General on UserVoice

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-09-10T03:22:57+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

Nicholas said:

Identity validates expertise. How can I rely on the answer, if I have no clue as to the merits of the source of said answer?
If there were a way to pre-qualify "experts" who sought anonymity in certain topic areas, I would wholeheartedly support their anonymous contributions in those areas.
Perhaps, over time, a crowd sourced questionnaire could be developed for each topic. If you succeed in answering 90% of the questions correctly, you are a "verified thought leader" in that topic, and your profile is accordingly "badged", in much the same way Twitter verifies identities with their tick mark. If you are a verified thought leader, you then have the option of going "anonymous", by dint of hte fact that the questioner will be able to rely on your pre-qualified status...just one option.

More Languages [updated]

2010-09-09T18:09:16+00:00

I like Aardvark, it does what others services can't. But there is one problem, it is only in English. I have a lot of friends that would use Aardvark if it was on Spanish. So if you could support more languages it would be cool. I know its gonna take some (a lot) of time but the work would be regarded.

Pablo said:

For me it's a yes-and-no at the same time, as we are "forced" to talk english, we will get better and faster answers as the community is bigger. I think of english as a kind of universal language. Perhaps the best solution will be a little text under the user saying "You can also answer in <user_prefered_language>".

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-09-09T12:56:16+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

Zerone said:

I too like the real-people talking with real-people scenario, but as far as it does not discourage people to give real answers or ask real question the way they occur. I will not vote for Anonymous Users, but I give my vote to "Anonymous Question or Answers" as far as reply messages could still be routed to respective users.
Ex: Someone asks a question about a certain prison, imagine I know the answer because I was a prisoner there, but I can't answer because I'm in my true identity here; if I do then the whole world will know that I was a prisoner.
I also have a preferred solution :)
Imagine I received a similar question from "Bob" asking “Who knows about Alcatraz prison?”. when I reply on Gtalk I type in Bob <private>:"I know about it very well" and I send it as a reply. Now Bob can see my answer but he cannot see my Name (instead he sees "Anonymous1") or my picture. Also if Bob has a return question for me for my first answer then he types in Anonymous1:"Do u know a way to get out from there?". This way we still could give or gain total support from people’s knowledge while saving our true identity's grace at the same time :)
Don't ever let in anonymous users to this community, then this community will be like any other chat network, also it will take out the ethical liability one holds when answering to a question, but do allow anonymous Questions or Answers, still the system should link those questions and answers to real users so they still can ask return questions or answer progressively.
Good topic! Thanks and sorry if my comment is not very clear. Long live Aardvark :)

Provide a better way to rate answers [updated]

2010-09-09T12:55:41+00:00

I get a lot of answers that are in the form of "Well, I'm not really sure but I think it might be ____". That's not a useful answer and I would like there to be a way to mark it as such, something like "You don't really know so there was no need to bother answering". There are also times that the responder suggests I just google the answer when it's not suitable for google and requires a subjective response. I would like there to be a way to say "I know, I tried google-ing it, it's not suitable for google" I know there's a way to say "train" to provide ratings for answers but I think the rating system should be enhanced. Additionally, there doesn't seem to be a way to rate anything but the most recent answer via IM and if 2 answers arrive simultaneously there's no way to rate the first answer directly in IM. I would like to see an enhanced way to rate answers so that bad answerers can be de-emphasized.

Chris said:

If I start to think recipients are going to get whiny about my answers, then I'm probably going to disengage from all this. Going to the trouble of answering with a suggestion is worth something if it's an honest effort.

Cater to Programmers and Web Developers [updated]

2010-09-09T04:15:58+00:00

I'd like to see an API for Aardvark so I can easily create widgets for my sites or other sorts of applications to tap Aardvark.

