A. Subject

Summarize in a few words what your question is about. This will help Researchers select the questions they want to answer. Sometimes your question is short enough to be repeated in the subject line. If you are having trouble writing your subject line, put down a few key words so that researchers will at least know the general direction of your question.

Examples: "surfing in Hawaii in winter", "basketball + winners + NCAA", "number of languages spoken in the former Soviet Union"

     B. Question

  Many customers of Google Answers wonder how to phrase a question so that they get a good answer. Here are some tips from our Google Answers Researchers.

1. Refrain from asking certain questions. First and foremost, please note that Google Answers discourages and may remove questions that:
   o Contain your personal contact information (email, phone number, full name)
   o Request private information about individuals
   o Want assistance in conducting illegal activities
   o Are meant to sell or advertise products
   o Refer or relate to adult content
   o Are homework or exam questions
   o Seek specific information about Google or Google Answers (email answers-support@google.com instead)
   
   
2. Break up multi-part questions. Multi-part questions often do not get answered because they can be difficult to answer well. If you have a complex, multi-part question, you will typically get better results by posting parts of the question separately, so that Researchers can choose to answer the parts of the question they find most interesting. This way, too, you can benefit from the expertise of multiple Researchers rather than relying on only one.
   
   
3. Summarize your own findings in the question. When writing your question, please include a summary of any information that you may have already found online about your question including specific links if they are pertinent or have proven to be dead-ends. This will help Researchers understand where to begin their research for you.
   Finding a holiday home in Spain/France ($15.00)
   What's Walsall like? ($15.00)
   SQL Statement needed for Access 2000 ($50.00)
   
   
4. Define the answer you want. Let the Researchers know what will and won't be a good answer for your question. For example, "I want names of record stores in Chicago. I don't want names of record stores in the suburbs of Chicago, only in the city itself." Or, "I want the names of all the recent American Presidents and their wives. By recent, I mean from 1960 on. I don't want anyone from before 1960."
   Long Distance Telephone Usage ($10.00)
   General Canadian Retail Statistics ($20.00)
   Definition of "work" and "business" as used by the INS? ($80.00)
   
   
5. Provide detail. To speed up the process and avoid having to provide additional information to Researchers AFTER you have posted the question via the clarification process, provide as much detail as possible upfront about your question. For example, if you are asking about a law in some state, provide the name of the state.
   Eviction Notice? ($9.00)
   Time Line of Architects ($10.00)
   PKI Implementation on a large scale ($200.00)

     C. Price

The price you set for your question should take into account the following factors:

How quickly you want an answer...
The higher the price you set for your question, the more likely a Researcher will begin work on your question quickly. Researchers earn 75% of the price of the question when they post an answer to it. (Google Answers keeps only 25% of the price you set once an answer is posted.)

How complex the question is...
The more complex the question, the more time it requires for a Researcher to answer. A Researcher will only want to answer a complex question if he or she feels adequately compensated for the time expended. If you have a sense of how long it will take a Researcher to find an answer, you should take that into account. For example, if you know your question could take 3 hours to answer, you should price your question higher than you would if your question would take only 15 minutes to answer.

How valuable the information is to you...
Only you can determine the value of the information you're seeking. If it's important and urgent, you should price your question higher, because a Researcher is more likely to answer higher value questions quickly.

     D. Category

Choose a major category that best fits your question's overall character. Once you choose a major category, you will be prompted to choose a subcategory within it. If you're having trouble choosing a category, choose the one that's closest to your topic or could include your topic.

• Edit your question content
  You cannot edit the original text of your question, but you are able to 'clarify' your question at any time, even when it is locked by a researcher. Clarifying your question is a good idea if you want to add new information to help the Researcher or if you think rephrasing your question will make it easier for the Researcher to answer. To clarify your question, go to "My Account" and select "My Unanswered Questions." Choose the question you wish to clarify. Select "Clarify Question" in the question field to open the clarification window. Click "Post Clarification" once you've completed adding your new information. You can also change the category that your question is under. To do that, click on the "Change Question Parameters" button.
  
  
• Change your question price
  You can change your price at anytime as long as your question is not currently 'locked' and being answered by a Researcher. To change your question price, go to "My Account," select "My Unanswered Questions" and click on the question with the price you want to change. Then click on "Change Question Parameters" to modify the price.
  
  
• Get clarification on the answer to your question
  If the answer you receive to your question is unclear for whatever reason, you can request a clarification at no additional charge. You should ask for a clarification if you feel the answer is incorrect or incomplete, or if you simply want more information on your subject. To request a clarification, go to your account page and select "My Answered Questions". Select the question you would like clarified. Click the "Clarify Answer" button to open the clarification window. Select "Post Clarification" when you are done typing.



• Rate the answer to your question
  After you get a response to your question, you can provide feedback by rating the answer. Rating your answer helps Google Answers track the overall quality of information provided on the site as well as the quality of answers a specific Researcher is producing. To rate an answer, click on the "Rate Answer" button in the answer field. You can rate an answer from 1 star (poor) to 5 stars (great). You can also provide an explanatory comment telling us why you rated the answer as you did. Google Answers suggest that you rate an answer based on its content (how helpful was the information), clarity (how clearly was the information communicated), and tone (how friendly and polite was the writing).
  
  
• Improve an answer that's not exactly what you want
  Before you give an answer a poor rating, Google Answers suggests first seeking a "Clarification," because the Researcher may simply have misunderstood your request. Providing more specific information, more detail, or better guidelines on what you're looking for can improve the answer you receive. See the "Edit question content" section for more on this. If you are still dissatisfied after the clarification process, then ask for your question to be reposted to the system to get a different answer or request a refund and post a poor rating.
  
  
• Ask for a refund
  To request a refund, you'll need the question ID number for the answer that is unsatisfactory. Go to "My Account" and select "Answered Questions." Choose the question for which you would like a refund. You can see the ID number in the right side of the window. While keeping this window open, launch a second window in your browser (Ctrl+N in Internet Explorer). Type or paste the ID number into the "Question ID" space on the refund page. Please supply the reason for your request - your refund cannot be processed without this explanation. The reason will be posted on the site along with the question and answer since this will provide useful information to other users.



• Repost your question
  To repost a question, open a second window in your browser (Ctrl+N in Internet Explorer). Go to "My Account" and select "Answered Questions." Choose the question for which you would like a refund. You need to obtain the question ID number from the right side of the question window. Type or paste this number into the "Question ID" space on the reposting page. Please supply a reason for your request - your repost cannot be processed without this explanation