Thing 34

Answer Sites: I think answer sites are fun. Some of the stupid questions people ask are hilarious, plus some of the answers can be hysterical too. And I think that's the appeal. A lot of the questions people are asking aren't factual. It's somebody wanting an opinion on their hair, or wanting relationship advice. there were some questions that had real answers, but those questions were in the minority. Also, people were using the question site as a jumping off point for discussions, or to validate a thought. I didn't see a whole lot of stuff that belonged at the reference desk. I don't like people are using these site as primary definitive answers. It's just a fun way to get some quick info.

I looked at Yahoo Answers and Askville. They were booth similar and both had the comedy of silly questions and laughable answers.

the Slam the Boards thing seems to run counter the the purpose of the sites to me. the site themselves seem light and fun, the slam the boards thing seems like a way of saying "In Your Face! Our Library-Fu Defeats you Google-Jitsu!" Which is sort of silly. Besides, what sort of primary source do you use for the question "OMG, should i cut my hair short?"?

I answered a video game question at Yahoo Answer. It seemed fine. I didn't feel the urge to wash my hands afterwards anyway.

So, yeah, the one thing I think this raises for me is that these answer site are fun. Are libraries fun? When was the last time you got a fun reference question that made you smile? Do patrons think of libraries as a fun place?