Answerbird: An online Question and Answer Community for Indians

Answerbird.com was a great little site. Unfortunately, the domain expired. Recently I discovered that the domain became available, so I bought it with the goal of recreating as much of its original content as possible from archived pages. I did not want someone else to purchase the domain and re-purpose the site for something that had nothing in common with the original website.

If you used Answerbird.com this will be a nostalgic walk through the past. Enjoy.

**What is Answerbird?

Answerbird.com is an exciting online Question and Answer community for Indians which aims to provide answer or solution to every question that is asked in this website and by doing that to revolutionize the way we learn and communicate.

**NOTE:
We are sad to announce that AnswerBird is no longer functioning as a Question and Answer site.
At some point after 2013 the domain registration was not renewed. When the domain became available again it was bought with the intention of rebuilding a least one page with the archived 2013 content. The intention of the original site was sound. Perhaps someone who rediscovers this site will be inspired to create a similar site.

AnswerBird Can Change Your Life

Whether you needed to know the answer to a question, or you’re bursting with knowledgeable answers you can’t wait to share, Answerbird.com offered to change your life. It gave visiters 24/7 access to a whole world of information and millions of knowledgeable friends. Below are a few hypothetical examples.

Needing an answer to a question: You have a family member who recently was diagnosed with DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and need some help in determining what to do. Your question(s) would be asked in the site's Health & Medicne category. Some of the answers would probably explain that most patients are put on a blood thinners to help disolve the blood clots. However, there will be patients that either can't take the blood thinners or the blood thinners simply didn't work. A doctor at this point would most likely suggest the implantation of an IVC filter. So now you might again ask a question regarding IVC filters. Which brand is best, is the surgery dangerous, do the filters really work, are there any risks, etc.? And among the answers you might hear from one or many several people will be about the potential risks associated with several manufactures brands- namely Bard and Cook IVC filter designs. They may even mention that in the US there are numerous lawsuit by injured parties or families of patients who have hired IVC injury lawyers to represent them. Although IVC filters were designed to trap large clot fragments and prevent them from traveling through the vena cava vein to the heart and / or lungs, a number of the filter designs were faulty resulting in serious risks with complications that could be life threatening to the patient. Even the FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) has warned that recipients of an IVC filter could suffer from a number of serious side effects. Wouldn't these answers be extremely helpful in deciding which type of filter you would want the doctor to consider? A resounding, YES! So although Answerbird is no longer able to provide the platform for questions & answers, one can appreciate what they were trying to do.

Having information to share: Your job is to procur janitorial supplies for your company. Recently you were tasked to find the best ecologically sound / green janitorial products. After doing so many google searches and checking out janitorial supplies till your started dreaming of them at night, you have them on the brain and want to share your knowledge. You finally found the janitorial e-commerce site that you would recommend and so you post on AnswerBird the following: I have found the best janitorial supply e-commerce site that sells both wholesale to businesses and retail to the regular consumer. I love their name: CleanItSupply. And they certainly have the products free from inks, fragrances, and dyes, all natural, high quality, affordable, eco-friendly, biodegradable (for paper goods), and products that do not promote eutrophication, chlorinated solvents, heavy metals and are energy VOC-compliant in all 50 states in the US. Take for example their wholesale paper towels. CleanItSupply offers both eco friendly and regular paper towels & dispensers at different bulk price points. I think they are a slam dunk for janitorial supplies for those living in the US. Check them out!

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A Worldwide Community of Knowledge

Answerbird.com is much more than just a place for finding things out - it’s also an online community. It allows you to make friends with other users from across the world - sharing ideas, facts and opinions with each other. Start using Answerbird.com today and you’ll soon have the most intelligent mates on the planet and the answer to everything!
We have a vision – we wanted to create a new online community for Indians and for all the people out there in this world who can help each other with the use of the power of internet and their knowledge about various things. And we wanted to make sure it was free to use. Our Vision To create the most comprehensive database of questions and answers for India and Indians, powered by our ever-expanding global community of members.

We want people to be able to ask any conceivable question and to then receive instant, accurate answers using information provided by our worldwide community. And the future? Every day, thousands of new users discover Answerbird.com. We’re fast becoming the most prolific question and answer site on the Internet. And to ensure we become the biggest knowledge resource in India, we’re continually looking at ways to make our site more exciting and engaging. We’re big on innovation – we’re always looking at ways to make Answerbird better. We’re much more flexible and expansive – we provide information about ideas and opinions as well as facts; we can answer abstract questions and solve puzzles for example. At Answerbird.com, users can even find solutions to questions that don’t have an exact answer! Go on give it a try – someone in the world will have the information you’re after!

Answerbird.com is an interesting and useful Question and Answer website powered by community of real people like you, where you ask questions and get answers from members across the world. As your question will be viewed by lots of people the chances of getting a correct answer increases multiple times. Ask questions about your favorite celebrities, places, food, movies, local discount deals, shopping guides, day to day information, questions regarding history, politics, science, cars, bikes and all what you want to know about and online users will give quick answers to your queries. Question & answers at Answerbird.com are not restricted to be of any particular type at this point of time. You can ask questions of any type, i.e. factual, evaluative etc.

