Photo by chrisjohnbeckett

At the start of the year, many people often think about getting things in shape: their homes, their bodies, but they don’t stop to think about getting their computers in shape. While online safety and virus protection should be thought about year round, this is a great time to take a quick refresher course on some of the common online threats that you may (or may not) encounter while surfing the net.

Online and within the news you’ve likely heard of some of the most common terms (malware, spam, viruses, and Trojans), but may not have known what they are, or, how to protect yourself or your computer from them. We’ve pulled together a quick resource guide outlining the who’s who, and where to go for more information. But when online, some of the most important things to remember are:

• Don’t trust pop-ups; things pretending to be virus checkers may actually be viruses (more on that later)
• You don’t have to understand a lot about online security to protect against the most common online threats. Keep your computer up to date and be suspicious about the sites you visit- employ the same skills you do in real life as you do online: don’t give out your personal information to strangers, and don’t trust something because it “sort of” looks official. And remember to trust your instincts: if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

What’s malware?
Malware is software that does something you don’t want done, usually installed without your permission. It includes viruses, worms and Trojans.

What is spam?
Spam is/can be: the repeated postings of the same content; off topic banter/answers/comments; links to commercial sites or merchandise; in general, unsolicited, unwanted or irrelevant messages, links or postings. You may run into it in your inbox, on message boards, in comments sections, etc. Basically, anywhere that someone can enter or submit text is susceptible to spam.

What is phishing?
This is any attempt to steal your account information. Phishers set up fake web sites that look like those of trusted companies to trick you into disclosing your account information. These pages can look nearly identical to the real thing, so it can be hard to tell that you are on a phony site.

Most commonly, you’ll see these as emails asking for the password to your bank account, your Yahoo! email account (urging you to send your account information or else your account will be terminated), or your credit card information. If you run into a phishing email on Yahoo!, please do report it to us !

Remember to never click on links in emails, no matter how official they look. Use bookmarks or physically type the site name in.

To protect yourself further, set a sign-in seal and don’t give out your Yahoo! password on your computer unless you see your sign-in seal (for more information on this, go here. This helps you know when you’re on a phishing page, or when you’re on a legitimate Yahoo! login page.

Yahoo! Security Center

At http://security.yahoo.com/ you can assess your PC’s exposure to online threats, including malware, viruses, and an assortment of other online risks. Additionally, you can also learn about:

• Protecting your PC
• Protecting your online privacy
• Protecting your children online at Yahoo! Safely
• Getting rid of pop-ups, viruses, adware, or spyware
• And much more!

How to help protect your machine

Be sure that your computer has antivirus software installed and that its virus definitions are up-to-date- many computers do not, and this leaves them open to many malware attacks. Programs like Norton Anti-Virus or http://www.malwarebytes.org/ will help protect and prevent future attacks.

If you see a pop-up, close it promptly, without clicking on anything inside the window (buttons inside the window may download software, no matter what the label on them says, even if it’s “No”, or “Cancel”). Click the close button on the window frame (the “x” in the upper right on a Windows machine, the red button in the upper left on a Mac).

If that doesn’t work use “Ctrl + F4″ on Windows or “Shift + Cmd + W” on an Apple machine to close the window. Worst case, kill the browser with the Task Manager on Windows or Force Quit on a Mac, and if you can’t do that, reboot the machine. (Be sure to save your work in other programs!)

Then run a virus-scan using an anti-virus program to check for any malware remnants.

At the end of the day, it’s up to YOU to help keep your online experience safe—keep your software up-to-date and be cautious about giving out information, including passwords.

As you know, this is where people ask each other questions on various topics and get answers by sharing facts, opinions and personal experiences.

Our goal is to create a trusted source of knowledge, built by our local community in Singapore. To that end, you may have seen numerous local questions from our Yahoo! Editor.

But really, we don’t want these questions to come from us. We would love for you to drive it. Where can I find a great bak chor mee? How good is the Uno steak house in Toa Payoh? How do I prepare lo hei for this coming Lunar New Year?

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Use the content filter
The default setting of the content filter on Yahoo! Answers Singapore now displays “All English questions.” If you like seeing Singapore-based questions, switch it over to “Singapore questions only.” This will filter down the questions to just those from the Singapore site. The choice is yours.

