Why did Google abandon Google Answers, and what is there about Mahalo Answers that will make it successful?

To answer a question on Google answers you had to be a hired contractor. This immediately limited the number of people answering questions and the available expertise that could be provided. As a result, Google Answers became a service of 'looking up answers', as opposed to 'asking people who may be experts on the topic' - which is the Mahalo system Mahalo opens the door to anyone with subject knowledge or good reasoning/explanation skills and then encourages them to come back through the point system (belts) and the offer of Mahalo dollars.

Any individual is empowered to take part in the Mahalo answers system, which is fun and intuitive. Out of the options you gave in the question, I would say better execution and better marketing are the main reasons.

Plain and simple, because Mahalo Answers is fun.

Google's answers service never did achieve the popularity it could have, due to similarity to other answers services (specifically, Yahoo). Mahalo is very easy to understand and use, and offers every user rewards at every level (whether points or hard cash).

Google Answers only allowed one person to respond to a question and they had a day or so to answers. At Mahalo Answers our researchers compete in real time to give the best answer. This results in a much better experience for the person asking the question.

Look, you have three answers *already*. On Google Answers you would still be waiting! Mahalo Answers is better than Y!

Answers because we police the system and do not tolerate bad behavior--or stupidity. That last part is key. We consider membership in Answers a privilege, not a right.

We have no problems delete obnoxious or unhelpful answer, or banning bad users. Of course we don't want to do that, but we will. I think curation and Mahalo Dollars are the biggest advantage we have.

We have big expectations for the project.... we hope to change the world with it. :-).

Basically Mahalo Answers draws a little bit from Google Answers as well as from all their other competitors. They picked the best things about all the other websites and combined them into their own. Instead of one good answer that takes days to receive, many people respond and anyone can win the money!

The main reason Mahalo Answers is better than Google Answers is that Jason has made it competitive (it's Fun! ).

The reason that Mahalo Answers 'MIGHT' work is because you get credits for your actions on here. Another reason - Jason Calacanis. He has a strong Internet following.

I don't know if Mahalo Answers will be successful, but I do know that it will be around for a while as long as Jason wants it to be.

Ooh, pick my answer! I'm not going to answer your question (others have already answered it very well), but if you pick me, I get $5. And I promise to spend it on a present for you.

Seriously, you already got your answer, so what incentive do you have to actually pick the person who answered it best? Suppose I offer $100 for an answer -- lots of people will provide information. Then, I have a confederate paraphrase the best answer and I pick them, essentially getting the answer for free.

Does Mahalo do anything to try and block this or at least track people doing it. Aside from the possibility of gaming the system, though, I'm generally impressed. ___ OK, some nits: The form I just got after clicking Submit looked very similar to the page I was on before, but it's asking me to Keeping it simple!

Well google answers payed for answers like this site. But the people who were allowed to be payed for answers were limited to specialists and people qualified to answer. This obviously meant that people had to wait much longer for an answer.

This site lets anyone answer but BS answers won't earn anyone any money so there is motivation to be as accurate as possible.

I have thought this out so I will k.i.s.s. (keep it simple stupid) it. First, it is a traffic generator.

People like to answer questions. Second, if you could hook it up to blogs as a widget, then people could blog it out on their sites and then just hit the submit button from there; thus, killing two birds with one stone. Just take a look at digg.

Dang, I should get a bonus for telling you my secrets...

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.