1. What is Answers.VisitPinas.com?
1.1 What kind of questions can I ask?
1.2 How to post a Question or an Answer?
1.3 Why and how do I sign up or register?
1.4 Why should I answer questions?
1.5 What is this points and ranking for users?
2. What if I want to Make a Review or Rate an Entry?
2.1 Can I use the same login details here in Answers.VisitPinas and Reviews.VisitPinas?
1. What is Answers.VisitPinas.com?
This component of VisitPinas is where Community members could ask questions and, at the same time, answer the questions of other Community members. Of course, this could be done, and is already being done, at the comment section of the post that covers a particular topic. The current setup, however, has the following limitations: (a) The question may be found in the middle or bottom of the comment section, making the search more difficult especially in multi-page comments; (b) Those who ask questions don't bother to read the entire comment thread, which results to the question being asked again and again; (c) You have a question but there's no related post for it; and (d) The best answer, even if highly rated, remains at the original position and is not transferred immediately under the question.
These limitations are addressed in Answers.VisitPinas.com. Nobody knows everything. It also comes with a search component which should make it easier to look for a related question (and answer). So, before you ask, please search for related questions and/or answers.
1.1 Kinds or types of questions that could be asked in Answers.VisitPinas.
It seems impossible to list the details on what kind of questions could be asked here because we can't possibly fathom what issues are related to Philippine travel (food, restaurants, hotels, resorts, beaches, reservations, ticketing, bookings, airfare, entrance fees) or to the Philippines as a whole. There should be no problem as long as it's related to the Philippines, particularly travel and tourism. Besides, a bad question suffers a natural death.
Login is required to post a question or an answer (be sure to logout after using the component). The "Ask a Question" button is conspicuously found at the top menu. Fill in a short descriptive title of the question (minimum of 12 characters and maximum of 80 characters). A too short question might not get noticed, while a too long question may look cluttered. Strike a balance. Don't worry if there are details that can't be accommodated in the question title, as there's a body where you could spell out all the details that you'd want.
1.3 Why and how do I sign up or register?
To maintain a degree of responsibility in posting questions and answers, Community members must be registered and logged in. You will be prompted to login or register when using the Community Answers component (that is, to ask a question, to post an answer, to vote, to change your profile details). Or click the "register" link at the top-right potion of this site. Simply follow the prompts and you're on your way.
Good question, perhaps we can put it in the main question section so everyone can answer. Seriously, each one knows a particular place or item way more than others. You may happen to live or work in that particular place. You may happen to own that thing. In other words, no one has a monopoly of information and sharing that information is very helpful to others. Besides, by answering the questions, we assist others in their Philippine travels. That's the rationale of VisitPinas from day one.
1.5 Points and ranking for users.
There are points for each question and answer made, with separate points for votes received. At the top of the heap is the Henyo, who must accumulate 2,000 points. Next is the Travel Guide with 1,000 points, the Bakasyonista with 500 points and the Istokwa with 200 points. At the bottom is the Istambay, the bum with just 100 points. More participation means more points, and more points means, well, we don't know yet. Maybe the Henyo should receive something to acknowledge his/her status.
2. What if I want to Make a Review or Rate an Entry?
Community members could review and give ratings on the items featured in a post at the Reviews.VisitPinas. The reviews and ratings could serve as guides to other Community members who have not experienced and would want to try the featured items. Click here to know more.
2.1 Using your Answer.VisitPinas login details in Reviews.VisitPinas.
Login is separate in each component, which means that you have to separately register in each. You can, however, use the same username, password and email to register in both. A different password in each is recommended to have a higher degree of protection.