market...