I was very excited about Google Questions when I learned about it in
December! My first question was fielded by a non-researcher and the
answer was right on the money.  I was confused at first as to what had
happened and then was informed by a ga.  My intention had been to post
a question and then pay for the answer, yet I was unable to pay
anyone.  The ga agreed that the answer posted by the non-ga was a good
one and explained that if I was satisfied with the answer, then I
could close the question.... which I did.

Since then, I had attempted to post questions.  On the 29th and 30th
of December.  They did not post, so I tried over and over again until
one day they showed up redundantly in my account list.  I then closed
all of the redundancies.

I am concerned that I may have created a situation where I am viewed
as a poor risk for a legitimate researcher!

I am wondering what it is that distinguishes me and my questions from
others whose questions are getting answered.  I should add that one of
my questions asked (as a new Mac user) for a few tips and links in
hardware and software for Mac.  Surprisingly, there were no takers for
this question which I would have thought was easy pickings'.

So, what should I know in order to attract answers to my questions?  I
have read many other questions/answers on the system and have
benefited from these greatly, but have not been able to distinguish
the characteristics and format of the attractive question.

JR

During the time period you are referring to there were some technical
problems that have since been resolved. I assure you that what you
experienced in those few days had absolutely nothing to do with your
reputation as a valued customer.

tutuzdad-ga

As a non official google answers participant...I first of all look for
questions that interest me, will NOT take me away from the computer to
find the answer (since I am doing my bit for free) and are questions
that are posed in close to proper english!

I like being to help out on the questions where its just pure digging
that is required!

And yes...all of us were frustrated by the New Years outage!

I hate to sound greedy, but one thing that makes a question attractive
to Google Answers Researcher is a price that is commensurate with the
amount of work that is likely to be involved in researching an answer.
Unfortunately, many of us have been burned by low-dollar customers who
were difficult or impossible to satisfy. While money is not the only
thing that motivates most GARs, I believe the likelihood of getting a
good, serious, well-documented answer from a Google Answers Researcher
is often dependent upon the size of the fee.

And pinkfreud's answers are usually worth it.

Jellygoose...I just looked up your history...an low and behold I'm the
guy that gave you the answer to use Google Desktop! See...someone in
need that I can ... now GE dishwashers...not so much!

Good Luck

Arrgh. In my comment above, "one thing that makes a question attractive
to Google Answers Researcher" should have been "one thing that makes a
question attractive to Google Answers Researchers."

Often I type faster than I think. ;-)

I have noticed that price has not appeared to be the determining
factor and that many low price bids have been answered.  Still, I have
not had anyone claim my contribution of $5.  Why not, or am I missing
something?  Last thing I would want is to  renege on an agreement!  Is
there something I need to do in order to issue the payment.  I have
not had a question go fully to fruition as yet.  When and how do you
pay?  AND .... AS FOR CANADIANHELPER-GA --- THANKS FOR YOUR ANSWER.

I have given two answers on appliance repair.  I guess I should ask if
it has any negative impact or if there would be bad feelings on the
part of the contracted ga's?
JR

Jellygoose...

If you are talking about the $5 for THIS question...none of the REAL
GA researchers (those in blue) are ANSWERING you...they are COMMENTING
which means they don't wish to be paid for answering this
question...They will have to comment on whether that has to do with
their terms of contract with Google or if they would just feel
'guilty' taking money for this!  I think they need to actually DO a
search of some type before they could ANSWER you...so I think you'll
keep your $5 bucks on this one!

Here are some points from the google answers FAQ:

# What is the difference between an "answer" and a "comment"?
Each question can receive only one formal "Answer" from a Researcher
who can also provide follow up clarifications to their answer. Answers
cost money. Comments can be posted by anyone with a Google Answers
account. People who comment are not paid for their Comments, and they
are not rated for the quality of their Comments by the asker. Comments
are free - there is no charge to the asker of a question for Comments
posted to their question.

