Windows Live QnA Third In Market Share, 5-Second Rule Test
TechnologyReview ran a head-to-head comparison of six major question and answer websites (Yahoo Answers, Ask’s Askville, Windows Live QnA, Answerbag, Wondir and Yedda), and Windows Live QnA placed third, on the strength of Mormons, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a decent answer to the age-old question about the 5-second rule. Strangely, all the services in the review were ranked in alphabetical order, but we won’t hold that against them.
(via Slashdot)
Of course, the more important question, is how well QnA is doing in the market. Hitwise has some good news, namely that QnA stands in third place overall in market share, and some not-so-good-news, namely the percentage of the market they hold: 1.02%. Yahoo Answers has run away with the market, but a more accurate way of looking at it is that Yahoo created the market. Yahoo didn’t steal 96 percent of the market from a market leader, they just grew it and hold a commanding lead. In theory, there could be other websites that leap up and take mounds of new visitors, just like Yahoo did.
When Microsoft begins properly promoting Live QnA, putting QnA answers all over the place and gives Live Spaces users nice incentives to participate in the community, they could have a decent shot of catching more than just 1.02%. In fact, it looks like they’ve already put a prominent lint atop MSN.com, a good start.
Some interesting data: Yahoo Answers is now the 100th most popular site Hitwise tracks. Google sends Yahoo Answers almost as much traffic as Yahoo does, ironic considering Yahoo Answers’ popularity forced Google to shutter its long running and unsuccessful competing service.
(via LiveSide)
December 31st, 2006
Posted by
Nathan Weinberg |
General, Windows, Live |
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