Answerbird.com is a complete free service and you don’t have to pay anything for asking or getting answers. The only thing we ask you in return is answer someone’s question if you know the answer to their question.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The following is basic information about this website. Please read this before posting questions or answers if you are unfamiliar with this sort of website. Click on any question to show or hide the answer.

1. What kinds of questions can I ask here?
You can ask any type of questions and related to any topic except topics related to porn, drugs, poker, child abuse, Weapons, questions hurting religious sentiments, and anything that does not come under our terms and conditions. Before you ask, please make sure to search for a similar question. You can search for questions by their title or tags. Use our custom Google site search for this.

2. How to Ask a Question?
Type your question in the large blue box provided at the top of the page and press enter or click on the label saying "Ask here".

Otherwise, Click the “Ask” tab at the top of the page. Enter your question in here, then choose a relevant category for your question, add more details about the question. The more concise, accurate and grammatically correct your question the more likely you are to receive an informative answer. Ask yourself would you want to answer a poorly worded question? Now add some topic names or keywords that relate to the question topic in the tags field. Then you can subscribe to the question by entering your e-mail in the box provided in order to get notified when your question is answered.

Once you have asked your question it goes out to be answered on Answerbird.com and automatically you are following it. Once you get an answer Answerbird.com sends you an email to let you know.

3. What kinds of questions should be avoided?
Please avoid asking questions that are not related to our community, too subjective or argumentative and topics related to porn, drugs, poker, child abuse, weapons, questions hurting religious sentiments and anything that does not come under our terms and conditions.

4. How to Answer a Question?
Find a question you can answer and click “Answer”. Add your answer in the box that appears. Remember that answers that are more informative get more Helpful ratings, and will therefore increase your number of followers. You can also answer by clicking on the title of the question which takes you to the individual question page. Visit the unanswered Section from the menu to find questions which need answers. Also you are free and welcome to answer any question that has already been answered.

5. What should I avoid in my answers?
Answerbird - Ask Questions Get Answers is a question and answer site - it is not a discussion group. Please avoid holding debates in your answers as they tend to dilute the quality of the website.

For brief discussion, or to thank someone for their answer, please post comments, not answers.

6. Who moderates this community?
The short answer is: you and we. This website is moderated by its users. Points system allows users to earn rights to perform a variety of moderation tasks.

7. How does point system work?
When a question or answer is voted up, the user who posted it will gain points. These points serve as a rough measure of the community trust in that person. Various moderation tasks are gradually assigned to the users based on those points.

For example, if you ask an interesting question or useful answer, it will likely be voted up. On the other hand if the question is poorly worded or the answer is misleading - it will likely be voted down. Each up vote on a question will generate 3 points, whereas each vote against will subtract 1 points. The following table lists points gained per activity:

Posting a question:	10 points
Selecting an answer for your question:	5 points
Per up vote on your question:	+ 3 points
Per down vote on your question:	- 1 points
Limit from up votes on each question:	+ 10 points
Limit from down votes on each question:	– 3 points
Posting an answer:	15 points
Having your answer selected as the best:	20 points
Per up vote on your answer:	+ 2 points
Per down vote on your answer:	- 2 points
Limit from up votes on each answer:	+ 20 points
Limit from down votes on each answer:	– 5 points
Voting up a question:	2 points
Voting down a question:	1 points
Voting up an answer:	2 points
Voting down an answer:	1 points
Add for all users:	+ 50 points

The following table lists point requirements for each type of moderation task.

8. What does the Homepage shows ?
The home page is a mix of contributions from “Topics” and “People” that you are following. Scan through here to see what is going on in your choices and make sure you click “Helpful” on answers you think do a great job of answering the question. The “Alerts” box will appear when your contributions have received some kind of feedback, be it an answer, comment, helpful or follow. From here you will be able to go directly to the feedback via the link provided. To find fast links to your own questions and answers click the links on the right of the page under your profile picture and name.

9. How to change my picture (gravatar), and what is gravatar?
This website provides a default profile picture for its users who sign up with us. But we encourage you to upload your own profile photo and not some celebrity or animal or cartoon image this increases the trust in the system and users. Also you can use Worldwide avatar system from Gravatar.com. The best option is to use our Facebook login system to sign in to this website which will automatically show your Facebook profile image along side the questions and answers.

10. Still have questions?
Please ask your question and help make our community better!

If there is anything lacking, please use the feedback form.

