Experts

[lyndylou]

Hi Ed I have posted a few - serious - questions and have received some excellent answers so don't get me wrong I think Answerbank is brilliant - but occasionally we do get wallies putting in their two peneth

What I think would be a good addition is an experts panel - you could put out a questionnaire of some kind to vet people and help you decide that they are indeed an expert in a certain field and make up a panel - they are then awarded a symbol or something next to their avatars or profile name

Then when q's are asked they can be answered by anyone in the normal way - but when an expert answers they will be identified as an expert - we would then know that what they are saying is indeed an experts opinion

-You must have a multitude of professional people giving their advice here everyday - it's just we don't know it xx

Hope this makes sense

[naomi24]

That's an interestng idea - but apart from any liability it might incur for the administrators of the site, the real snag is that some people tend to give the impression they're experts when they're not, so how would you know whether you were really getting genuine expert advice? You could be putting yourself in danger of being led firmly up the garden path.

[craft1948]

Naomi's quite correct....................some people fib.

[lyndylou]

H......ummm such is life - But I wonder if the answerbank could ask for official info

[cathfromsaron]

i like getting 'real' peoples' perspectives!

[naomi24]

lyndylou, I doubt the people who run AB would want to get into anything like that. Why would they? Imagine if one of the 'experts' gave the wrong advice and complaints started rolling in. It would be more trouble than it's worth. If I were running the site I wouldn't even consider doing anything like that.

[HowardKennitby]

How would you deal people who are expert in more than one field?

[craft1948]

That's why there's a disclaimer in Health & Fitness.................

[Barmaid]

Nice idea in principle, but in practice I think as Naomi has identified it could lead to all sorts of liability issues for the Editors. If it was advertised by the site that they were getting advice off a real doctor, accountant, psychiatrist, lawyer, engineer etc and that advice were relied upon by the questioner to their detriment there could be negligence issues - even with disclaimers.

[jno]

you get reasonably expert medical advice from Sqad - he hasn't lost many ABers, still in single figures, I think. Plus people with legal experience contribute to the Law section. But as naomi says, AB won't be wanting to incur lawsuits from anyone who's got the wrong advice, hence the warnings in some sections.

[Barmaid]

jno, how do we know how many Sqad has lost?!!! (They can't sue once they are dead!) ;)

Sqad, if you read this, you know I am joking.

[jno]

well, I just watch to see if they ever post again after receiving his advice, Barmaid...

d'you think I should throw in a smiley too?

[owdhamer]

Some people take AB seriously,other's adopt a more light hearted approach,you pays yer money and takes a chance.

[owdhamer]

You could have Answerbank for the serious ones,
and answerplank for the jokers.

[ChuckFickens]

"But I wonder if the answerbank could ask for official info"

Such as what official info? I've got no formal qualifications in my field and I wouldn't really want AB asking my employer for a reference!

[jno]

inside leg measurement would do, Chuck

[ChuckFickens]

OH, OK, that's fine, 38inches.

[Mamyalynne]

Oh like having your credentials taken down ? It's been a while ;-)

[Barmaid]

We need proof Chuck!

Owdhammer, we already have that. Chatterbank for the nonsense and the other sections for advice.

[jno]

I suppose I should say sorry to lyndylou for doing exactly what she's complaining about, as I actually have no qualifications at all for making off-topic remarks (though years of experience)

[MarkRae]

The problem here, though, is anonymity. There are several regular ABers who pass themselves off as experts in various fields yet, unless you know those people in "real life" as it were, you haven't the slightest notion whether their claims are genuine or not.