gutefrage.net
Gutefrage.net is a digital reference community, which was founded in July 2006 by the Holtzbrinck eLab. Users of the website can provide both your own questions, answer as well as the other users. The site is ad-supported. In a survey of user fees is waived. By the summer of 2011 was one gutefrage.net in Germany according to Alexa the twenty most visited sites that rank but lost after Google with the Google Panda update changed the search algorithms in 2011 to make higher quality products more visible as content farms and shopping and product directories. The greatest loss of visibility in absolute terms had this gutefrage.net in Germany.
History
Gutefrage.net is the first start-up self- creation of the Holtzbrinck eLab, a company of the publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck, and was launched as gutefrage.net GmbH launched in January 2006. From August 2006 to January 2010 Markus Wölflick was managing director of the company. Since February 2010, next to him and Dr. Stephan Roppel, who previously worked as managing director of the Holtzbrinck eLab, as Chief Operations Officer of gutefrage.net GmbH is active.
In recent years, existing communities already Guides were purchased to offer: kurzefrage.de (2007), pointoo.de (2010), spotn.de (2010) and globalzoo.de (2010). On 1 January 2011 also the platform Cosmiq was acquired by Burda.
In addition to buying up other question forms the GuteFrage.net GmbH has also established some topical " daughter platforms " to life since the establishment, which are constructed as GuteFrage.net, however, have focused on individual topics. Motorradfrage.net fall into this category, sportlerfrage.net, finanzfrage.net, reisefrage.net, gesundheitsfrage.net, computerfrage.net, produktfrage.net and autofrage.net.
Function
The Internet platform is seeking advice to obtain by other users answers to individual questions that can only be with the help of dictionaries not be answered, but require personal advice of others. Therefore, the user of the platform communicate to each other advice and personal experiences to all areas of daily life. There are some editorial experts, however, the majority of contributions by outside users will be written. By assigning appropriate keywords ( tags) to find similar issues or tips is facilitated. Another feature of the Ratgebens is creating video tips.
The platform leverages user - generated content with editorial support known companies such as Handelsblatt.com, fitforfun.de or cooperation partners such as otto.de. Thus, the mail order company like a real member was active in December 2008 to gutefrage.net.
In addition, the gutefrage.net editors created from selected questions, answers and tips E-Paper on individual subjects and makes them available for download.
In August 2010, called gutefrage.net with the gutefrage.net award a consumer award to life solely based on the reviews and experiences of community members. The vote started with theme parks and organic brands. Other awards of other products and service providers followed.
Presentation
On gutefrage.net there is little content moderation, as the business model of a content farm would not permit such personnel expenses. As in all major portals therefore, there is always problems with spam posts, insults and simple policy violations.
User can complain Posts ( Report ) and comment if they believe that they are defective or non-compliant. For the subsequent control of the contributions support staff are responsible, which undergo the disputed questions, answers, tips, etc. a test. As a moderation action they can posts with comments, close, release or delete completely even under circumstances. If necessary, users can also be temporarily or permanently banned. Furthermore, it was decided at gutefrage.net to use so-called User - moderators. These are regular users of GuteFrage.net which have been allocated some special rights, such as the hiding of contributions to the support of the support. Hidden articles are reviewed by the support again and moderated.
And data development
In the first four years of its existence the advice community grew up in October 2010 to over 685,000 users. In the period to August 2011, they accounted for a total of more than 5 million questions and gave out more than 15 million responses. A selection of the best and most unusual questions and answers that time published the gutefrage.net GmbH in early 2010 in a separate book entitled Where does the fish when the aquarium is cleaned? .
After an evaluation of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Online Forschung (AGOF ) 12.5 million unique users had gutefrage.net after four years of existence in September 2010 in the month and was number eight of the analyzed German websites. IVW introduced the platform in the same period the 15th most recognized online deals with approximately 37 million visits.
According to the company, managed by the end of fiscal 2009 to break even and has since worked profitably. The revenue has largely been generated by Google AdSense and the introduction of thematic portals.
Criticism
According to a study by the German Press Agency expert communities of this kind can not guarantee 100% accuracy of all answers. Therefore, it is advisable to compare the available options, and select the most helpful.
Users criticism at gutefrage.net there are, among others, after deletion of individual user questions: Simple knowledge questions that can be answered with little effort by search engines or other information available on the Internet, as well as questions about the platform itself are not permitted by the rules and will be deleted. After removal, no more information about the deleted question is available, even in the account of the questioner. The same applies to simple chat, opinion and discussion questions. Contributions can also be written only after registration.