2. Check out the other categories
Many of you spend your time in our Singapore travel category. Try taking that a step further and check out the other categories where you can talk about, for example, the great food in Holland Village (Food & Drink), the new MRT routes (Cars & Transportation) and pub recommendations (Entertaining). Ultimately, you’re the owner of the community, so build the discussions in various categories that suit your interests.

3. Try the advance Search with local terms
Try searching for the answers you’re looking for. Click on the “Advanced” search function so you can look for stuff with specific keywords or categories. You can also find discussions that are Singapore-only or based on when the question was submitted.

4. Put the “Singapore element” into your questions and answers
If you’re looking for local answers, first try asking local questions that are specific to Singapore. Where can I find the best chicken rice in Singapore? Did you see the news on the new HDB flats on Channel NewsAsia last night? If you’re looking to create great discussions on Singapore, it helps to localize your questions.

5. Talk to us
Yahoo! Answers Singapore can’t survive without your ideas. You can write us at our suggestion board or post your comment below. We are here to listen.

We hope you’ll find these tips useful. Please share them and help us make this a home for our Singapore community!

Have a great day,

Did you know that on average, 10% of questions are in tie-breaker status at any given time on Yahoo! Answers? And, at any given moment, there are literally millions of questions open on Answers?

For many members, it’s easy to get swept up in the “Ask” and “Answer” flow as you watch the steady stream of answers that come in when you ask a great question. But then the tough part comes: picking a Best Answer! How do you choose?

If you’re looking for a few tips on how to pick your next Best Answer, here are a few taken straight from our community

• “To put it simply, I go with the one that is the most useful or the least useless. I do notice the number of thumbs-ups and downs the answer gets, and I use that and the level/Best Answer percentage of an answerer to determine whether or not I should trust the answerer, but the main deciding factor is what I think of the answer itself. A concise but comprehensive explanation beats a long drawn-out half off topic lecture.” – Luigi
• However, “According to the specification of the question I read carefully and I compare it to the other questions, I make sure their answers make sense and have more clear explanations. Not always the thumbs up are right and this person can be wrong, So I read & understand before I give my best answer…8)” – “Evo_Raptor”
• “[…] If there are two equally good answers, I choose the one with better grammar, punctuation, and spelling.” – *Sombra*
• “I pick Best Answer by re-reading through all the answers again from my question. Then pick the one that was the most helpful, informative, and the answerer was polite while giving me the information I needed.” – Future Pet Vet
• “Whoever has clearly spent the most time answering the question and not just put silly 1 word answers or sarcastic comments. Also, if i believe the answer is 100% true.” – Craig and Charlie

Even with tips like these, picking a best answer can be tough—and for many Answers community members, it becomes so tough, questions go unresolved and end up in tie-breaker status.

All in all, remember: If you asked a question, choose a Best Answer! Otherwise your question may end up in Answers limbo, and you may never give someone the joy of earning a Best Answer!

This year, Yahoo! Answers has seen its fair share of questions and answers—you’ve covered everything under the sun—from questions about current events such as Ris Low to Michael Jackson’s death to everyday questions about culture to tackling tough questions about the economy and unemployment.

We’ve gone through some of the best (and quirkiest) content on Answers to create this year’s highlight book. (Review last year’s here) This year’s e-book contains 12 questions from Answers users, just like you, that showcase some of the unique questions and answers you’ll find on Yahoo! Answers as well as a few outstanding community members you might come across while perusing the site.

So view the book 2009 highlights (568) and explore some of the content found on Answers (this will prompt you to download a small PDF file).

Feeling inspired after checking out this year’s e-book and want to share your favorite question with the team? Post your comment below.

2009 highlights (568)

Boo! Don’t be scared! Answers will be down this Saturday, October 31th starting at 12 Noon for scheduled maintenance.

During this time, you’ll be unable to access the Answers site, but will be able to:
- Catch up on old posts on the Answers blog (http://yanswersblogsg.com)
- Stop by the Answers Suggestion Board
- or, if you dare, can take part in a Halloween themed Answers competition (details below)

Additionally, please be aware that the Yamster will be setting back his clocks at 6pm on November 1st, 2009. During this time no new questions will show on the Answers pages but things will be back to normal one hour.

Answers Halloween Costume Contest

If you’re feeling festive, download the Yamster avatar and dress him up for Halloween! Feel free to add hats, clothing, or whatever you’d like—just be sure to keep it friendly, clean, and compliant with the Answers Community Guidelines.

