What other ways we can motivate the answerers to provide the best answers?

I spend more time answering questions that are well thought out, clearly explained, and are well tipped. I don't think it's as much about "motivation" as it is about these 3 things. Well Thought Out: A lot of time, people ask a question without really giving it deep thought.It's easy to ask a question but it's hard to get the "best answer" when you don't really know what you're looking for.

Clearly Explained: It would rock if folks composed their questions as carefully as they would like them answered. There are some quick questions that only require a quick answer. For anything beyond a very quick question (such as "how do I get from here to here), clear questions are VERY important to the best answers.

Well Tipped: I'll say it - I don't go anywhere near the M0.25 questions. Now this is just the way that _I_ do things... I've answered a lot of questions... but don't take this the wrong way... I only mention this to illustrate that I think tipping a question properly is very important. Usually, I also stay away from M$1 questions that require more than a simple answer.

I'll answer a M$2 question with an answer that I don't have to source. M$5 and above receive some research and always receive careful verification of each fact that I reference. M$20 and above receive careful thought.

I think about these before I even touch the keyboard. I form an outline and answer the question carefully. M$100 - has only happened once but these questions are mini case studies and my goal is to provide insight and motivation in an area that I am an expert in.

I wouldn't answer a M$100 or above question if I wasn't an expert. So, for me anyway... tipping is the start and end of a good answer. I am motivated by money... put a good tip on something and you'll receive a very good effort from at least me.

There are folks here on Mahalo that are a lot smarter than I am... so don't take this for any sort of hard and fast rule... again, I only mention my personal tipping guideline to help illustrate how important correct tipping is to me.

I work as a guide at a few other sites, and one way I can think of providing more motivation would be contests. It could be a random drawing of best answers, most tips in a given time frame, most points earned per day, etc. , and the reward could be anything from extra points to extra dollars. For me personally, the higher the tips or the points, the higher the motivation.

I know this sounds shallow, but I did join Mahalo as a way to make extra income. The belt sytem is a great motivator for me, because I'm very reward driven. Seeing how many points I have left to increase my level challenges me to do it as quickly as possible.

The best answer also encourages me, but being as new as I am, I am still learning the Mahalo system and determining what qualifies as a best answer.

I think that the search engine is set up properly and should not be changed! I answer questions regarding anything that I have complete knowledge of regardless of the money. There are a lot of people that just can't afford to pay top dollar in this economy and I don't think it's right for an important question to someone should not be answered because there is no tip involved!

Sincerely, Kevinr74.

Good questions motivate good answers. I think it is key to ask the question correctly so people don't have to guess what the asker wants to hear. Once we've got good questions, we can vote helpful well written answers and comment on how to make them perfect.

Adding for example a 5 stars QUALITY voting system for the usefull ANSWER, and if it will receive also a 4-5 stars vote it will receive also an EXTRA BONUS...

I think the "motw" and the"qotd" are great ideas for motivation. @briansan had a great suggestion expanding on this idea. mahalo.com/answers/mahalo-answers-sugges... I'm motivated enough to provide the best answer I can by the system in place but I believe this "answer of the day" or "answer of the week" would be a great idea.

I will assume you meant how can you motivate us to provide any answer at all, since we can't ALL provide the best answers. The thing I find most tempting when looking for questions to answer is a well written, very clear, focused question. I sometimes find myself less interested in questions that no longer have the 2 point advantage.

I look for the 4 point questions. Maybe Mahalo is losing rather than gaining by having that point difference, maybe the tips are enough. There is some confusion in answering: Is it OK to post an opinion or remark?

Or, must every answer be an academic wonder? If we post opinions, then at the top of the Belt mountain, we may be penalized for not being dead serious. It would be better if we were more certain of what is acceptable and what is not.

I don't like to log in the the Answers page and see the same 3 or 4 questions at the top.. it is boring.. why not let the tip questions just mix in and follow the posting times. It would be like finding treasures along the way as we click through the latest queries.. There's a link for TIP only questions isn't there? I would be more involved and interested if it was all fresh when I logged in.

When I see 10 not very vital questions in a row from the same person, I feel used, I guess they are just spewing questions to get points. It would be good if that didn't happen. I was not answering very many questions when I couldn't get a browser to work on this site, and there were server problems at the same time.It was just too much work to answer one.

A site with fewer glitches would encourage participation in all aspects, including answering. I have been writing so long I forgot what I said at the beginning...lol.. Must have been a good question!

I feel the best way to enhance the quality of answers is to encourage people to visit areas that they have the most expertise in. Writing from one's personal knowledge long-acquired is far more interesting than digesting and rewording articles. Keep in mind that the responses to questions are archived for later, future searches.

There is value in what you do beyond the dollar.

I like it how it is already. I think it is great.

Maybe a sweepstakes type of thing, where you submit like 5 points per entry. But then the website would need to make sure people do not lose their belts when they do this, or maybe they do lose their belt when they do this but some people might think it is worth it. *thinks about it, wait that might not get the best answers.

* Ok, how about this, there should be a word minimum for an answer.

Not being snide, but I attempt to answer any question as well as possible for karma and respect. Some of the higher belts create answers that are worth paying a researcher to do. Hopefully, I'll help people and eventually someone will want to help me.

Gaining a name and getting some smart people to actively attempt to help me when I have need is worth more than the couple of bucks. I do find myself coveting points. Those sweet, sweet points.

I think more members would answer if the 25 cent questions were dumped.

I also think ,the points should be cashed out without losing the belts. It will make more people to .

I hope it will be! The first time I cashed out my tips, it was enough to pay my husband's cell phone bill--great, because we were on the road at the time on a trip that turned out to be a bit more expensive than we'd anticipated.

I think financial incentives beyond tips could be very motivating. For example, interesting questions that have high quality answers should lead to valuable pages that generate advertising revenue over time. Just like Mahalo pages can be claimed and managed by individual users who can then earn advertising revenue, I think the revenue generated by a Mahalo Answers page should be divided between the user who asked the question, the user who provided the best answer and Mahalo.

You could provide links to websites owned by users.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.