Since 1st July 2004 only 12 questions from a total of 71 questions
have been answered.

One of Google's FAQ's states "How do I sign up to become a Researcher? 
Because of an overwhelming response by qualified candidates, we are
temporarily not accepting additional applications. Please check back
with us again, as we likely will begin accepting applications again in
the near future."

Are there many researchers here anymore??? Should we go elsewhere, as
the service appears to be winding down.


Thanks

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Clarification of Question by ebusiness-ga on 26 Aug 2004 15:59 PDT

Thanks for the responses. Yes I have noticed the substantial "nature"
of some the questions. I am interested because I would like to
recommend the service and need a good indication of what to ask, fair
pricing etc.

Can you indicate what would be the best type of questions?

Thank you

Just as a general comment: not every question is answerable within the
dollar amount offered.  Questions looking for statistics are usually
the domain of analyst firms who charge thousands of dollars for their
data offerings.  This may shed some light on it.

jbf777
Researcher
Google Answers

Ditto what jbf777 said. Very often this sort of question is
underpriced, making it not very appealing to Researchers.

Kriswrite

With regard to the market aspect (ratio, size, tends, etc.) of
eCommerce, it costs hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to
obtain reports that some people frequently come here hoping to get (at
a price of $200 or less I might add, of which the researcher actually
stands to make 75%). While some researchers might very well be
"qualified candidates" for such research, it would be absurd for one
of them to invest $5000 in a market size or market trend report only
to give it away here for $200 (the maximum fee) or less.

In short, many of these market questions often ask far too much for
far too little. This may account for why a large number of them have
gone unanswered.
 
tutuzdad-ga

Thanks for the responses. Yes I have noticed the substantial "nature"
of some the questions. I am interested because I would like to
recommend the service and need a good indication of what to ask, fair
pricing etc.

Can you indicate what would be the best type of questions?

Thank you

There are several people, besides I who make frequent comments, but
are not researchers. I suggest answers.google give a monthly or weekly
prize for the most useful comment. This would I think attract more
people making commwnts. While a few comments are rarely a substitute
for a carefully researched answer, they are free to the person asking,
and sometimes a big improvement over the 60% that get no answer, no
clarification request and no comment.   Neil

>> Can you indicate what would be the best type of questions?

The more narrow and precise the request, the more likely you are to
receive a satisfying answer. Sometimes it is difficult for Researchers
to get a grasp on precisely what the customer expects. For instance,
we often get requests such as "I need a list of as many widget
manufacturers as possible" or "please list all widget manufacturers."

"As many as possible" is so vague that a Researcher has no idea what
will be satisfactory. This may cause Researchers to pass such a
question by. Obviously we cannot be certain that we have ever found
all of anything. Much better would be "I need a list of at least 10
widget manufacturers."