Why do people hide their questions and answers?

Question

And maybe the more important question is Why does Answers allow them to hide them.

It seems to me if a person is asking honest questions and giving honest, helpful answers they would not want to hide them. I get a lot of useful information looking back at someones answers when I see that they give some good advice on a question. When I see Q&A's hidden, I start to doubting anything they say. Yahoo Answers allowing people to hide their Q&A's seems to go against everything that they stand for, which is to provide people with a forum to get good honest helpful answers. I realize that there are some people on here for other reasons. Providing a hiding place for them seems to encourage these people. If I am missing the point here, someone clue me in.

I am asking this in Agriculture because these are my people and the one's I'm interested in hearing from.

Answer 1

Out of fear of being ridiculed.  Leave them alone & let them do it.

Answer 2

because some people would like to stay anonymous.

Answer 3

I agree.  The argument for anonymity is bogus because that's set up at the beginning with avatars and hidden email addresses.  I think a closer look at their Q&A's will reveal the real secrets concerning Hitler's brain, Hangar 18, Extraterrestrial adoption agencies and Easy-bake meth-labs.  Just who do you think is responsible for the phony moonlanding that brought down the World Trade Center?  Zionist Neo-cons!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh it feels good to rant like an abject jackass!

Answer 4

I don't know why people who do a good job hide their work. I guess its just a privacy issue for them. For example, people who give good answers on evolution are probably answer-stalked by hard core creationists. I know I've got several inflamed emails from creationists.

I do know that a lot of the time when I see people hide their answers its the ones that give stupid, horrible, and just flat out awful answers. They probably know this and don't want people stalking their answers to call them out.

I have mixed feelings about it. But I don't think the whole Q&A part should be hidden.

Answer 5

I tend to totally agree everything you stated, John.  However I personally have had a bit of trouble from PETA folks.

I spend time in the Agriculture, Zoology, and Environmental sections.  There are quiet a few vegans in the environmental section.  

I'm just fine talking about my permaculture farm, just so long as I do not mention we raise and butcher our own meat goats and rabbits.  I've recieved a few nasty replies, and such because of it.

Off and on I've concidered making my Q&A private.  In the end I've always decided not to.  

First, I don't like to be bullied.  Second, I hope some folks who are interested might flip through some of the questions I've answered and see if there are other things I've answered that might spark their interest.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 6

I hide my question and answers because I don't want someone roaming through all the things I've asked, it is not their business.  It's not that you have to be clued in it's just that maybe you don't care if people rummage through your mail.

Answer 7

They may hide their answers so people cant copy them but I wouldn't see why they would hide their question's. Unless they have a complex about what they ask and feel silly or something. I didn't even know you could hide them until recently. I don't even know how.

Answer 8

It still makes no sense for you to ask this under agriculture!

Anyways lets say i have a friend or co-worker that is also on y/a and they know my screen name and i want to ask a personal question, as so many people do, i hide my q& a cause i dont want that person to know.

Answer 9

Maybe they are asking embarrassing questions and don't want people to know and sometimes it is just nice to have some privacy.