Mahalo Answers depends on it's community of researchers to provide the best answers possible to the questions posed by Mahalo's visitors. On Mahalo Answers you will find questions from top members, staff, regular visitors, first time users and even anonymous visitors. No matter what question you are answering it is highly recommended by Mahalo that you offer only what you believe is the best answer possible to that question, and we ask that you read the Mahalo Answers Etiquette, we hope that this information will help you become a more helpful and successful researching for Mahalo Answers. When you receive Best Answer, you do receive the tip.
The easiest way to get the best answer on Mahalo is by offering the most helpful answer to a question, on many occasions there will be several answerers who provide the right answer, but it will always be the user who provides the most helpful answer that will earn the tip. To become the best answer you will need to provide an answer that is above and beyond and that will stand out above the rest.
For starters, you want to include references to trusted sources and this does not mean copy and pasting your answer from those sources, you want to write in your own words and the reference link is just an addition to add weight to your answer.
You want to avoid short answers, if a question only requires a 1 word answer, there will certainly be enough answerers to will give that one word answer, but again, if you take it to another level you will get the best answer compared to the 1 worders. For example, if somebody asks "Who is Sandra Bullocks Husband?" - You can answer that by simply stating the name, but if you provide a bit of background, when they got married? what their marriage is like? provide interesting stories about their marriage and include a visual aid or two - suddenly your answer stands out above the rest.
Step 1: Choose a Question
Mahalo Answers has hundreds of categories to choose from, so find one that you are knowledgeable about and/or will enjoy answering questions about.
The category list can be found on the right hand sidebar on the Mahalo Answers Homepage. When you click on a category, you will be presented with a list of the "Open Questions" for which the Mahalo Dollar tip is still up for grabs.
Find the question you would like to answer and read the answers already provided by other users. From there, do your best to provide an answer better than the previous ones.
Step 2: Research your Answer
The best answers almost always have authoritative sources attached to them. The reason sourced answers often win is because citing your source provides the asker with additional information about where your answer came from. The asker may not yet trust your answer, but they will be more apt to do so after seeing that your answer came from a valued third party source.
For example, if a question is about losing weight and you are providing information about low-calorie foods, providing a link to a chart or table that lists foods and their caloric content will not only support your answer, but also provide the asker with helpful information above and beyond what you have explained in your answer.
Although information can often be found on other answers sites or Wikipedia, the best place to go for your information is an official, authoritative website. Using the above example about weight loss again, rather than citing information from Wiki or Yahoo! Answers, the best answer would include information from the National Institute of Health, the Mayo Clinic website or another trusted medical or nutritional source.
Step 3: Provide a Best Answer
The Best Answers on Mahalo Answers generally contain similar elements. Most importantly, you should aim to offer some original text and state the answer to the question in your own words, rather than copying and pasting large blocks of text from another website. If you get your answer from another website, we encourage you to note that the text is quoted and mention where the information came from. To learn more about standards for copying and pasting text while using the site, please see the guide to Copy and Pasting on Mahalo.
Embedding media, such as audio or video into your answer not only makes your response more aesthetically pleasing, but can also provide additional information. You can paste the URL of an image or YouTube video into the specified area and it will appear within your answer.
Step 4: Wait to Win Best Answer
After you have provided your answer the original asker can choose to select your answer as the thread winner. If the asker fails to select a "best answer" after three days, the question is moved to the Undecided Questions queue, where the community will vote for the "best answer."
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Never provide 1 word or 1 line answers
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Always cite a source if the asker is looking for facts
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Try to cite an official and/or Trusted media source
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Fact:
Always be helpful, and never judge the asker
