Ratings for Forums and q&a pages

Webpage/Type of Content

Characteristics of the Page

Explanation

Q&A page about chest

•

YMYL page with inaccurate potentially

We must evaluate this page from the point of view

pains and smoking (YMYL)

dangerous medical advice

of a user visiting this page from a search engine,

rather than a participant. The question is poorly

worded and difficult to understand. The answers

are poorly worded and have incorrect and

potentially dangerous medical advice, making it

lowest quality MC.

In addition to having no answer, this page has

•

Misleading page design

Ads and links to other questions (misleadingly

Q&A page with unanswered

•

Unsatisfying amount of MC for the purpose

labeled as “Relevant answers”) displayed

question

of the page

prominently, which users may mistake for

answers to the question. It takes a moment to

notice that this page actually has no

answer. Deceptive design and lack of an answer

make this page a frustratingly poor user

experience and cause this page to completely fail

to achieve its purpose.

In this example, the MC is boxed in red. Please

read the MC, including the completely unhelpful

"answer" to the question in the red box. This

•

Misleading page design

answer is so unhelpful, we can consider this

Q&A page about a 2002

question to be unanswered. This page has an

•

Unsatisfying amount of MC for the purpose

Volvo part

unsatisfying amount of MC.

of the page

In addition to a very unhelpful “answer,” the page

design makes it difficult to distinguish the MC from

Ads. For example, below the answer, we see a

"sponsored answer," which has the same format

as the real answer, but is actually an Ad and not

an answer to the question. This page design is

somewhat misleading or mildly deceptive.

Q&A page about a game

•

Unsatisfying amount of MC for the purpose

Some websites rely on users to create virtually all

console issue

of the page

of their MC. In this case, the MC is the user’s

question. If there are no answers, the amount of

MC on the page is unsatisfying.

Webpage/Type of Content

Characteristics of the Page

Explanation

Q&A page about Native

•

Lacking expertise; not very trustworthy or

American customs

authoritative for the purpose of the page

There are 94 answers to this question with a few

results that seem helpful. Many of the posts are

wrong or misleading, including the top answer,

which is labled the “best answer.”

This forum is about dance topics. Many

participants have everyday experience washing

Forum page on how to

ballet shoes and make recommendations based

on their experience.

wash ballet shoes

•

Mixed, but with some redeeming qualities

This page is “mixed” because there is distracting

content which makes it hard to read the MC,

potentially because the page uses an older and/or

outdated design. The page also has distracting

buttons and Ads. On the other hand, there is

some valuable everyday expertise and helpful

MC, making Medium a good rating for this page.

Q&A page about whether a

•

Everyday expertise for the purpose of the

Many participants share their personal

Roomba will work

page

experiences with these products, giving details

such as how well certain models work with pet

hair. There are many descriptions of participants’

own experiences with this product and how well it

works for them.

Q&A page about

•

Everyday expertise for the purpose of the

The answer on this page is written by an

employee of Build-A-Bear, so it offers a somewhat

interviewing at Build-A-Bear

page

unique and presumably somewhat expert answer.

The page design allows users to read the MC as

the Ads are clearly labeled, as well as both the

question and answer.

Webpage/Type of Content

Characteristics of the Page

Explanation

Forum post on the magic

•

High level of expertise; authoritative and

The person who posted the first message on this

forum page provides a helpful resource on how to

loop technique in knitting

trustworthy for the purpose of the page

master the magic loop technique in knitting. She

also shares pictures of her own version using an

old pair of blue jeans. With over 20 years of

experience knitting socks, we would consider her

to be an expert on the topic.

Q&A page about how long

•

Everyday expertise

The question on the page asks how long people

live with cancer. There are many results

most cancer patients live

•

A satisfying amount of high quality MC

describing how long a loved one lived after

diagnosis. There is very little medical advice and

the focus of the page is sharing personal

experience. Many results are heartfelt and well

written.

•

High level of expertise for this topic;

This forum is well known for discussions on luxury

authoritative and trustworthy for the purpose

Forum page on

designer purses. On this particular forum page,

of the page

authenticating a purse

members are consulting forum experts who have

•

A satisfying amount of high quality MC

expertise authenticating bags from this brand.

These experts can tell if a particular bag is

authentic or fake. While there is an ad at the top

and a few ads within the forum message, it does

not distract from the MC, which is easy to find.

•

High level of expertise for this topic;

This forum is well known for its community of

Forum page on KPIs to

authoritative and trustworthy for the purpose

track

of the page

experts on quailty assurance. The responses are

•

A satisfying amount of high quality MC

authoritative and trustworthy for the purpose of

the page. While there are Ads on the page, it is

easy to find the MC and they are clearly labeled

as “Sponsored Link.”

•

High level of expertise for this topic;

This discussion focuses on the landscaping for a

Forum page on landscaping

authoritative and trustworthy for the purpose

particular paludarium (an aquarium with terrestrial

an aquarium

of the page

and aquatic elements). There is a lot of

•

A satisfying amount of high quality MC

discussion and interaction between forum

members about the types of materials and

species used in the aquarium. The posts show

expertise in a niche topic aquarium landscaping.

Webpage/Type of Content

Characteristics of the Page

Explanation

•

High level of expertise for this topic;

authoritative and trustworthy for the purpose

Many participants share advice and personal

Forum page on cloth

of the page

experiences on how to clean cloth diapers,

diapers

•

A satisfying amount of high quality MC

including their own specific washing routine. This

forum site is an excellent resource for this type of

expertise.

•

A satisfying or comprehensive amount of

Q&A page where Hillary

high quality MC

Since the question asks for ordinary people’s

Clinton asks users for their

•

Very high level of expertise, highly

opinions, everyday expertise is OK. Many of the

personal opinions

authoritative/highly trustworthy for the

answers are well written and thoughtful. It is clear

purpose of the page

that many people spent time answering this

question, doing their best to help Hillary Clinton

understand their perspectives.

•

Very high level of expertise, highly

authoritative/highly trustworthy for the

The purpose of the page is to answer questions

Q&A page on abbreviations

purpose of the page

about the usage of abbreviations. This website

•

Very positive reputation, and the website is

has a very good reputation as a reference for

responsible for all content on the website

information on writing, publishing, etc. It is

considered highly authoritative and trustworthy for

the topic of the page.