- How do I ask a question?
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On the main nciku Q&A page or when viewing a question, enter the title of your question into the ‘Ask a Question’ box and click the ‘Ask Question’ button. You can then add more details to your question, choose a category, attach images or other files, offer a reward for the best answer, or suggest the question to selected nciku users. You don’t need to be signed in to ask a question.
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- How do I assign a reward to my question?
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To assign a reward to your question, select the number of points at the bottom of the ‘Ask a Question’ page. You can offer between 5 to 200 points for the best answer - a larger reward will increase the likelihood that other users will give you a good answer. continue reading
- How is my score calculated?
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1. All registered users are given 100 points when they sign up, and an additional 5 points per day if the user signs into nciku that day.
2. Asking a question does not change the number of points you have, but posting a reward for your question or asking for help from Cool Users will reduce your score: continue reading
- How do I find what I’m looking for on Q&A?
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JJust type your query into the search bar to find something specific. You can also use the list of categories from the Q&A main page or sort the Q&A by question status and learning language.
- How do I resolve my question?
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You can choose an answer to your question within 20 days of posting the question by clicking on the ‘Choose as Best Answer’ button on a question, then confirming that this is what you want to do. continue reading
- What is the difference between ‘Unresolved Questions’ and ‘Unanswered Questions?’
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An unresolved question has been answered, but a best answer has not yet been chosen. An unanswered question doesn’t have any answers at all.
- How do I answer a question?
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Click on the ‘Answer’ button when viewing a question. Then simply write your response and confirm. You must be signed in to use this function.
You will gain 10 points every time you answer a question, plus an additional bonus if your post is chosen as the Best Answer.
- How do I comment on a post?
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Click on the “Write Comments” or “Comments” link below the answer you are viewing to open the comment area. You can then write a comment in the box and click ‘Submit’. You must be signed in to use this function.
You will gain 5 points every time you post a comment.
- How do I vote on an answer?
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Click on the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ buttons in the top right of an answer to rate it as good or bad. You can only vote once per answer. You must be signed in to use this function.
- Why is the Q&A divided between languages?
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Q&A is divided into two main sections: learning Chinese and learning English. This makes it very easy to find the information relevant to whatever language you are learning.
- What is the difference between ‘comment,’ ‘question,’ and ‘answer?’
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Questions are just that, questions about something. They can be about a word or grammar point, Chinese or Western culture, or anything else you want to know. Answers are responses to the questions. Comments are used for discussion about the answers, or requests for additional information.
- Can I save interesting Q&A questions so I can find them later?
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You can add a question to you watchlist by ticking the “watch this question” box to the left of the “Answer” button. You will be informed when a question on this list receives a new answer, and you can see the whole list by clicking on “My watchlist” in the “My Q&A” area on the right hand side of the page. continue reading
- Can I edit or delete my question after it has been posted?
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No, you cannot edit nor delete the question after it has been posted, but you can add additional information to it. Just click on “Additional Information” link and write in the box provided. continue reading
- Do I have to be logged in to use the Q&A board?
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You do not need to log in to ask a question, but you need to be logged in to use the other features of the Q&A such as answering questions or rating answers. Allowing only registered users to take full advantage of the Q&A section helps to prevent unwanted spam.
- Why was my answer rated as bad even though I thought it was good?
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Ratings are totally subjective. You might think your answer was perfect but didn’t get any points. Just keep thoughtfully asking and answering questions and your reputation should improve.
- Who are the “cool users” listed when I ask a question?
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They are the top 3 users who are online at the time you write the post. Their answers have a high rate of being chosen as the best answer to a question. By selecting one of them, you make sure that your question will be viewed by nciku’s most active Q&A experts.
- What is the purpose of the ‘My Q&A’ area?
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The ‘My Q&A’ area on the right hand side of the screen contains useful links to let users see their own questions or answers, posts they are interested in, or questions which have been suggested for them.
- How do I view my score and level?
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When you are logged in, there will be a box on the right side of the Q&A called “My Q&A”. Click the orange link to view your User Information page, which shows your score and level. You can also see scores for each of your posts. Your level also appears along with your user ID every time it is shown in the Q&A area. continue reading
- Why do ‘Questions from Chinese users’ appear on the main Q&A page?
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To promote interaction between users speaking different languages, recent questions from users learning English are shown on the English version of nciku and recent questions from users learning Chinese are shown on the Chinese version. This area is automatically updated with the most recent questions.
- What ‘Google Translate’ link do?
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The ‘Google Translate’ link uses Google’s translation service to automatically provide Chinese to English or English to Chinese translation of a question or answer. Although the translation provided is not perfect, it helps to break down the barrier between Chinese and English speakers.
- What happens if I am rated ‘good’ or ‘bad’?
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The rating of the answer is increased or decreased, but you do not lose or gain any points.
- How are active Q&A users rewarded?
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When you contribute to the nciku Q&A, you gain a set number of points for each action. When you gain a certain number of points, your level will increase. In addition, the daily, weekly and all-time top users are displayed on the main Q&A page, and users who we think made a special contribution to nciku are featured on the home page as the User of the Day.
- Why is the image before a user’s level sometimes in color but sometimes gray?
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This image displays the status of the user. If the user is currently online, the image is in color. If the user is not online, the image is gray.
- What does the red N at the top of the page (before my nciku ID) mean?
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This icon informs you when the status of your posts change - it is shown when there is a new answer to one of your questions, when there is a new comment on one of your posts, and when one of your answers is chosen as the best answer.
- What is the miniDict for, and how do I use it?
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Searching for a word in the miniDict pops up a window with a smaller version of nciku, to let you conveniently search the translation of an English or Chinese word without having to leave the Q&A page.
