How to Waste a Day with Yahoo Answers

Wow, it is very easy to get sucked into Yahoo answers! In theory, its a great forum to get some outside input for diagnosing car repair, movie reviews, and the like. But c'mon! Do you really want to get your health related information from complete strangers? And for that matter do you really need someone to tell you to go the doctor when you've been experiencing pain/blood loss/blurred vision/ringing in your ears/swollen tongue/hallucinations/etc. for over a week?

The trick to yahoo answers is to figure out which category questions fall under:
1. Not a question, just want to say something stupid.
2. Not a real question, just want to ask something stupid.
3. A real question I could have easily googled.
4. A real question I need help with.
5. A homework assignment.

Obviously, #4 is the type of question you'd like to provide an answer for. My problem is that I get side-tracked with all the goofy stuff, reporting the offenders (caustic comments, inappropriate questions {ie flame baiting, trolling}, spammers) etc. But #5 is usually the really interesting stuff that you haven't thought about in years, so you brush up on it then post your thought-out reply. The problem is the addiction comes from wanting to be acknowledged for your reasoned, well thought out answers. You find yourself repeatedly checking your answers for votes cast. And heaven forbid your answer should lose to some poorly worded tripe from someone who doesn't know where the spellcheck icon is!

But maybe that's just me!