Monthly Archives: February 2011

FoiDansSonAme: Keeping the Faith and More on Answers.com.

If French is the language of love, what better language is there with which to express your love for Answers.com? Je t’aime, Answers.com!

Our Featured Contributor had the same idea when she added a little French flair and elegance to her username – FoiDansSonAme. Translated it means “faith in her heart.” And although she doesn’t speak French, she thought the former sounded prettier than the latter. We agree!

Here’s more:

What is your first name?

Heather.

What is your age?

23.

Would you care to tell us about your family?

I am the daughter of Phil and Laura Chapman, a lawyer and a Realtor, and the younger sister of Alex Chapman, a computer programmer.

Do you have any pets?

I have two dachshunds named Petey and Badger, a black and tan Coonhound named Roscoe and a turtle named Fernando.

Where do you live, how long have you lived there and why do you like the area?

I’ve lived in Durham, North Carolina, for almost two years now, and I like that it’s far south enough that it isn’t freezing, but I can still expect snow in the winter.

Where did you grow up and do you have any special memories of your childhood?

My father was a Navy Seal, so I grew up in Michigan, California, Colorado, Panama (the country), Virginia and Tennessee. I remember a lot of packing…haha.

What educational information would you like to share?

I graduated from Longwood University in 2009 with a BA in English.

What are some of your past and present occupations?

Throughout school, I worked at Busch Gardens, a sandwich store called The Cheese Shop, a sushi restaurant called Gold Taste and at the university as a Resident Assistant. After moving to North Carolina, I worked as a “camp counselor” and receptionist at a doggie daycare called Camp Bow Wow, and now I work as a veterinary receptionist.

What are your key areas of knowledge, interest or expertise?

I wouldn’t really call myself an “expert” in any area, but I particularly like to answer questions about grammar, pet care and random trivia. I’ve always excelled in English classes, and with my recent professions, I’ve gained a lot of pet knowledge.

Do you have any collections or hobbies?

I love cooking! I’m a celiac, so I like to invent new gluten-free recipes.

What do you like to do for recreation?

I love music; I’m the lead singer in two bands. One is a local metal band, and the other is a bit more complicated. We live on three different continents, and we’ve never met, but we released a CD in 2005.

What are a few random facts about yourself?

I’m missing six of my teeth from birth. I never had wisdom teeth or twelve year molars.

Do you have any special talents you’d like to share?

I can touch my lips to my nose without using my hands.

What accomplishments are you proud of?

I released a CD and music video in 2005, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from the honor’s program at Longwood University and I received a certificate for acting quickly enough to save the life of a dog with bloat at Camp Bow Wow.

What are your special goals or dreams?

I would love to make enough money to adopt a ridiculous amount of shelter dogs in my lifetime.

How would you describe yourself or personality?

Musical, devoted, always a romantic…

What brought you to Answers.com?

It was a product of severe boredom while searching for a job toward the end of my college career.

What keeps you coming back to Answers.com?

I love the community, and even though it’s impossible to rid it of vandals (being a wiki), I love the pursuit of good answers on the Internet.

What is your favorite Answers.com activity?

I know it can be monotonous, but I love finding a question that’s been asked a thousand times in different ways and organizing that question for hours. (For example, “Do werewolves exist?”)

Do you want to be interviewed for the Contributor corner? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get to work.

Just sleep on it.

Can anything compare to the feeling of laying your head down on a soft square of cotton, closing your eyes, molding your body into the depths of a mattress and letting the sweet flow of semi-consciousness set in? My answer is no. In an age where we work past dinner, chill in bars till 4 am and hit the gym at midnight – yet still rise and shine for work the next day –  how is this lack of sleep affecting us?

Well, let’s start off simple. We know sleep is a good thing.  And, when we are deprived of it, we feel lousy. This occurs for 2 simple reasons:

Physically sleep repairs your body, working the immune system at full capacity.  Mentally though, it does a whole lot more. Without adequate sleep, your judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information are weakened. You can become an incoherent, irritable monster.  In fact, 72 hours of no-sleep can make a man go temporarily insane.

So I guess the more sleep you get,  the more intelligent and healthy you are… Let’s examine this theory across species in the animal kingdom.  Below is a list of some typical animal sleep cycles, in order of longest to shortest sleep times per day:

  • Brown Bat (19.9 hours)
  • Giant Armadillo (18.1 hours)
  • Python (18 hours)
  • Owl Monkey (17 hours)
  • Tiger (15.8 hours)
  • Squirrel (14.9 hours)
  • Lion (13.5 hours)
  • Rat (12.6 hours)
  • Cat (12.1 hours)
  • Cheetah (12.1 hours)
  • Dolphin (10.4)
  • Chimpanzee (9.7 hours)
  • Human adult (8 hours)
  • Pig (7.8 hours)
  • Guppy Fish (7 hours)
  • Sheep (3.8 hours)
  • African Elephant (3.3 hours)
  • Horse (2.9 hours)

Pythons sleep for 18 hours, yet elephants (those memory-rich, emotional vertebrates) sleep for only 3.3 hrs. The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal (between 10 mins-2 hrs in a 24 hr period, averaging 1.9 hours per day) yet giraffes sleep 5 hours less than your  household goldfish. Based on these numbers, sleep and intelligence don’t appear to be dependent on one another.