Mauricio said:

Javascript API or web services would be awesome

Update Questions Live

2010-09-09T03:56:53+00:00

Eric suggested:
Questions on Aardvark are answered quickly, so if you're answering a question and somebody else answers before you, it should appear automatically.

add support for skype [updated]

2010-09-08T06:54:51+00:00

Christoffer said:

MSN with all the spamming and security downsides is a dying IM.

retelling the same answer

2010-09-07T11:28:22+00:00

Sandeep suggested:
sometimes I get questions for which I have already answered to similar/same kind of questions, allow me to choose from my previous answers for the same topic, instead of having to retype it

show all answers

2010-09-07T05:50:06+00:00

Matthias suggested:
1. semantic search 2. tag clouds (wonder wheel)

Thanks/ feedback

2010-09-05T20:55:29+00:00

Tom suggested:
I would like to see questioners encouraged to say thanks for their answers. At the moment you are asked to send 'thanks', but maybe a bit more pressure! People rarely seem to bother thanking me for answers (but maybe that's just me?!) I'm not sure questioners always realise that the people answering questions are acting voluntarily, so appreciate some positive feedback - maybe this could be made more explicit.

Integrate with google buzz. [updated]

2010-09-05T08:05:41+00:00

Can be done in a similar way as with twitter.

Yuriy said:

+1 from me too

Add a "homework help" category to etiquette. [updated]

2010-09-04T22:21:36+00:00

I've also noticed quite a few questions phrased strikingly like homework questions. While I don't feel that I should be answering these questions completely as I would other questions, I hate to turn these questions away because I see Aardvark as being a valuable resource for homework help, if used properly. Maybe you can add etiquette instructions for when asking questions about homework so that people answering questions can know when to answer completely or when to only give information about how to get to an answer.

Simon said:

I got a good sort of homework question a few days ago, someone asked how do you find out (x/3) if you only know (x/2), it was a nice way to ask me so that I can explain how to work it out, and not just hand them the answer to there homework question. Aardvark could be great help for homework, as long as askers only ask for explanations or help and not the answer.

better follow-up notifications [updated]

2010-09-04T22:09:11+00:00

Often times after providing an answer to a question i get a follow-up message from the OP. Vark lets me know 'Who' sent the follow-up to me, but they dont tell me *which* message it was for.. and i answer a bunch of questions so i end up having to dig and dig and click and click thru my history trying to find it. pain in the butt.

Randen said:

+ 3 for me on this one. Maybe an 'Answer resolved' button for the person asking the question. Then we could see stats on how many questions you helped solve for people as well.

Another idea would be to develop a sort of inbox system, where you can easily find 'unread' messages. Highlighted perhaps?

See answers from Watch live... [updated]

2010-09-04T22:05:26+00:00

It would be great if users could see the answers provided to the questions that just got answered under "Watch live..." As it is now, you only see the question asked. There are two reasons this would be good: 1) It would allow people who know the answer see what was said, and perhaps expand on that answer if they have additional knowledge. 2) Sometimes I want to see the answer to a question, but I don't want to flood my network with questions.

Randen said:

Im inclined to vote for this feature under the stipulation that you provide a 'private' setting for specific topics. One lady ended up giving me her login information too help her solve an issue with her blog (which I DO NOT condone). But had that information been publicly posted, it could have been a bad day for her.

work on Google Wave integration and be ready when it's there [updated]

2010-09-04T22:03:03+00:00

The upcoming service from Google (wave.google.com, www.wave.me) could integrate well in a collaborate waves.

Randen said:

-1 I agree to disagree against this feature. Google wave has been canned as an ongoing application in development. I dont see this as being a viable feature to spend effort on when it wont be around much longer.

R.I.P Google Wave :(

pay the guys who answer

2010-09-04T18:19:45+00:00

Sandeep suggested:
why don't you introduce the scheme of paying for the most prolific and most accurate answerers based on some criteria of course. I love to answer a lot more than ask questions, but it is always at the back of my mind that aardvark is commerical and owned by google a commercial company, whereas wikipedia is not, I never have any issues with contributing freely to wikipedia. But for answering aardvark questions, it is always at the back of my mind. I think questions can remain forever free, but the answerers need to be incentivized especially the heavy duty answerers who go out of their way to answer a lot more questions than they ask, this can create a whole new career and will be amazing.

make an android app [updated]

2010-09-04T16:24:58+00:00

Google > Apple

cazyius said:

I'm an Android user and after starting studying again, i'm using Aardvark to get help with math problems. When i'm at school i don't have direct access to a computer so i use my phone. Unfortunatly, vark.com can't handle me signing in on my Android, so i can't use it :( I really hope you will make an app soon!