More Background on AnswerBird.com

AnswerBird.com was a notable Q&A platform that primarily catered to Indian audiences, although its potential reach extended globally. It operated with the aim of becoming a hub for knowledge sharing on a wide range of topics, offering users the ability to ask questions and receive answers from other community members. Although the website is no longer active, its existence sheds light on the power of community-driven platforms and the challenges such sites face in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Origins and Purpose

AnswerBird.com was developed with the intention of creating a space for Indians and people with an interest in Indian culture to connect, exchange information, and provide insights. The site allowed users to ask questions on a variety of subjects, ranging from health and technology to culture and lifestyle. AnswerBird was designed to make information accessible and to harness the collective intelligence of its users, ensuring that anyone could receive quick, well-rounded answers.

The platform was free to use, a common feature of Q&A websites, which made it particularly attractive to a large base of users. By removing financial barriers, AnswerBird aimed to cultivate an inclusive environment where anyone with internet access could contribute. This accessibility helped it grow into a widely used resource, particularly within the Indian online community.

Platform Features

AnswerBird was not just a question-and-answer site; it was also a social platform. Users could follow specific topics and people, creating a personalized feed that kept them engaged with questions and answers relevant to their interests. This type of user interaction mimicked early forms of social media and created a sense of belonging among members of the community.

A points-based system rewarded users for their participation. Asking a question or posting an answer earned points, while receiving upvotes from other members for insightful contributions further boosted a user’s credibility. This system encouraged healthy competition and fostered a sense of responsibility among users to contribute meaningful content.

Additionally, the platform categorized questions into various subjects like business, education, entertainment, and health. These categories made it easier for users to navigate the site and find information tailored to their needs.

Rise and Popularity

AnswerBird’s rise to popularity can be attributed to its model of fostering a community where knowledge was exchanged freely and democratically. Users from all walks of life could ask questions, share experiences, and learn from each other, contributing to a growing knowledge base that spanned an impressive range of subjects.

The platform became particularly useful in niche areas such as technology and healthcare, where users could receive personalized advice and real-world experiences from others. For example, someone seeking information about medical treatments, legal matters, or business ventures could post their questions and receive answers from people with relevant knowledge and expertise. This made the site an invaluable resource for individuals looking for practical advice that went beyond what a typical search engine could provide.

Challenges and Closure

Despite its promising start, AnswerBird.com faced several challenges that eventually led to its decline. One of the biggest obstacles for community-driven websites is maintaining the quality of content while managing the growing number of users. Like many other Q&A platforms, AnswerBird had to deal with the problem of spam, misinformation, and poorly moderated content. These issues affected the site’s credibility and made it difficult to retain a dedicated user base over the long term.

Additionally, the rapid growth of other platforms in the Q&A space, such as Quora and Reddit, posed a significant competitive threat. These platforms offered similar functionalities but with a broader reach and more advanced moderation tools, which may have siphoned off users from AnswerBird.

The exact reasons for the site’s closure remain speculative, but it is clear that the challenges of managing a large, community-driven platform played a significant role. The website eventually became defunct, and its domain expired. The disappearance of AnswerBird left many users without a go-to platform for the type of community-based knowledge sharing it had facilitated.

Legacy and Cultural Significance

Though AnswerBird is no longer operational, its cultural significance lies in the fact that it provided a valuable space for Indians and people interested in Indian-related topics to exchange knowledge and information. The platform highlighted the need for culturally specific content in the Q&A space and demonstrated how online communities can empower individuals through shared knowledge.

The rise of AnswerBird occurred during a time when the internet was rapidly becoming a space for knowledge democratization. The ability for anyone with an internet connection to access information—and contribute to a knowledge base—was revolutionary. This model of open collaboration remains a foundational principle of many modern Q&A platforms, such as Quora, which continue to thrive today.

AnswerBird’s focus on Indian-centric topics also underscored the demand for region-specific content that was tailored to the unique needs and interests of a particular audience. In an increasingly globalized internet, AnswerBird showed that there was still a strong need for localized content and communities where people could engage with topics relevant to their specific cultural context.

Comparison with Other Q&A Platforms

AnswerBird's format and goals resembled those of other successful Q&A platforms, particularly Quora, which also relies heavily on user-generated content. Like AnswerBird, Quora allows users to ask and answer questions across a variety of categories, with a focus on creating a knowledge-sharing community. However, Quora’s sophisticated moderation tools and global reach enabled it to become one of the leading platforms in the Q&A space, whereas AnswerBird remained relatively niche.

Another comparable platform is Reddit, particularly its "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) format, which fosters open discussions on various topics. While Reddit is known for its diverse user base and wide range of subreddits, AnswerBird’s focus was more narrowly defined, centering on the Indian experience and culture.

AnswerBird.com was a pioneering platform in the Q&A space, particularly for its focus on India and Indian-related topics. It provided users with an opportunity to ask questions and share answers on a wide variety of subjects, fostering a community-driven approach to knowledge sharing. However, the challenges of maintaining content quality and the rise of competing platforms ultimately led to its decline.

Despite its closure, AnswerBird's legacy continues to resonate, particularly in the way it demonstrated the power of community-based learning and the importance of region-specific content. It was a site ahead of its time, and its impact is still felt in the digital landscape of Q&A communities today.

AnswerBird.com