So, why do some animals require more sleep than others?  Perhaps it’s not intelligence, just evolution.

When it comes down to sleep and survivability, a predator-prey relationship exists: Animals at the top of the food chain, such as the King of the Jungle, tend to  get longer and deeper shut eye than, say, your average vigilant  squirrel. Humans fall somewhere in between, but this doesn’t explain how we have sleep patterns most closely related to pigs, or why armadillos sleep a whole lot more than cows.

Hibernation draws the same complexities. Certain species of moth hibernate just as long as polar bears. Some toads can even hibernate  for up to four years. So this evolution thing, with animal size and the potential of being eaten, doesn’t seem to hold up either.

Perhaps it’s not who is sleeping, or how often you sleep… but where you sleep that matters?

Sloths have long been known to be the ‘nappers of the wild.’ Even their name is  a synonym for lazy.  A 2008 study, reported by BBC news, involving brown-throated, three-toed sloths, found that when in captivity (where they are safe and fed well) sloths sleep for more than 16 hours per day and live quite long lives. But the same study noted that sloths only slept for 9.6 hours in the wild. So where you sleep, and how happy you are while getting that shut-eye,  has a huge impact on the success of your sleep session.

Where can we find happy sleepers?

  • Overcrowded US high schools, where shifts are required,  report that those students who slept in and start two hours later,  consistently scored higher on exams and report cards than those poor teens who had to wake up at the crack of dawn.
  • Google has nap rooms for its employees, and based on the company’s  success and productivity, it seems to be working for them.
  • Einstein slept for 10 hours a day and he came up with the Theory of Relativity.
  • Winston Churchill and George Washington napped regularly, and accomplished some pretty cool things.

Unfortunately, humans have been getting 1.5 hours less sleep on average throughout the last 50 years… So I’m here to tell you one thing: SLEEP. Sleep hard and sleep often; that 6-8 hourrs of recommended sleep is for the birds (literally).  If you need more sleep – do it! If you need to nap – do it! If you need to make a pit stop in your car – do it!

Next time you find yourself drowsy and incoherent, don’t reach for a Starbucks, reach for an REM frappucino!  Lay your head down  on your pillow and smile. Because great things are not accomplished by stressed-out overworked sloths –  they are accomplished by people who get their sleep.

AnswerThon in your language, coming soon.

We’re looking forward to introducing the first ever Italian and Spanish AnswerThons, hosted on Answers.com Italiano and Answers.com Espanol!

The AnswerThon is a 2-day event where contributors compete to answer the most questions in the 48 hour period.

It’s going to be a great time, so be sure to stay tuned for more info, contest sign up, and of course – prizes!

The 2010 WAmmy Awards announced!

In this season of somewhat superficial (but deliciously addictive) entertainment awards, we may forget the folks who truly make a difference in our local communities… one of those communities being your online community of contributors on Answers.com.

Millions of people contribute all year, and the annual WAmmy Awards are a chance to give a shout and badge of honor to the community’s nominees in dozens of categories.

Some of my personal favorites for 2010:

Check ‘em all out here.

Feel free to personally congratulate winners on their message boards! Positive feedback makes the world go ’round…

You can start collecting and promoting your nominations for the 2011 WAmmys by posting them on the Community Forum, in the Kontributor Kudos section under the relevant WAmmy 2011 threads.

Where in the world is Ganderton?

A recent mention of Waldo inspired me to dedicate this post to our Mentoring Program Coordinator, Gregg (code name: Ganderton). Unlike the thick-glassed, super geek who gets lost in mirages of people, our gifted Ganderton can be found EVERYWHERE on Answers.com. When he’s not busy setting up new Supers with inspiring Mentors, he’s found recommending SPAs, answering questions on the Supers Forum, helping with the WAmmys, encouraging Contributors on message boards, beefing up the Jeeps category and so on. Pretty much: EVERYWHERE!

So where in the world is Ganderton right now you ask? That’s easy! Here’s smack-dab in the middle of our Contributor Corner!

What is your user name on Answers.com?

Ganderton.

How did you first learn about the site? When?

I stumbled on to FAQ Farm in early 2006, when I was researching some issues with my daughter’s car. I didn’t find the answer I was looking for, but I did find the same question. Once I repaired the problem I went back and added the answer so that the next person would have an easier time tracking down the malfunction. I contributed anonymously for months, and finally registered so I could keep track of my contributions. Crystal snagged me right away to become a Supervisor.

