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The free service is a US-only launch, but a service offering localised UK content is expected next year.

Yahoo! Answers sits well with the company's FUSE (find, use, share and expand) philosophy. Answers to questions asked will be indexed to provide a searchable catalogue. RSS feeds will also be available to alert users to the latest questions as they are answered.

And those that offer answers will be voted on to improve their reputation as gurus on specific topics.

'At Yahoo!, we are huge believers in the power of community,' said Ofer Shaked, director of engineering at Yahoo! Search. 'With the largest base of Web users, Yahoo! is in a unique position to tap into the vast knowledge and opinions of individuals to benefit the greater group. Yahoo! Answers lets consumers get their questions answered in a personalized way and share their knowledge with other Web users.'

The service can be found at answers.yahoo.com.