Answerbag Blog

Though everyone likes new toys, keeping a site like Answerbag humming isn't always about adding more functions. Sometimes it's the opposite--I think your almost-totally-positive reactions to the removal of the Friends Q&A light to improve the site's response time bears that out. It's not always easy to project what functions people will use, and finding out more about the costs vs. the benefits of AB functions helps us decide what to work on next.

So what are some AB features you don't use, and why? And should we do something to encourage more people to use them, or remove them entirely?

So, today's code push is something of a mixed bag, so to speak. We've been seeing a tremendous influx of new people on Answerbag lately, so we've had to spend a lot of time optimizing the site and making sure it will still respond quickly for you guys. Most of these optimizations we've made have been transparent for you all.

During the optimization process, however, we discovered that the "Friends' Q&A" light up there at the top right actually puts a significant load on the server. Combine that with the fact that for a lot of the regulars here on AB, that light is ALWAYS on (and therefore useless), and we decided it'd be best to just remove it. We left the link there so you guys can still see your Friends' Q&A easily. We hope this will help keep the site quick and responsive for everyone for a while to come!

What if school was like Answerbag? A place where you could learn about pretty much anything you wanted whenever you wanted, either by reading previous posts or asking questions yourself, and sharing your knowledge and/or opinions in answers. In that model, everyone would be both a student and a teacher. It would be okay to talk or pass notes in class (via comment threads). And you wouldn't be constrained by courses or assignments or schedules, only by the limits of your time and interests.

What do you think? Should we propose this to school boards and departments of education throughout the world? Let's hear some pros and cons ;).

As we dive head-first into 2008 here, we'd like to hear from all of you about your positive experiences with the 'bag in '07. Did you receive answers that helped you? Do you remember any specific ones you can share with us? And if there's anyone you'd like to thank for their answers, feel free to share that here as well!

I've run across a few posts from longtime ABers who are nostalgic for the days when we had a list of Staff Picks--a list of questions featured on the home page that were particularly interesting, timely, funny or otherwise made you think in different directions.

That list was easy--and a pleasure--to compile when every submission had to be approved by a moderator. But how might we do it in the current AB environment? Most uprated new questions of the week? A separate "best of" flag? What do you think?

P.S. Joel, Jon and Adam, this is *not* a formal feature request--yet ;). We're still working on some adjustments to moderation from a few blogs ago, based on your suggestions. Stay tuned!

A standard sci-fi movie plot twist is when a computer becomes self-aware. It moves from essentially a question answering device to something that thinks, feels and reacts in order to preserve its newly-discovered self. I've been wondering if we can think of Answerbag in the same way.

Once we took the reins off the site and allowed social questions, the proportion of factual Q&A has steadily diminished. And an increasing number are focused inward: Q&A specifically about Answerbag and Answerbaggers. Even the existence of the term Answerbagger (and its shorthand ABer) seems to indicate that folks have embraced some common identity.

So if the analogy holds, and we are a self-aware community, it raises some questions. When people have invested so much time, effort and emotion, does it lead to a stronger sense of community? Certainly the many folks who have found information, support and friendship (and more!) here would say so. But does that stronger self-awareness also yield stronger reactions when our sense of what Answerbag should be is challenged, either by newcomers or other longtime users? And does that make us one community, or many? Or none at all?

What do you think?

Last year at this time, in keeping with the Thanksgiving holiday, I asked all Answerbaggers what they were thankful for. We'd just launched Answerbag 4.0 and some great responses got a bit lost among the bug reports ;). So let's do it again this year.

What are you thankful for?

Borrowing from the tail end of the previous blog, Firebrand brings up the question of whether moderation points have too big an influence on Answerbag, compared to points given by fellow ABers for good Q&A.

User moderation is absolutely essential to the site. I think it should be rewarded in some way, but then again, making comments and rating Q&A are essential to the site too, and those don't get rewarded with points. Even questions and answers don't get rewarded until someone else rates them, and Q&A is the core structure of Answerbag.

So what do you think? Should we lower the award for approved moderation flags? Eliminate mod points completely? Or keep things how they are? People who posted on the previous blog, feel free to repost if you like.

As tempting as it would be to blog rhapsodically about the great evening that was Baggerfest 2007, let's open up a can of worms instead ;).

Several people, most recently AntigoneRising, have asked about the 'letter of the law' when it comes to putting people into the penalty box--for those unfamiliar with it, it's a period where your account interaction is suspended for spamming or other infractions. I've said that the one condition for being p-boxed is conduct detrimental to the community, which is an admittedly (but necessarily, I think) vague definition. Sometimes people insult each other unmercifully, but upon investigation, they're just having a friendly go at one another and there are no hard feelings. Other times, less obvious interpersonal attacks seem to cut much deeper. Where is the point at which one or more users have the right to remove, alter or curb the content posted by another? That seems to be the root of the issue.

So how would you write a one-size-fits-all policy for what constitutes conduct detrimental to the AB community?

The recent outpouring of sympathy for the loss of Blank Savage made me realize that as much as we have a thriving online community here at Answerbag, there are some parallels with real world communities that we just haven't had time to figure out yet. People have been remembering and celebrating those who have passed in personally and culturally specific ways for millennia, and it's interesting to see how we responded. It's hard for me to remember a time on Answerbag when so many people participated around an event, either by changing their user names, posting reminiscences, or demanding on the blog that a question honoring Blank Savage be restored.

On a related note, some ABers have wondered about the points system, correctly pointing out that questions congratulating (or memorializing) other ABers generally garner way more points than, say, a good answer to a factual question. Though I'm sympathetic to this view, I'm not sure it's a bad thing, especially if you believe that Answerbag points and levels reflect participation in the community in a larger sense, not just good questions and correct answers.

What do you think?