What is your role on Answers.com and what does it entail?

I am the Mentoring Program Coordinator on Answers.com. I manage the wonderful group of Mentors on site, and try to keep them all actively helping newly appointed Supers get their capes. I develop training tools and visual aids to help them get acquainted with their Super Powers, and try to introduce the new Supers to the community.

What is your favorite activity on the site? Least favorite?

My favorite activity has to be a tie between letting a Contributor know that they have just been made a Super, and when I announce a new Graduate from Mentoring.

Do you have a favorite category? Most despised category?

My favorite category has to be Cars & Vehicles, and within that Jeep and classic Mustangs.

Aside from Answers.com, what do you like to do for fun? Hobbies?

I have 4×4 vehicles that I off-road frequently, canoeing, skiing, hiking, repairing automobiles and photography. Feeding the wild birds outside is so cool! We get hundreds of them every day, and I take as many pictures as I can.

Name one thing not many people know about you.

I really love coffee, and I don’t just mean a spring fling either. I am totally smitten. I consume at least one pot of coffee and two lattes daily. I grind my own beans, and my equipment takes up more space on the kitchen counters than our actual cooking stuff does. Luckily my wife obliges me, and even joins in on Latte 3.0.

If you were a professional wrestler, what would your ring name be and why?

The Inedible Bulk! I just have to laugh when I say it, no other reason.

If you could go bowling with any three people – dead or alive – who would you take and why?

Bruce Smith, because he ROCKS the lanes; George Carlin, because everything he does is funny; and someone from the Busch family (I like beer when I bowl).

Any final words about the site? Your role? The community?

I can’t think of a better thing to be doing with my days (and nights). Every interaction I have with the community leaves me with a great feeling. I hope to be doing this for a long, long time.

Do you want to be interviewed for the Contributor corner? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get to work.

Show your face! Add your avatar on Answers.com.

Time for a profile makeover! No, I don’t mean the silhouette of your actual face. I mean getting your avatar on your Answers.com profile.

Why show your face? Well, aside from the fact that it helps build your profile and establish a trustworthy reputation across the site, avatars will play a key role in some upcoming community features.

In that case, I recommend going from this:

To this:

So, how do you get the avatar on there? The trick is to connect your existing Answers.com account with one of the five offered social IDs: Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google or LinkedIn. Once you connect your account, your avatar and profile URL are pulled in from the social ID’s site. For instance, if you choose Facebook, your profile picture from Facebook will be pulled in as your avatar, and you’ll have a link to your Facebook page on your Answers.com profile.

In three simple steps:

  1. Sign in to Answers.com with your username and go to My Settings.
  2. Under ‘Connect your account,’ click the social ID you’d like to connect with your existing Answers.com account.
  3. Go to My Profile and check it out!

If you don’t have an Answers.com account or username yet, it’s actually even simpler.

Just click one of  the social ID icons above the log in area to connect and sign in within seconds.

From then on, you’ll only need to click the same social ID button to sign into Answers.com.

Your existing avatar will be pulled to your new Answers.com profile, as well as a link to your profile on that other account. You can add all the other details as well by editing your profile on Answers.com. It looks like this:

Here are some helpful tips on this topic:

  • If you’ve changed your avatar on the other social ID site since connecting with Answers.com, and you want to change it on Answers.com too, simply disconnect the accounts on My Settings, and then reconnect.
  • If the first time you signed up for Answers.com was through a social ID, and you want to link it to an existing Answers.com account, you can still do that by going to My Settings.
  • Just because you have your Facebook link in your profile, doesn’t mean all Answers.com users can see your Facebook profile. That is still dependent on your Facebook privacy settings.
  • Read on about signing in and connecting accounts in the Help Center.
  • More information on building a good reputation on Answers.com can be found here.

Valentine’s Day for whatever you’re into. [VIDEO]

Today may be February 14th, but lots of people have been celebrating Valentine’s Day over this past weekend. Romantic dinners, bouquets of flowers, heart-shaped candy, gifts of all kinds, or none of the above – whatever you’re up to for the holiday of love, there’s something for you to watch and learn.

Personally, I could leave all the flowers and red bows and puppies behind, and only focus on one thing: the cupcakes. Like these Sweet Sweet Valentine’s cupcakes, from a Magnolia bakery recipe.

But you may be into even sweeter stuff – like figuring out first date etiquette so you can take out the girl you’ve been ordering extra coffee from for the last month.

Or, going further – maybe you’re already in relationship mode, and want to work out a long distance relationship with your love.

And if you’re indeed near and dear, and just want to get to the point – well, there are plenty of videos that’ll share a thing or too on sex – and what it does to your brain! (And remember to keep it safe).