Sites like Picnik (which is built directly into Yahoo’s own Flickr) offer a full arsenal of Halloween accoutrements like masks, spiders, and spooky scenes that would make any Yamster squeel. Be sure to check them out here: http://www.picnik.com/app#/create/seasonal

Or, you can use something like Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, SumoPaint, or any other paint program on the market to edit or enhance an image.

Not a fan of the Yamster? That’s ok too! You’re welcome to dress up your own personal Avatar in their finest Halloween looks for the competition.

Once you’re through dressing up your Yamster or Avatar, save the image (right click and “save as”) and upload it to your Flickr account. Then, add the image to the Answers Halloween pool—found here: http://flickr.com/groups/answershalloween

Submissions must be received by 9am on Monday, November 2nd. Winner(s) will be posted on the Yahoo! Answers Blog and will receive 100 bonus points on Yahoo! Answers.

The Rules

- Avatars and/or Yamsters must be submitted to Flickr by 9am on Monday, November 2nd
- All images must be in compliance with Yahoo’s TOS, Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines, Flickr’s Community Guidelines, and, must not contain mature or adult content
- Submitted images may only be that of Avatar or of the Yamster—no actual photographs will be accepted or considered
- No real value is given to this prize: winner(s) will receive 100 bonus points on Yahoo! Answers

As we strive for high quality content on Answers, we also encourage freedom of expression and discussions on any topic. However, you can sometimes stumble upon questions or answers that seem to blur the line between strong opinions and a violation of the community guidelines, plagiarism or copyright infringement.

Strong opinion vs. violation

Everyone has opinions, and these are what makes Answers vibrant and fun. Respectfully expressed opinions that contribute to useful knowledge for the community are accepted on Yahoo! Answers. However, anyone who promotes hate speech, uses slurs to refer to groups of people, insults other members, and act in a belligerent manner towards others should be reported.

What is considered offensive?

It is not ok to report someone because you disagree with that person’s opinion. If you see something that is personally offensive to you but does not violate Community Guidelines, please do not report it. Their opinions may contradict your own, but please consider whether or not they are actually in violation. Do you think it contains slurs? Do they insult other participants? Do you think it is obscene or illegal? Remember that people are entitled to their own opinions, and it is up to everyone to express them in a respectful and constructive manner.

To be responsible, report only those opinions that violate the rules of our community. (Please find the Community Guidelines here) In fact, you will become less empowered to remove abuse from the site in the future if it is determined that the people you report are not in violation.

What is plagiarism?

Intellectual property infringement is a reportable offense on Yahoo! Answers, but the process is a little different from ordinary community guidelines violations. If you believe your intellectual property has been infringed upon and would like to file a complaint, please see our Copyright/IP policy

Have more questions? Let us know

Voting for Best Answer

When a question is posted, it initially remains open for four days, but can be extended for a total of eight days.

>> If two or more answers are collected, you can either pick the Best Answer yourself, or let the community vote to choose the Best Answer. If you take no action to resolve the question, the answers are automatically put to a vote by the community. The asker of the question does not have the option of selecting “No Best Answer”– only the community has this power.

>> If your question receives only one answer, you can extend the open period for four additional days to allow more time for answers to be posted, or you can pick No Best Answer. If your question expires with only one answer, it automatically goes to a vote, with No Best Answer as the second option that voters can pick. If the answer wins the vote, your question becomes resolved. However, if the No Best Answer option wins the vote, the question is automatically deleted and you get five points credited back to your Answers account.

>> If a question doesn’t receive any answers in the allotted time, it expires and is deleted.

A question becomes a Resolved Question when a Best Answer is chosen, and then it remains available on Yahoo! Answers for searching and browsing. The Best Answer remains open to receive comments and ratings from the community.

How do I put my question up for voting?

If you take no action and the question expires, it automatically goes to a vote. Or:

1. Wait at least four hours after posting the question.
2. Go to the question within the open period, before it expires.
3. Click Edit in the action bar below the question.
4. Select Ask for a Vote in the edit menu.

How do I find questions up for voting?

1. Go to the category of your choice.
2. Select the In Voting tab.
3. Sort the unresolved questions as you like.

What’s a tiebreaker?
If the vote ends as a tie, your question remains in voting as a tiebreaker. Once a vote has been cast, the question is checked shortly afterwards to determine if there is a best answer. There are tons of questions out there waiting to be voted on because they’re in tiebreaker status. Vote so you can get these questions resolved.

