Google,

you've got a great idea here. I"ve been a frequent user. Iive got a
big beef with some lesser and questionable results that sometimes
happen and your refund policy which is detrimental. But here's a more
positive idea.

Allow me to tip, or bonus the answerer. Sometime the answerer goes
above and beyond. I want to bonus them by 20% or 50% or so.

1) answerers will be even more incentivezed
2) I can show my appreciation
3) Rate me as a questioner too.  I'll tip the best answers, and
they'll be even more eager to help me as they'll see i'm a good
payer/tipper/bonuser

Hello Headsetdotcom,

Thank you for all of your questions on Google Answers.

And thank you also for your suggestions for the site.  As you know,
Google Answers is in beta.  We are considering many new features and
improved functionality.  We take every user recommendation seriously,
but
unfortunately we can't implement everything.

For future reference, please note that the best way to get information
about Google Answers and to communicate with the Google Answers team
is through email at:

answers-support@google.com

We respond to all support email within 72 hours.

Thank you for using Google Answers.

As is the case when i've emailed you too, i've gotten a standard type
response that is patronizing.  Just think. I'm asking to pay more,
(that includes you google), and this is the message you send to the
world. Frankly, the google that I knew and loved years ago has
degenerated into crap standard patronizing repsonses.  The idea
generation out of google is good still, but the communication is
sinking. Shame.  Eric Shmidt, don't let it go like Novell did.  It's
short termism!

I like your idea a lot, headsets, and I'm sorry you were fobbed off
with that answer - especially as you've been such an enthusiastic user
in the past.

This is something which it certainly makes sense for GA to consider.
At the moment it seems there are, unfortunately, a few 'take the money
and run' researchers who will write very short and rather shoddy
answers to high paying questions, knowing that they will be paid even
if their answer receives a low rating.

A 'tipping' service would certainly help deal with this problem -
although it might generate a further problem in researchers expecting
tips as their 'right' after answering a question.

Don't abandon the site, headsets - you've given a lot and you've got a
lot from it so far. There have already been changes made here as a
result of user and researcher feedback, and I hope the editors will
seriously think about your suggestion.

grimace

I second everything grimace just said. 

and don't ask questions regarding Google! Answers here anymore, you're
wasting your time as they can only be answered rather poorly by
google_answers-ga, which I'm pretty sure is generally done by
selection of one of several preformatted responses.

You might consider arranging to have a question worded like: "This
question is specifically for ___-ga. Does the word 'bonus' contain the
word 'tip'? Thanks for your help." It's bending the rules a little,
but if they won't give you what you want you should give it a shot,
and let Google! handle the problem if they insist on being
unresponsive.

The communication is definitely sinking. I have emailed Google Answers
several times. Every single reply included the word "overwhelming". It
was usually something to the effect of "we have received an
overwhelming number of responses." I'm sure there are much larger
companies, with much larger email volumes, that don't complain about
being overwhelmed. It's called "hiring more people to process emails".
You might want to look into it.

Dear headsets,
                Wont help perhaps but I certainly  agree with you on
most of what you said. It does appear that no matter what is put
forward a slightly  patronising letter comes back that does not
acknowledge the  potential value adding that you , the paying
customer, is trying to get across at all. I thought my suggestion of a
few days ago was OK also which was that when they, ( GOOGLE) get
several questions on the one subject to do with the administration of 
GA such as the few that have written and asked what happened to their
researcher applications,that GA should publish their response once a
week for next nonth or so to be sure of  catching everyone with
similar questions and new first time  users as well.


 I also thought that it was appropriate to offer a tip for work "above
the call of duty"  so to speak and was thinkling of asking the same
question.


  P.S Are you the one I correspnded with recently an another matter. I
am johnfrom melbourne at john.birkin@auspost.com.au

Thanks all for supportive comments. I'm glad it's not just be being
out of whack. John from Melbourne, yes it's me :-)

Google, are you listening to what people say here?  How about using
your service to  post a comment here?

One extremely rudimentary possibility which might suffice for the
short term.

Say you have asked a question and received an outstanding answer. You
might choose to post a "Request for Answer Clarification" saying
wording to the effect of "This answer goes so far above and beyond the
call of duty that I would like to show my appreciation by making an
extra donation to the charity of your choice." Then the researcher who
provided the answer might provide clarification in the form of the
charity which is to benefit.

Conclusion: the provider of the excellent answer's favourite charity
gets some extra money, the recipient of the excellent answer gets the
satisfaction of knowing that they have given unusually high reward for
the great answer and there are warm, fuzzy feelings all round.

Would this work? If not, why not? I don't believe this contravenes the
Terms of Service, but can anyone more perceptive than myself show me
if it does?

GoogleAnswers would have to serve as an intermediary and contact the
answering party and ask permission to give the asking party their
e-mail address. OR Google could add a button to increase/edit the
amount of the remuneration. Personally speaking, I think some of the
answers should be rewarded with more money, especially the difficult
ones. Often, if I know a question will be hard to answer, I will just
skip it if it doesn't pay enough. Who wants to spend an hour or so
answering a question just for $5.00? On the other hand, I don't want
my e-mail address published for every kook out there, you know, so we
need an
intermediary. The burning question is: Is Google listening???

This is just a possibility... If I asked a question and received an
excellent answer that I wish to 'tip' or give a bonus for, here are a
couple possibilities which are completely independant to Google (so if
they're listening, I'm sure both of these suggestions are well within
your programming capabilities)...
1) After an excellent answer is received, I might reply and ask for
the answerer's e-mail or paypal ID, so as to forward a little
something extra to them.

- or -

2) After an excellent answer is received, I might reply and ask for
the answerer's e-mail or paypal ID, and his favorite charity and a
link (salvationarmy.com, for example). I'm sure most charities have
their site set up to accept donations online from Paypal or some
similar site.

How Google could incorporate these into their site:
1) Right by the answerer's name could be a Paypal link, which (after
logging in on Paypal, the question-asker could then decide the amount
and hit submit.

- or -
 
2) Part of the registration could include 'My favorite charity' or
something to that extent... From there, a link to the charity could be
posted by the answerer's name, so that the questioner (or anyone else
for that matter) could click and donate from there.

Just thought I would put in my two cents... 
Chris :)

You can now tip the researchers. :-)