But if really, your Valentine’s Day is about taking the ultimate leap – and giving the ultimate gift (of commitment) – there’s an entire library of wedding videos to answer your questions.

And if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out the infographic that has the answers to your Valentine’s Day gift-giving questions, from the hottest Q&A sites around.

Dedication and Service: Burning Saviour

Our awesome Featured Contributor of the week – Burning Saviour – was a Combat Medic, serving in three combat tours (one in Afghanistan, two in Iraq). When asked about his proudest accomplishments, he explained: “From what I’ve been told, the people I’ve served with tend to think I was somewhat good at it. How good or bad I was is something I prefer not to dwell on, personally. Anyone in any medical occupation hopes for a 100% success rate, and I’m doubtful any have ever achieved that. In spite of what others tell me, I do still feel like I’ve failed for not achieving that (probably?) impossible 100% success rate. But I’m proud to have done my part over there.”

And we couldn’t be prouder to have you in the Answers.com community! Thanks for your dedication and service!

What is your Answers.com user name and the history behind it?

BurningSaviour. I nabbed it from the title of one of my favourite songs of all time.

What is your first name?

I go by Jeff, which is actually a variation of my middle name. The first place in the United States I lived in was a small town in Mississippi, and I figured a name more common to Americans might be beneficial.

What is your age?

30

Would you care to tell us about your family?

My father is from Namibia, my mother is an expat from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). They run a small business in Windhoek. I have a sister who lives in England, and a brother who…. last we heard from him, he had made his way to Canada. This was about 10 years ago.

Do you have any pets?

Currently, none. Before I moved to Colorado, my housemates and I had sort of “inherited” three cats from our former neighbours, plus we had a dog. I’ve also kept tropical fish in the past.

Where do you live, how long have you lived there and why do you like the area?

I moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in November of 2010. Prior to this, I’d lived in Garner, North Carolina since 2002.

Where did you grow up and do you have any special memories of your childhood?

I lived in Namibia during a very turbulent time. I didn’t get vacations to Disneyland to remember for the rest of my life, or anything of that sort. Instead, we went to bed at night hoping that SWAPO terrorists weren’t going to murder us. When we left Namibia for South Africa, we actually passed by columns of SADF vehicles headed for what would be the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. My “special” memories from my childhood… weren’t special in any good way.

What educational information would you like to share?

I never went to university, but I’ve attended a couple different trade schools. I’ve been a licensed EMT-P, I hold a Class A Commercial Drivers License, and I’m a certified/qualified gunsmith, which I do as a side business.


What are some of your past or present occupations?

I’m currently a truck driver. In the past, I’ve been a Combat Medic in the US Army, a civilian Paramedic, a Deputy Sheriff, and a few odd jobs here and there.

What are your key areas of knowledge, interest or expertise?

On Answers.com, most of my answers would fall under:

~ Firearms: I’ve been into target shooting since I was a child, and that carried over into my adult life. I no longer have time for competitive shooting, but I get to the range when I can. I’m a certified gunsmith, and hold a Type 1 Federal Firearms License.

~ Commercial Vehicles: I’ve held a Commercial Drivers Licence since 2002, which I began as a secondary source of income. I haven’t learned everything there is to know, but I’ve learned some things through experience which I can share.

~ Rules of the Road: A pet peeve of mine, since these are so often ignored. While I wouldn’t consider myself a subject matter expert, I do happen across questions I can answer every so often.

~ US Army: Although a lot has changed since I was in, some of it hasn’t, and I can answer some of the questions here. I served as a Combat Medic in the Army from 1998 to 2002, and continued to serve in the National Guard from 2002 to 2006.

~ Heavy Metal Music: Been into it since the 1980s, and I tend to be a bit of a purist on this matter.

Do you have any collections or hobbies?

I like to go fishing (catch and release, since I can’t stand the taste of fish), watching movies, and simply trying new things. As for collections, I have a pretty significant collection of historical firearms (WWI – Korean War era), shot glasses I’d purchase in each state when I was an over-the-road truck driver (though I don’t drink, so they go unused), I save ticket stubs of every concert/gig I go to, and I buy lots of music.

What do you like to do for recreation?

Fish, ride my bike, go watch movies, answer questions on Answers.com, find new things to get into.

What are a few random facts about yourself?

I have what I consider ridiculously large feet (I wear a US size 14 shoe). Although most of my shirts are black, I never could stand dressing in all black. I’m fluent in three languages, although my spoken English could still use some improvement. I have quite a craving for waffles at the moment.

Do you have any special talents you’d like to share?

I can play a few musical instruments – primarily, drum set. I can play woodwind instruments to some extent (though I know only the very basics), and have had some piano lessons in the past… whether or not I remember any of it, I cannot say with any certainty.

What are your special goals or dreams?

Honestly, just to find my niche in life.