# Do I get charged for comments on my question?
No, you are not charged for a "comment". You are only charged for an
"answer". Answers and comments are not the same. Answers are provided
by Google Answers-approved Researchers. Comments can be provided by
any registered user on the site, which includes but is not limited to
approved researchers. Thus, your fees for a posted question are as
follows: $0.50 for posting the question to the site plus the price at
which you have listed the question when and only when an "answer" is
posted to it.

# I posted my question and a registered user answered it in a comment.
Can I cancel my question?
Yes, you can cancel your question, as long as the question has not
been locked or answered. You will still be charged the $.50 listing
fee, but you will not need to pay the price to answer the question. To
cancel your question, log into to your account and go to "My Account".
When you see the list of questions you have asked, click on the
question you wish to cancel. Then click on the "Cancel Question"
button at the top of the page. Confirm your decision by clicking "Yes,
Cancel Question."

Jellygoose,

   I also notice many of your questions expire within a day or two.
Some of this may have had to do with the major server outage we all
suffered.


  When a researcher answers your question, you will be charged. If no
one answers your question, you will be charged only the $.50 fee for
posting the question.


  Some questions are simply unanswerable! As Pinkfreud mentioned, the
fee has a lot to do with the chances of getting an answer. Google
Researchers net 75% of the fee, so many researchers feel the time
spent is not commensurate with a low fee question.

  Sometimes researchers have a special interest in the question, and
will answer a question with a low fee. Most of us answer questions as
our sole source of income - I'm sure you understand that we need to
earn an income!

 Good Luck in the future!

Jellygoose,
Some interesting questions attract lots of comments, like this one,
also comments from Researchers.  In some cases, it seems that they
choose not to post it as an "answer", perhaps because it wasn't worth
the effort of documenting it with web sources  - or just because they
are nice guys and girls.
As to your question about how they feel about commenters' answering
questions:  most of the time I try to hold off posting immediately a
comment that could be a complete answer if the question is worth over
$10, especially since I have a time advantage, living in Europe,
waiting longer the "richer" the price is, though I do sometimes post a
comment that I think might help get to an answer.
If I remember correctly your postings, they were based on well-founded
personal experience in the field, something a couple of Researchers
may have, but information that is maybe not available on the web.
I expect that the principle of G-A is to serve the questioners and
allow commenters to help and also keep Researchers on their toes. 
When I see that one has started, I try to lay low ...
Regards, Myoarin

OH, I should have mentioned this too:  As Pinkfreud mentioned, some
questioners seem to think that Researchers are part of a machine and
that G-A owes them an answer  - and act like it.  Other questioners
are welcome guests who have a reputation of understanding and respect
for Researchers and their efforts, and express appreciation and
thanks.  It earns them better efforts and results.

*****   I am thankful to everyone who has helped me with this
question.  Now, I have a much better understanding of the needs of
researchers and their integrity as well as a better direction for
forming and pricing questions.  Thanks to everyone!

All of these issues may not apply to you personally, but since you
bring up the issue of do?s and don?t?s, I?ll hop in here and point out
some relatively common practices (mistakes) that can pose a potential
problem. Maybe others will read this and try to avoid these problems
too and it will help streamline the question/answer process a little
better (See?. Your question IS important after all!)

I?m not speaking for all researchers now, but in my opinion (and in
the minds of some other researchers I have spoken to) here are some
red flags that can cause problems in customers? questions (in no
particular order).

Wording:  Give your question some serious thought before you post it.
If you just arbitrarily post a thought that only makes sense to you
it?s difficult for a researcher to know what you expect as an answer.

Ask an actual QUESTION:  Some people simply make a statement and tend
to assume that there is a question there. If there isn?t a direct
question (with a question mark [?] ) you can't expect a direct answer.

Be as complete as possible:  If you include ALL the details in the
first posting, you can avoid all the clarifications and get a faster
answer.

Have reasonable expectations:  We don?t have a crystal ball.
Researchers can?t tell you how many grains of sand are on the beach or
how many times a particular word has been said since the beginning of
mankind.

