Why do you ask so many questions?

Curiosity. That is the simple answer. As humans, we have a thirst for knowledge, and the easiest way to quench this thirst is by drinking up answers. We get these answers by asking questions. People who answer these questions, satisfy our thirst by sharing their own knowledge. Together, we are sitting at the table of knowledge and we share each of our pot luck dishes with each other to help satisfy each other’s hunger.

Hubpages has a great section where fellow hubbers can intrigue the minds of others by asking questions. It is that wonderful “Answers” tab. There is also another area that fellow hubbers can help ignite the imagination of others; they can participate in discussions or ask questions in the forum section of Hubpages.

Both of these areas are outstanding aspects of the Hubpages community. By interacting with fellow hubbers, you will find yourself not only meeting new and interesting people, but you might come across someone that you wouldn’t have otherwise come across if you were just reading the latest hubs.

This is one of my favorite community aspects of Hubpages. It is an easy way to interact with others; and it is also a simple way to get a quick answer for something that is plaguing you. (It is also an easy way to procrastinate, waste time, and take a break from your writing for awhile!)

The idea behind the Answers section is to allow a place to ask questions. These questions are preferably factual in nature that will give a person useful information and not just an opinion. This is where you might address a topic a subject matter expert might be able to address.

A good question might be… “What is the best way to remove grass stains from children’s clothing?”

However, this area can be a little confusing. The reason is because it can become oversaturated with opinion type questions resulting in answers that will turn in to a debate. I know I was a little confused… especially after I had one of my questions closed due to being a potential debate. More frustrating… I couldn’t view the answers after the question had been closed.

The Answers section is not only a great way to get useful information, but, if you are struggling with ideas on what to hub about next, it might provide you with your next topic. When answering a question, you can answer with a short answer (but be careful, they frown on just a one word answer and require it to be longer!), or you can just make a hub about it where you can outline a detailed response that includes pictures, graphs, polls and the numerous other tools available on Hubpages.

Participating in this community tool is a great way to expose yourself to the Hubpages community. If someone likes your answer, they might even visit your Hubs and comment on them. However, this is not the place to ask for critique of your work or to promote your own hubs.

To find the Answers section, just look in the top browse menu on each page of the site.

The Hupbages forum is a great way to learn about the different aspects of Hubpages. They have a wide variety of different forums, including “Official Hubpages Announcements”, “The Hubbers Hangout” and “Hubcamp”… just to name a few. The Hubpages forum started out small; a place to offer help and advice to those publishing on Hubpages. Today it has grown to several different topics and several different threads. If there is a thread out there that doesn’t meet what you are looking for, you can always create another.

The forums are available for hubber to hubber interaction, but it is intended to be done in a friendly nature. It is a place to ask questions, look for help, or even discuss off-the-wall topics. You might also be able to learn something (or share your own knowledge).

This is a great place to give you extra exposure in the community as well. This means… if you post a comment that is meaningful, helpful or just downright funny, other hubbers might visit your profile and check you out. Who knows… you may find a diamond in the rough out there as well.

According to the Hubpages Learning Center, “We encourage all Hubbers to use the Forum as an open space to interact with each other in the spirit of cooperation and fun.” This is the place to ask for assistance with publishing on Hubpages or to clarify any other Hubpage rule that you don’t completely understand.

It is also a great place to ask your debatable questions or discuss whatever intrigues you. While you are there you can share your tips and learn from others as well. By providing feedback in the forums, it allows Hubpages to know what will work better for everyone.

While these two aspects of the Hubpages community seem very similar, they both serve completely different purposes. The Answers section is for quick, fact like answers…. While the Forum is there to encourage a discussion. The one you choose to participate in is purely a personal decision.

Personally, I like the Answers section the best. It provides a quick distraction with minimal commitment. Not to mention, I enjoy seeing how my answers are rated, especially if I answer in a witty and sarcastic tone. To me, it also seems to be more user-friendly, especially since it seems there is less to go through to ask a question.

I haven’t participated much in the forums. I found that searching for a topic was overwhelming, and looking for something probably caused a few additional hairs to turn gray. However, I have visited a few of them and read through some of the answers and found they can be really useful if you want to learn some additional information. They are also a great way to interact with other Hubbers. However, when trying to follow the threads, it can be hard to follow when a comment branches off from another comment and then the thread goes back to the original question. To me it reminded me of times when I am talking on the phone and it cuts out so I miss half the conversation.

Both, however, are great tools to use in the Hubpages community. When you interact within the community you will make yourself known. This is beneficial because the more people who see your name, the more likely you are to gain a strong follower who will read and comment on your Hubs. After all, while money may be the cherry on the top, what we really want is feedback on our work.