As you can see, voting makes a huge difference. If you choose an area you are expert in, you can easily vote for the best answer. If you choose a category you don’t know much about, you end up learning a lot by reading the answers. You can pick the best answer, based on detail, helpful tone and general quality, without having to be an expert.

Have more questions? Let us know.

Recently, we’ve blogged about types of low quality content that are not allowed on Answers – avatar games, chatting and gaming questions. Since then, a lot of questions have been asked about polling and surveys, and how these are different from chat. Generally, polls and surveys seek advice and looks to gather a collective opinion around a subject – that’s exactly what we want to see.

Having such a large number of people in the Answers community lends itself to gauging public opinion through a poll or a survey. Polls and surveys are allowed on Answers and this week we have some recommendations to help you get the most out of your survey:

Make use of the polls and surveys category! – This may sound like we are stating the obvious but consider that placing your poll in the right category will attract responses from people looking to help. It also makes it clear that your question is intended to garner opinion.

Keep your questions as short as possible: Long questions can lead to misinterpretation and confusion.

Be clear about the information you want: Write questions that everyone will understand in the same way.

Avoid vague and biased questions: Stick to one topic. The question should point directly to the information that is needed. Write questions that do not lead people to answer a particular way.

Avoid ‘yes’- ‘no’ and rating questions: It encourages games and chatting and will result in a violation.
Here you have a couple of example of good quality polls and surveys
http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091009020531AAwL5CA
http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091009015738AAysmYx

Maybe you have some further tips to share?

* Once your question is open for business, you can always add details. Just hover your mouse over the Edit (pencil icon) in the action bar below the question to add details.

* Instead of asking the same question again, why not to give the community more time to answer? You have the option to extend the expiration of your question by 4 days- plenty of time to increase your chance at getting the answer you are looking for. Since your question is initially given four days to be resolved, extending it means 8 days to get an answer. At the end of the 8 days, you will either have to pick a best answer or put your question up for voting. You will not be able to extend it any further. To extend the open period for your question, hover your mouse over the ‘edit’ section and select Extend Expiration from the option menu.

* If your question does not get an answer and expires, it will disappear. If this happens, you can try looking through answers for a similar question that was resolved or you can post your question again. However, think before asking again: did you give enough details? Was the question written clearly? Try to give as many hints as possible to your potential answerers!

* And finally, a tip for a super question: pick the best answer. It’s a great way to reward that person who took some time to give you a brilliant answer to your question… Who doesn’t love a bit of an ego boost from time to time

Exhaustion can be an interesting topic. Most of us experience it and many probably see it as something normal, especially at the end of a long and tiring day at work or school, and yet just a few people actually stop to think and ask, maybe there’s a way to avoid being fatigued all the time.

Low energy levels can be a result of so many things, but for most of us, it probably falls under one of the following reasons:

1. Skipping meals due to hectic lifestyle. We need energy to function daily and energy comes from the food we eat.
2. Lack of sleep. Sleep is the period we allow our body to focus on repairing and recharging and if we don’t get sufficient sleep, our body does not get enough time to be rejuvenated.
3. Lack of exercise or physical activity. Exercise increases our energy levels and lack of it means our body doesn’t get to release enough of the hormones that give us a ‘natural high’.

Thankfully, there are solutions to all of these. But I’m sure you have more questions about eating right, exercise and basically how to have and maintain a well-balanced mind and body. Well, now’s the time to ask them because BRAND’s Advisor is here to answer them. Scientists from BRAND’s, the same company that gave you BRANDS’s Essence of Chicken, will be answering questions about health and wellness, and they’ll also take time to ask the community as well.

Recently, BRAND’s Advisor asked what usually are the causes of fatigue or exhaustion for you and how do you deal with it and Wander shared the best answer – the reasons may vary between people and she gave specific examples but the important thing is for us to make a conscious effort to address the problems.

Currently, the question BRAND’s Advisor is asking is “What do you think is the best way to maintain concentration and be clear-minded when at work or school?”. I’m sure this is a question that affects us all since there are usually periods in the day when it’s really a challenge to maintain your concentration on what you have to do. However, a healthy body means a healthy mind as well so this is just as important as dealing with fatigue.

Check out the link and share your thoughts and views about the topic. And don’t hesitate to post a question for the health category right now because BRAND’s is here to answer them.