Price accordingly:  Consider a price commensurate with the difficulty
of the research. $2 questions do get answered, but let?s face it,
researchers are seeking answers AND income. As with any job, higher
rewards attract better and more extensive service.

Specify the location:  If you ask a question related to law,
government, statistics or some other issue that differs regionally,
specify the state, region or country you are referring to in your
initial question.  For example, if you ask, ?Is jaywalking illegal??
you must specify the city or state you are interested in. If you
don?t, your question is unanswerable ? or at the very least a time
consuming clarification is called for.

Be specific:  Remember, researchers are diverse. They are adult men
and women of all ages from all walks of life. Not all researchers are
American, or white, or protestant. If you ask a question that it
related to a specific culture or religion, for example, you must
indicate which one you are referring to. It isn't enough to ask "What
does the Bible say about...?" - you must indicate the specific
religion you are speaking of. Again, if you ask, "Why do people get
tattoos? - you need to indicate what culture you are referring to.

Be prompt and attentive to your question:  If a researcher posts a
request for you to clarify a portion of your question and you don't
respond for several days, researchers may lose interest in your
question. Check your question often or risk letting it fizzle out.

ALL is virtually impossible: Researchers are wary of questions that
ask for "all" of most anything. For example, if you ask for a list of
?all schools? there?s simply no way we can determine if the list we
provide includes ALL schools. Try to reasonably define your
expectations (a list of ten, twenty or one hundred, for example) and
we?ll do our best to provide you with at least ?that many?.

Use the clarification feature to your advantage: Before you rate an
answer use the clarification process if necessary. Often a researcher
will ?take another look? for you if the answer doesn?t meet your
expectations.

Rate it fairly:  Researchers sometimes look at customer prior ratings
of answers and use that to determine if they want to do the research.
Rate the answer itself and not the news. In other words, if the answer
is not what you had hoped but it?s a good (and accurate) answer, rate
it based on the work done. Done kill the messenger because you simply
didn?t like the message.

Tips:  If you promise a tip ? deliver. Researchers will avoid you like
the plague if you have a history of promising a tip and don?t.

Tips: Your tipping history can get you some good attention. If you are
fair and a consistent tipper researchers will be on the lookout for
your questions in the future.
  
Previous research: If you have already done some research on this
question yourself, please describe your own research fully, state
where you have looked, and what results you have already found that
did not satisfy your query. Don't expect the Researcher to know what
you already have found and/or have rejected.

Set the terms up front:  As far as possible, please describe exactly
what you will (or won't) accept as a full answer to your question.



I hope this sheds some light on some of the do?s and don?ts from a
researcher?s perspective. Because of your question many others may
also learn some helpful hints. Please leave this question open for a
while because more ?hints? could be forthcoming as they come
available.

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

DON'T POST USING ALL CAPS:  They're scary. I don't know why but if you
look back in the archive you'll see that ALL CAPS questions don't do
very well.

Open questions:  Post a question with the expectation of getting a
direct answer from a researcher. Requests for open input from the
population at large, like "Name my business", for example, often get
ignored. The reason is because there's no way to name someone's
business, or child, or cat and know that the name will be accepted. If
you post such a request with the hope of getting knee-jerk comments,
that's exactly what you'll get.

Discussion:  If you post a question just for the sake of discussion
(i.e. "What is the meaning of life?") you'd be better off taking that
to a bulletin board environment. Contrary to what some people think
there are no definite answers to some questions so discussion is
sometimes futile.

Search and save:  Search the archive to see if someone else has
already asked the question you have on your mind. It might save you
both time and money.

Expiration time: Give your question enough time before it expires. If
you post a question that is set to expire in only a few days it may
not be seen by all researchers. Remember, researchers are located all
over the globe so we are not all in the same time zone.

I'm NOT a researcher and never will be. I'm far too young but one
thing that really bugs me is when a Researcher gives a great answer
for quite a modest reward and then gets awarded less than 5 stars -
even though the Questioner has expressed satisfaction with the answer.