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-09-04T13:18:29+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

John said:

Yes vote on stealth mode. I now have a personal question and don't want friends & family nosing in on it. If I wanted my idiot friends to answer questions, I'd have called them. I want credible people who have an answer to talk with me. If their answers suck, their ratings will show it. Just being my friend doesn't make an answer credible. I get bad advice from friends all the time.

A real forum (like phpBB) where users and talk and discuss publicity.

2010-09-04T02:23:49+00:00

Simon suggested:
I like the Aardvark Community Forum, but its more of an ideas page, I think it would be awesome to have a real internet forum (like phpBB) where Aardvark users can grow together as a community and discuss Aardvark experiences ect.

make an android app [updated]

2010-09-02T18:24:32+00:00

Google > Apple

JD said:

Yes!!

More Languages [updated]

2010-09-02T16:51:48+00:00

Frederick said:

Rather than making it one language or the other, I prefer multi-language as I can receive and answer q's in English, Spanish and French.

Allow user to choose from different font. [updated]

2010-09-02T15:47:42+00:00

Sometimes we prefer our own fonts and we like to use it. commands for AIM can be 'font' , 'bold' , 'italic' and 'underline' . Will you argeed with me?

Nikunj said:

I am a programmer and I mostly help other programmers by providing program codes. Therefore, I would like to have a facility to distinguish normal text and program code. So please provide formatting and specially font choosing for portions of the message (question/answer). In the font "Georgia", used for questions and answers, small O (alphoabet) and 0 (zero) look almost same, and for programming it is very important to display each character unique.
also make this Comment box large enough plz.

er notResponce to an answer that visible [updated]

2010-08-31T22:09:44+00:00

I only use the site to answer questions for people and I have to go into the "answers I have already" given sections to check for any responses to answers. Sometimes the welcome message in the top menu gives me something but it would be nice to have a section where a couple of the latest responses to my questions are shown so I can see immediately if somebody asked a follow up question.

Roel said:

And maybe a way to edit the messages in the forum that I post so I can correct weird typos.

er notResponce to an answer that visible

2010-08-31T22:06:50+00:00

Roel suggested:
I only use the site to answer questions for people and I have to go into the "answers I have already" given sections to check for any responses to answers. Sometimes the welcome message in the top menu gives me something but it would be nice to have a section where a couple of the latest responses to my questions are shown so I can see immediately if somebody asked a follow up question.

Attach a document or weblink to answer

2010-08-30T09:12:48+00:00

Mark suggested:
This may already be possible, but I'd like to be able to refer people to a website or upload a document as part of my answering of a question. The referral to another person is a good idea already.

enterprise license [updated]

2010-08-29T19:03:14+00:00

I'd really like to setup an instance of Aardvark on our intranet, so that our employees can share knowledge internally

Jeffrey said:

I could see this being of great use to the alumni network of large universities, or particular colleges within them as well. I am in partnership with a business school with a 50,000+ alumni network spread across the world and having an enterprise version would be of great interest.

better follow-up notifications [updated]

2010-08-29T15:07:08+00:00

Chris said:

Exactly my point - this is a real bad one

Not having this on day one is like shooting yourself someone really, really painful

UI needs to show me activity to my "answers" in case the require follow up.

2010-08-29T13:06:16+00:00

Justice suggested:
This is my primary comment thus far.

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-08-29T11:06:31+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

Shyam said:

Mixing anonymity and credibility in a forum like this will be extremely difficult, in my opinion.

Allowing complete anonymity typically increases forum abuse both from askers and answerers. Perhaps some sort of verified or certified anonymity, where a legitimate user with a track record can be allowed to remain unknown is the solution. Someone (Google/Vark), however, will have to certify that the user is legitimate. That's the only way an asker can hope to be answered properly.

imvu [updated]

2010-08-28T21:54:51+00:00

Jonias said:

luv it

imvu

2010-08-28T21:54:35+00:00

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-08-28T14:44:22+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

Connor said:

Boo!!! I don't want to know everyone in the world! And I don't want everyone tio know me!

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-08-28T04:37:45+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

Quippian said:

I am interested in researching various topics through Aardvark because I am a writer (articles, free lance information reports, executive summaries, project summaries, etc.). HOWEVER, I deeply dislike having my personal information revealed in order to do so. I am not interested in "thousands" of people knowing me, nor am I interested in knowing thousands of people. Wish you had limited anonymity. It should not be necessary for people to know my age, my hometown, what time I eat, go to the bathroom, what clothes I wear, who my lovers are, etc. etc. etc.When I tried to register with Aardvark, it asked for all my personal info. That's when I aborted the registration. Thank goodness there's still Google and the public library to do research...quietly, unobtrusively and anonymously!