How would you describe yourself or personality?

I’m not a particularly friendly person, nor particularly unfriendly. I have a tendency to keep everyone at arm’s length, and encounter a bit of difficulty meeting new people. I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and never really had any desire to change that.

What brought you to Answers.com?

IIRC, I was doing some sort of web search, an answered question on Answers.com came up in the results, I ended up looking through the site some more, and you know where it went from there.

What keeps you coming back to Answers.com?

I’ve learned a few things here and there throughout the years, but they tend to be things which don’t come up in a “normal”, everyday conversation. Aside from CMV operators, who talks about commercial vehicles, for example? So I like being able to do that, I like the community here, I like pancakes, and I like answering questions.

What is your favorite Answers.com activity?

Undoing the work of site vandals, which I consider my favourite activity, but also my least favourite at the same time (least favoured in that it’s such a recurring problem). And I like answering questions, especially when it’s one of those things I can answer, but which I would NEVER be asked during the course of another day other than on Answers.com.

Do you want to be interviewed for the Contributor corner? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get to work.

When the cat’s away… follow it!

It’s time to recognize that being a follower is a good thing…

Hot off the latest feature release: You can easily follow categories on Answers.com by hovering over the category name under any question. A pop up will appear on which you can click ‘Follow category’ and add it to your Watchlist. Get updated with the latest new questions in that category while on Answers.com or from your email.

Added bonus: If you’re signed into Facebook in your browser, you’ll be able to see which of your friends already like that category. Nothing like a friendly face to encourage you to become a follower!

Love your answers? A look at Valentine’s Q&A. [INFOGRAPHIC]

 

Flowers? Candy? Heart attack?

So… you’re still thinking about what to get your beloved for Valentine’s Day.

Check out our colorful take on the ultimate gift-giving question. Read on for ideas, especially if you’re stumped… or if you’re just wondering what kind of ‘heart attack‘ is appropriate for  Valentine’s Day.

Been there, done that? Here’s the full 9-yards: What should you get your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day? And if you don’t have a girlfriend – because you have a boyfriend – this answer is for you: What should you get your boyfriend for Valentine’s Day?

Click the infographic to view a larger image (and get some answers before it’s too late!):

For more ideas, insight and answers, check out Answers.com’s Valentine’s Day Q&A and Valentine’s Gift Giving Q&A. And of course, read up on the history of Valentine’s Day.

Top 10 official (and fun) state foods.

Who’s hungry? I suppose that depends where in the United States you are. Every state has an official food – or a few. There are official state nuts, fruits, grains, pies, deserts and even… jellies.

Here are some of the more fun, odd and delicious of the official state foods:

  1. Illinois
    State Snack Food: popcorn. Simple, clean fun Illinois – way to go!
  2. Texas
    State Pepper: Jalapeño. Don’t mess with Texas.
  3. Tennessee
    State Fruit: Tomato. So is that tomay-to or tomah-to in Tennessee?
  4. North Carolina
    State Blue Berry: I’m not even going to spell this out for you.
  5. Utah
    State Snack Food: Jell-O.
  6. New York
    State muffin: I’m just going to say it’s awesome that they have a state muffin. Oh, and it’s apple, if you couldn’t figure it out.
  7. Massachusetts
    State doughnut: Boston cream (six points for originality, Massachusetts).
  8. Georgia
    State Vegetable: Vidalia Sweet Onion. Someone ought to teach Georgia how to have a little fun.
  9. Oklahoma
    State – actually, entire meal: barbecued pork, biscuits, sausages and gravy, grits, squash, are we full yet? And the State Vegetable (yes, vegetable): watermelon.
  10. Louisiana
    State Jelly: make that jellies - Mayhawhaw jelly and Louisiana sugar cane jelly.

And the apple wins for most popular State Fruit. Nothing like an American classic.

Check out more at Holy Kaw! and Answers.com, of course.

Congrats: AnswerThon winners announced!

The winners of the 2011 & Beyond 11 Million Answers AnswerThon have been announced! The first contest of 2011 took place over the weekend of January 22-23rd. The aim of the game is to answer the most questions in a 2-day period. And we have some amazing contributors out there who take on the challenge with flying colors!

And the contributors who answered the most questions over the 2-day contest period are:

FIRST PLACE: Aggie80

SECOND PLACE: Anandvijayakumar and Fuzzy Logic

THIRD PLACE: Bfmt, Snart Gurk, and Mrkbh

FOURTH PLACE: ZachMeyer94, Squirrel Man, HisPowr4U, and D Devil

RUNNERS UP:

As always, thanks to everyone who joined the fun. Looking forward to the next AnswerThon!

Message to the community on the heels of the announced acquisition of Answers.com.

Hi Everyone,

We recently announced that Answers.com has agreed to be acquired by AFCV Holdings, LLC, a portfolio company of Summit Partners (press release at http://ir.answers.com//releaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=547336).