I bet researchers also get irked by such miserable responses.

So, build a reputation for being fair and reasonable and don't
hesitate about doling out 5 stars if you are happy. If you are not
happy then try to resolve the issues through Queries.

Best of Luck

Mike

My armchair psychoanalysis (im a programmer, not a therapist) suggests
that a really cold and calculated way to attract an answer is to stick
"for <insert researcher's name>" in the subject. Even if you have
somewhat underpriced your question, you are likely to get an answer
out of 1) guilt, 2)A desire to protect one's good name and 3)empathy,
as they don't want to embarass you by ignoring you.  It's easy for the
group to ignore you, but when you single someone out, its completely
different pyscologically.  This probably works even better with female
researchers as they are probably more social and thus more susceptible
to 1) and 3), though maybe male researchers might be more susceptible
to 2).

Of course, if the research knows that you are only doing this to
exploit human psychology to your advantage, everything is out the
window.

Actually, if you put "for <insert researcher's name>" in the subject
line, the specified researcher has first option but it in no way
obligates him or her to do the research if they choose not to. This
is, as you pointed out, a good way to get a specific researcher's
attention and some people do (a) have a favorite reseacher, (b)
recognize a specific researcher for their specialized field(s) of
expertise, or (c) admire a reseacher's work on previous questions of a
similar nature. In my own experience I don't think psychology really
factors into it much (but that's just my opinion).

jellygoose,

If I were you, I would ask tutuzdad to repost his remarks as the
offical Answer to this question. In my view, he has done a wonderful
and thoughtful job of detailing various factors that influence Google
Answers Researchers as we decide whether or not to take on a question.
I couldn't have done better myself - and, since I think quite well of
my abilities, that is high praise!

I've no doubt that probably every instance of using "for <whomever>"
is for the reasons you mention.  However, I am still convinced that
there is opportunity for this to be used in a more underhanded way
that exploits human pyschology and the general good nature of the
researchers.  Then again, I am actually an aspiring supervillain, so
my analysis might be colored by that fact.

Thanks for the kudos Pink, but I can't take all the credit. I had some
special help. My applause to all who offered input behind the scenes.

Aw, go ahead, Tutuzdad.  Just texting all that good information was an
effort worth the price, and if it was support behind the scenes, it is
all the more representative.
Pink, I agree with you entirely  - but what a moment of unabashed honesty!  :D

As for directed questions, I was thinking about a way to award a prize
for dedication and tact to one 5-letter named researcher.  Many will
know whom I mean.

Mikimoro has a good complaint too.  Some questioners seem to feel like
professors who believe that awarding the maximum score (of five stars)
would be admitting that perfection exists.

Great question, Jellygoose; an opportunity for us to spout off,
hopefully with effect.

Pink has a good point.  Although everyone has had good input, Tut has
apparently answered "nailed" the question.  When this thread has
calmed down, it would be nice if Tut would post her/his answer as an
answer and not just for the lousy five bucks or the five stars, but
for the prominent position as "THE" answer for others to read in the
future!

Thanks Tut,
Jellygoose

Myoarin wrote 'I was thinking about a way to award a prize for
dedication and tact to one 5-letter named researcher.  Many will know
whom I mean.'

Well I don't!

Really this is supposed to be G-ANSWERS not G-CONUNDRUMS.

Could it be Voila-ga, Umiat-ga, Willy-ga, Emjay-ga, Hagan-ga,
Missy-ga, Bethc-ga, Tisme-ga, Waldo-ga ... ? Or someone else?

Confused-ga

Miki, just look for a question with the subject "Question".  Myo

Oh dear, Myoarin, you will have now disappointed a gaggle of other
5-letter researchers.

'Gaggle' seems an eminently suitable collective noun, don't you think?

They are all great too  "the gaggle", but my comment was about directed questions.
I trust that they will understand.  Maybe one of them will pass on my
respects to him/her "behind the scenes".
Regards to all, Myoarin

My head is spinning! Gaggle, google, giggle, sheesh!