Google launches Google Answers for the Middle East

Google has entered the online question and answers space in a new market with the launch of Google Egabat, which translates from Arabic to Google Answers.

Google Egabat uses the same platform deployed on Google’s help forums in October 2008, which we noted at the time took its looks and feature set from Yahoo Answers. The same platform is currently is use for Google Q & A sites in Russia and China.

Unlike the previous incarnation of Google Answers (shut in 2006), Google Egabat isn’t using a payment system, and instead uses a reputation and incentive system that gives members the chance to earn points. The points system, as with the one used by Yahoo Answers, allows users to accumulate points that they can use to ask their own questions. Differently from Yahoo, users can then transfer points to the person who delivers the best answer to their question.

Users start with 20 free points that they can spend on asking questions and 10 points in reputation points. All actions on the site deliver points, from logging in, rating questions and answers, and in depth participation.

(via SA)