Over the last several days we’ve heard your concerns about how this partnership might impact our community, and we’d like to begin addressing those concerns here:

  • Answers.com, including ReferenceAnswers, WikiAnswers, and our international sites, are expected to continue to operate and be as functional as they have been, and are not expected to be affected by this acquisition.
  • We expect to maintain a robust Community Development program following the close of the acquisition to continue to support and strengthen our community.
  • Current projects and new tools that are in process are expected to continue as planned following the closing of the acquisition.
  • We believe that AFCV recognizes and appreciates what the community has worked together to create and that they respect the collaborative power of wikis and the way that our community drives quality content.
  • AFCV has committed to learning from us and listening to the Supervisors and the broader Answers.com community.

We at Answers.com feel this acquisition is a very positive move for the site, for the company, and for you. Our intention is to continue to be strongly focused on building the site and the community. We look forward to closing this acquisition, and hope that as a result, we will be able to strengthen infrastructure, develop better tools, and increase the resources that we have to grow the site and encourage more people to answer each others’ questions with higher quality answers. We don’t foresee significant changes for the volunteer supervisors or the volunteer community as a result of this acquisition.

On a final note, Answers.com would not be what it is today without the energy, creativity, commitment, dedication and hard work of our wonderful community. It is difficult for us to truly express the appreciation we have to all of the contributions you have made to our growth and success.

We look forward to this next chapter of Answers.com sites and the exciting journey we all will share together.

Thank you for the questions, comments, and good wishes. Keep them coming and we will do our best to keep you updated as more information becomes publicly available.

Bob Rosenschein & Bruce Smith

===========
Required Legal Notice

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Answers Corporation (“Answers.com”) intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a preliminary proxy statement and a definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the merger described in the announcement referenced above. The definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to the stockholders of Answers.com. Before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the merger, stockholders are urged to read the proxy statement and the other relevant materials when they become available because they will contain important information about the merger. The proxy statement and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by Answers.com with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov or at Answers.com’ website at http://ir.answers.com/sec.cfm. In addition, stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by contacting The Blueshirt Group at (212) 551-1453.

Participants in the Solicitation

Answers.com and its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders of Answers.com in connection with the merger. Information about the directors and executive officers of Answers.com is set forth in its proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on July 27, 2010 and Answers.com’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 8, 2010 and subsequent amendments. Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the merger will be included in the proxy statement that Answers.com intends to file with the SEC.

Safe Harbor Statement

Some of the statements included in this announcement are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future market opportunity and future financial performance. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Important factors may cause our actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: the risk that the merger may not be consummated in a timely manner, if at all; the risk that the merger agreement may be terminated in circumstances that require us to pay AFCV a termination fee or reimburse AFCV for certain expenses incurred by it in connection with the merger; our ability to maintain or improve monetization; our ability to maintain or improve traffic; a decision by Google or other search engines to block our pages from users’ search results or otherwise adjust their algorithms in a manner detrimental to us, as experienced in July 2007; a potential termination of our Google Services Agreement; a failure of Answers.com to experience continued growth in accordance with our expectations; the effects of facing liability for any content displayed on Answers.com; potential claims that we are infringing the intellectual property rights of any third party; an increasingly competitive environment for our business; and other risk factors identified from time to time in our SEC filings. Any forward-looking statements set forth in this announcement speak only as of the date hereof. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

Myrab51 – A Top-Quality Coordinator.

For quite some time now you have been asking that we feature some of the folks working behind the scenes and in the community here on No Stupid Answers (NSA). And, as you know, when you ask, we do everything in our power to deliver.

So in the first of what we hope is to become many interviews, Myrab51 – our amazing Associate Quality Coordinator – shares with us her experiences “meeting” Answers.com for the first time and where the journey has led.

This is actually her second NSA interview; the first way back in 2008 when Liz was shocked by the number of badges this woman had (Really. She was literally freakin’ out!). Although the shock factor has worn off, we are still constantly amazed by Myra’s awesomeness and level of dedication to our community (Thanks for that, Myra!).

Here’s the recent, unedited (because it was perfect) interview:

What is your user name on Answers.com?

Myrab51. It is my first name, last initial, and my old number from when I worked at the police department. It is kind of a boring name, but I have used it so many places for so long, it is kind of part of me now.

How did you first learn about the site? When?

My daughters both home school. We use the Internet to supplement a lot of lessons. I would get online to search with them, and questions from WikiAnswers would always pop up in my search results. I didn’t know what it was, so it actually annoyed me a little. Finally, I figured out what it was all about, and decided to ask a question. I think it was something about frogs. I browsed around a little, and I was hooked. Within a few days, I was asking Crystal if I could be a super. That was in 2007. I have been on almost every day since. The day that I realized I actually stood a chance of working for the company, I was jumping up and down with excitement. I was spending the night at my parent’s house, while my husband was out on a late night fishing trip. I went running out into the yard at 3 am, when they got in, to tell everyone. They were still unloading the boat, but I got a lot of fishy hugs. They all knew how big of a thing it was for me.