BLACK MALES

2010-08-27T06:16:57+00:00

Robert suggested:
LATINO MALES

Ability to send a test IM to myself

2010-08-26T23:32:18+00:00

Brian suggested:
Perhaps this is already a feature and I can't find it, but I'd like to be able to "ping" myself via IM from the site to make sure I'm set up correctly.

make an android app [updated]

2010-08-25T23:55:15+00:00

Google > Apple

Dylan said:

+3 As an Android developer myself, I see no reason for there not to be an Android app. It's fairly easy to create, and Aardvark is owned by Google anyways. I'm sure there's someone in Google who can code a decent Android application.

Create communities for travel & tourism. Let users link to travelogues & photos.

2010-08-25T15:12:29+00:00

More Languages [updated]

2010-08-25T10:37:11+00:00

Pedro said:

This would be a very important feature. Users could select their preferred languages on their profile.

Competitive Answering - Compare my answer rates to others

2010-08-25T04:36:04+00:00

Sean suggested:
I would like to be able to see how I stack up against other people who are answering questions. How often do they answer? How many have they answered? How quickly did they answer? Etc.

let me answer questions I see on the live answers

2010-08-24T19:03:16+00:00

Troy suggested:
Let us answer questions we see on "watch live" (the questions that are already answered), often times I have great answers for them. Also let us see the answers that the question received.

Filter (mute) by country

2010-08-23T17:59:37+00:00

Marc suggested:
Seems like the worse questions I find are often from the same countries. I would love to be able to "mute" the country of origin of the question.

More screencasts/videos to show people not on Aardvark what it is. [updated]

2010-08-23T16:57:04+00:00

Most people I know who haven't signed up, don't understand what it is, and think it would be an annoyance to sign up for this service, show them they're wrong by making some cool screencasts or videos.

teacher2 said:

Does anyone know how good Dr. Edward Dalton, plastic surgeon, Oklaoma City is?

make a gmail addon like a mini ardvark window in gmail

2010-08-23T16:01:20+00:00

Mitch suggested:
if you are somone who likes to use the ardvark website insead of chat it would be nice if you could do something like that from your gmail

allow me to answer my own question if I learn the answer later (i.e. create a note on it) [updated]

2010-08-23T11:03:47+00:00

Castarco said:

It's a great idea, i've entered in the feedback section to write it, but i found that :) . Please, apply it.

Ask again later option

2010-08-23T05:39:41+00:00

Michelle suggested:
I would like an option to automatically ask again in a few hours if I don't get any answers. Sometimes I ask a question late at night and I don't get a response because most people are sleeping, but I forget to resubmit in the morning.

allow for users to be anonymous. at times I do not want to send specific response archived under me [updated]

2010-08-22T02:53:08+00:00

don't want to have one username. would like an anonymous username i can use as well.

Sean said:

I'm sorry, but this is a horrible idea. Demonstrating credibility if critical for a site like this and anonymity will just increase the amount of spam and trolls.

Get inspired by the badges, credit and honorsystem http://stackoverflow.com/badges/ [updated]

2010-08-22T02:17:22+00:00

I think they do an amazing job crediting the most active partisipants, creating moderation, and motivating collaboration!

Timm said:

Perhaps maybe some sort of 'official endorsement' useable as a reference for a resume or something ?? I got a thank you letter for answering many questions and for me and I imagine many who help out here, we enjoy helping and the thanks seals our presence for another answer...

viewing answers [updated]

2010-08-21T23:35:32+00:00

When I see the orange bubbles that show questions just answered I would ilke to be able to view the answers.

Robin said:

ack!

viewing answers

2010-08-21T23:05:42+00:00

Video suggested:
When I see the orange bubbles that show questions just answered I would ilke to be able to view the answers.

fix top frame while scrolling down

2010-08-21T18:47:48+00:00

Prem suggested:
Fixing top frame will help users see notification all the time. May be one more button (to see all important notifications log) beside "Hi <user>!" add flavor to this feature.