Answers.com launches website for inquiring minds
The online question and answer service mixes “wiki” style changes for users with the information obtained from respected reference works, according to Answers.com associate product manager, Shaya Loney.
“We marry the power of a community with the integrity of a library,” said company Chief Executive Bob Rosenschein said that while he and Loney’s website demonstrated the DEMO conference on emerging technologies in California.
“We are integrating a community-based wiki with hundreds of reference sources.”
Questions on the homepage Answers.com Wednesday ranged from how to make a flying car at the Auto video game “Grand Theft” in which countries are enemies of Pakistan and how has two pairs of parallel sides and no square corners?
“Wikipedia is for facts, like swine flu what is or details about Paris,” Loney said. “We favor of more personal issues like how to avoid getting the flu swine or whether to go to Paris on vacation.”
The examples given by Rosenschein Answers.com including informing users that the phrase “wave a dead chicken” refers to programmers in general, wave their hands after computer monitors crashes.
“As more people come into our pages of questions, builds on itself and becomes a more valuable resource,” said Rosenschein. “It’s a virtuous circle.
Answers.com Wednesday launched versions of the website in French, Spanish, German and Italian.
“We are very excited about finally getting to the European languages,” Rosenschein said.
(c) 2009 AFP
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