What is your role on Answers.com and what does it entail?

Officially, I am the Associate Quality Coordinator. I coordinate the WikiReviewers program. That is my first priority, and takes up the majority of my time. I have an awesome group, and some great people in it. There are a lot of other things to the side. I am one of the people on the quality team that assist with category creation. I do runs of Moobot, our editing bot, and whatever else comes along that needs to be done. There is a lot of editing, and a lot of community interaction involved. I also do some other occasional things, like take care of the Orange Guy Fans page on Facebook.

What is your favorite activity on the site? Least favorite?

One of my favorite things to do is to edit. I absolutely love to find a question and answer that is a huge mess, and dive in. It feels really good to hit save, and have a beautiful question and answer in the end. I also really enjoy helping people out. People are always like, “I hate to bother you, I know you are busy, but…” By all means, bother me! Bothering me really does not bother me at all. I am glad to have the opportunity to help out. It is always a little bright spot when I see a request, and I know that it is something that I can do for someone. As far as my least favorite thing to do, I hate cleaning up after vandals and spammers. It needs to be done, and when I come across it, I take care of it. I totally do not enjoy it though. Thank goodness for Vandal Patrol.

Do you have a favorite category? Most despised category?

My favorite category is Harry Potter Books. I will always have a home there. Beyond that, Books and Literature in general. I am an avid reader, and if I did not have other responsibilities, I would spend all of my WikiTime in that area. My favorites are the young adult and fantasy genres. My least favorite areas are in relationships. I stay away from there as much as I can. I often wonder how some folks would figure out what to do behind closed doors if they couldn’t ask online first. Tee hee…to each their own I guess.

Aside from Answers.com, what do you like to do for fun? Hobbies?

When not on Answers.com, I home school both of my kids, and I lead a Girl Scout troop. I have a small vegetable garden most of the year, go to the beach, the state park, do artsy craftsy stuff, and I am a gamer. I spend way too much time on the Xbox 360 and the Wii. The people up at Game Stop know me when I walk in.

Name one thing not many people know about you.

I love turtles. It is one of the only things I collect.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?

I have done a lot of crazy things. I think having kids was really good for me. It is what settled me down, and made me start being responsible. I guess as far as could of gotten hurt crazy, I used to have a side job at a rodeo when I was in my late teens. One of my friends was riding a bull, and when he fell off, the bull came down with his hind feet into my friend’s chest. It punctured his lungs, and I could see he was really hurt. I jumped the fence and helped pull him over to the side while they were trying to get the bull away from him. It didn’t seem like anything at the time. I was just worried about getting him to where the medics could get to him, but later at the hospital when everyone started talking about how close it all was, I felt a bit ill. Looking back, it was a bit crazy.

Any final words about the site? Your role? The community?

Even after being here a while, I still do really love our site. It has so many little bits of everyone in it. I have seen a lot of people come and go, but they always leave their mark. It needs so many different people to work, and the diversity is awesome. Sometimes, I get going in a little corner, and it seems like a small place. Other times, the scale of our site and community blows me away. I have seen an amazing amount of growth the last few years. I am excited to see where it all goes in the next few years!

Do you want to be interviewed for the Contributor corner? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get to work.

Predict Super Bowl XLV winner with chicken wing bones.

Yes, you heard me. Predict the Super Bowl XLV winner with buffalo chicken wing bones.

Answers.com presents a hungrynation chef predicting the outcome of tonight’s Super Bowl with his eaten chicken wing bones… Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Disclaimer: Not to sound too skeptical, but you may not want to put too much money down based on this one.

And, in all fairness, if you want to watch the game itself and be totally sure, you can find that out on Answers.com, too: What time does the Super Bowl start?

For settling your Super Bowl munchies, check out our very own list of super snacks.

And if you’re not sure what this whole Super Bowl thing is about – and could use some background before joining in the cheers – here’s a quick guide.

Some more info to get you going before the game begins:

For more Super Bowl Q&As, facts, and trivia, check out the Super Bowl category on Answers.com.

Answers.com Agrees to be Acquired for $127 Million in Cash: $10.50 per Share

Answers.com, (NASDAQ: ANSW), creators of the leading answer engine Answers.com®, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by AFCV Holdings, LLC, a portfolio company of growth equity investor Summit Partners, for a total cash consideration of approximately $127 million. AFCV will acquire all outstanding shares of Answers.com common stock, Series A convertible preferred stock and Series B convertible preferred stock. Under the terms of the agreement, Answers.com common stock shareholders will receive $10.50 in cash for each outstanding share of common stock they own. The holders of Series A and Series B convertible preferred stock will also be entitled to receive cash consideration based on the number of the common stock into which those shares are convertible at the time of the merger.

