is addictive.

For a long time I assumed it was one of the online marketing myths, but I have found that actually people DO spend a lot of time on Yahoo Answers, and in fact it is just as valid as any other social media site.

Yahoo Answers is a place where people can post questions on almost any topic and have strangers answer it for them. These questions and answers are stored on Yahoo for a long time, and can be searched to find information. It was established in 2005 and has since

The sections cover everything from health, family and relationships to maths and science. It has been criticised for not being very 'accurate' and more about 'social networking', but that is what makes it such a fun site in which everyone can contribute, and surely what makes it so addictive.

So how can you use it in your own marketing? Lets go back to my favourite fictional store, the online shoe store. Say this was your store and you were an expert on all things shoes. Then you could register on Yahoo Answers and look for questions related to shoes or fashion.

If someone is looking for your product, or asking a question about yours or a related product, then you can answer them, maybe use your store as a resource, and thereby extend your brand name to a potentially interested buyer.

Any links you include in your answers won't be made into clickable URLs until you are a level 2 contributor - which takes a bit of dedication.

Make sure everything you write on Yahoo Answers is truthful and accurate as possible, and don't go the hard sell (remember, this isn't the way to use social media). Yahoo Answers is a community, and you don't want to be banned or ignored for being an annoying contributor.

Apart from introducing you to new, relevant customers, Yahoo Answers is just fun and interesting as of itself. An ability to help people out and feel like a smarty-pants makes for a good website.

According to Compete Site Analytics, Yahoo Answers received 65 million visits in the US in 2009,  but it is actually used all over the world.