Questions & Answers

Project by Scott Murray

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Important: You will be asked whether or not you trust this website. You must select trust or yes, and also allow Internet access. Otherwise, you will just see an empty, black screen. It could take 10-20 seconds for the project to load.

Concept

Asking a question reveals something about oneself. Through the act of asking, we give clues into our interests, personalities, priorities, and concerns. What do we want to know, and why? What can be inferred about our identities as a result? How we respond to others' questions, too, is revealing.

Questions & Answers is designed to encourage exploration of the vast range of questions that people ask (and answer) online. Question/answer data from Yahoo! Answers and colors from ColourLovers are presented in a fluid, minimalist interface, allowing the user to focus on the content and pursue the subjects that interest him or her.

I hope that, through using the project, people will develop their own questions about the nature of questions online, such as:

Stills

An intimate question speaks to the questioner's comfort with sharing highly personal information online.

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Choosing a topic category.

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Keying in a search.

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A related question...

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...and its answer.

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Colophon

Project posted May 9, 2009.