“This is a great outcome for our shareholders,” said Bob Rosenschein, Founder, Chairman and CEO. “After an exciting six years as a public company, we are very pleased to achieve considerable value for our investors. The acquisition price of $10.50 per share represents a significant cash premium of approximately 33% over our 90-day volume-weighted average closing stock price.”

Mr. Rosenschein continued, “This agreement is also a positive for our community members. The integrity and commitment of our company to our products remain unchanged, as we continue our mission of creating the ultimate destination for answers.”

The board of directors of Answers.com has unanimously approved the merger with AFCV Holdings, LLC and recommends that the stockholders of Answers.com vote to adopt the merger agreement. Answers.com expects to hold a special meeting of stockholders to consider and vote on the proposed merger and merger agreement as soon as practicable after the mailing of the proxy statement to its stockholders.

The transaction has fully committed financing and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the approval of Answers.com stockholders and receipt of regulatory clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended.

UBS Investment Bank is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLC as legal advisor to Answers.com. Jefferies & Company, Inc. is serving as financial advisor and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation as legal advisor to AFCV Holdings.

See full press release here.

5 fascinating facts about the Chinese New Year.

Happy new year! Sure, it’s February, but we’re not talking about the Gregorian new year. Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. So pull up a chair to the reunion dinner, have some Niangao, open a red envelope, dance with a dragon and read on for more fascinating facts about celebrating this new year festival.

  1. Party like it’s 15 days! And you thought the week between Christmas and New Years is long. This  new year festival begins on the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar, and ends with the Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day.
  2. Think traveling the week of Thanksgiving is tough? The largest human migration happens during the month around Chinese New Year due to the travel of migrant workers in China and Chinese ex-pats around the world arriving home for the traditional reunion family dinners on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Did you know? There are more intercity trips taken inside mainland China for this celebration than the total population of China itself.
  3. Spring cleaning come early. Days before the celebration begins, Chinese families give their homes a deep clean. The belief is that the cleaning helps sweep away any bad luck from the outgoing year, making homes ready for the new year’s good luck. But it’s not all work and no play: brooms are shoved aside on the first new year’s day so as not to sweep away incoming good luck.
  4. When else could you dance with a lion? Dragon and lion dances are a fun, colorful feature for the Chinese New Year. Loud drum beats and cymbals, together with the faces of the dragon or lion dancing, rid us of the evil spirits. Fun fact: Lion dances are also a popular activity for business openings in Hong Kong.
  5. It’s not just China. Wherever a sizable Chinese population can be found, so can Chinese New Year. That includes Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and others in the region. In addition, although it’s not an official holiday there, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations in Australia, Canada and the United States. Even the mail gets into it: the Australia Post, Canada Post, and the US Postal Service all issue New Year’s themed stamps.

Read more fascinating facts about the Chinese New Year on Answers.com. Check out the Answer of the Day for more Chinese New Year trivia: Do the Japanese and Chinese have the same zodiacal calendar?

How do you pay for college? Here’s an answer…

Use that university noodle of yours and apply for the Answers.com Scholarship Fund for next year – in short, answer questions to win cash for college.

For the third straight year, Answers.com is making available a $20,000 scholarship fund for students planning to enroll in undergraduate college during the 2011-2012 academic year.

Here are the basics:

  • The scholarship is open to students attending universities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and India.
  • Applicants must answer at least fifty questions in any of the 6,000-plus categories on Answers.com.
  • Prizes will be awarded as follows: a first-place $5,000 scholarship, two $2,500 scholarships, and ten $1,000 scholarships.
  • Candidates can submit online by March 28, 2011 or send a hard copy postmarked by the same date.

And now a word from Answers.com CEO Bob:

“The goal of Answers.com is to engage with those who want to gain knowledge on a particular subject or topic. We also encourage our users to take this pursuit of knowledge offline and to never stop looking for answers, no matter what the medium.”

Fun fact: users visit Answers.com with a science question almost every 30 seconds. So there’s plenty of material to go ’round – better get started!

Get further details on the scholarship program, qualifications, and the application submission process. Good luck!


Ten quotes from Mahatma Gandhi.

This past Sunday, January 30th, marked 63 years since the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the legendary leader of India’s independence movement. Gandhi’s message of non-violent political resistance still resonates across the world.

In Gandhi’s memory, here is a selection of ten of his collection of most memorable quotes from Answers.com:

“Where there is love there is life.”

“I first learned the concepts of non-violence in my marriage.”

“Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.”

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

“We must become the change we want to see.”

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

“A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, Nothing else.”

Check out more quotes from Answers.com on Holy Kaw.