Tuesday, December 24, 2013

7 Websites to Answer All Your Questions

In our generation no one has any difficulty in finding a reply to any question. The first thing everyone does is Googling the question. If there is no exact answer, we turn for help. No, it’s not our friends, neither encyclopedia, it’s all about Question and Answer websites. Although you need to register to become a part of the community to ask or answer any question, it doesn’t take much time. So you can choose the best websites, register once and use them for years.

When you become a part of the community, it becomes so interesting not only ask questions, but also give answers to the questions you’re sure to have the exact reply. So try to be active in both asking and answering.

But can we rely on any answer given in the internet? To say the truth, I doubt that all of them are trustworthy. In general I try to search one and the same question in different websites, accordingly made a list of the best Q & A Websites I used to participate to share with my readers too.

I am a member of Quora for years and I always describe it as a professional platform where you can get great solutions to your questions. Quora is created, edited and organized by its community of users; it aggregates questions and answers to different topics. Users can collaborate by editing questions and suggesting edits to other users' answers.

While being in marketing you should be aware of everything spoken about your company. I had no choice, but register in some more question-and-answer websites not to miss anything from my attention.

Yahoo!Answers – another big community that allows users to both submit questions to be answered and answer questions asked by other users. The site gives members the chance to earn points as a way to encourage participation.

Answerbag – “Every question deserves a great answer”- a website you can find in all the lists while searching for best Q&A websites. Users ask and answer the questions. Instead of the one question—one answer model, multiple answers to a given question are presented, in descending order of user ratings. A user who has created an account can ask and answer questions, comment on answers, rate questions and answers, and suggest new categories. Users have profile pages where their points and submissions are reviewable by other users.


Answers - “Real people are looking for answer” really like the slogan on the website! This website includes WikiAnswers, ReferenceAnswers, VideoAnswers, and five international language Q&A communities. 

Stackexchange – “Expert answers to your questions” - another fast-growing network of 109 question and answer sites on various topics with 4.2 million users. High-quality questions and answers, focused on the most important topics in each area of expertise. 

Answerbank – a real bank of questions and answers!  Choose a topic, ask a question and contributors will supply you with the answer.  If you’re a new member, you can watch an introductory video and start your banking.

All the above mentioned websites are free and all include “technology” category I was mostly interested in. Be active, help yourself and others!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Kindle on Fire – Mayday Needed!


While chat solutions exist for years, Amazon decided to make a customer service revolution. It announced about a new support service available on Kindle HD products called Mayday.


Many people know what Mayday is, but I’m sure not all are aware about its being an emergency word used internationally. It derives from the French expression “venez m'aider", which means "come to help me".

“It’s a little odd when a company selling a new gadget says one of the most exciting features is its “help” button”, mentions “The Seattle Times” tech columnist Brier Dudley. Yet it’s a revolutionary new functionality, which will change Kindle’s future and… why only Kindle’s?

Will this button really help Amazon sell more stuff? In general opinions differ and it’s a normal procedure: some are happy to have a virtual assistant like “Amy” helping them; others express their negative feedback and make many people alter (Amy's real name is actually Amy - Amy Paffrath).

How “Mayday” Works

It’s so simple: you just click on the “Mayday” button and an expert connects with you and it is 24x7, 365 and totally FREE. The goal is – 15 seconds response time. The expert will ask the user to verify his identity before offering to help. You can see the expert on your screen. While some may be concerned about privacy, Amazon assures that the experts will not be able to see you. It’s up to the user to allow the Mayday expert control the screen and even change settings.

From Negative to Positive

People cannot think the same and if opinions don’t differ our life won’t be so interesting. First I’d like to mention negative sides: the Mayday functionality works only with Wi-Fi access and there are people who don’t want to see the expert and more...

  • “I am not sure if this is a feasible solution because it would cost the provider a lot of money to provide this level of support for free” (source - Quora)
  • "Mayday" is a pretty poor choice of a name for a product/service” (source - Commercialsihate
  • “I don't want Amazon CS accessing my tablet and looking through my internet history” (source - NeoGAF


In opposite to the above said some intriguing software enhancements:

  • “This feature is amazing and needs to be in every piece of tech”
  •  “As the tech head in my family I wish every single electronic device came with this goddamn button" (source - NeoGAF
  •  “What really caught my eye is that not only she can help you by telling what to do but she can point stuff in your screen” (source - Youtube
  • “Just got my Kindle Fire HDX and am trying out the #Mayday feature. Now THIS is customer service. Wow!”(Facebook comment)


And with this “Wow” opinion let’s take every innovation for granted.
"Knowledge is true opinion" Plato