Abuzz
http://www.abuzz.com/

"It's a place for smart, thoughtful people to connect and collaborate"

It's like a well run, well moderated news group. Owned by the New York Times, it's an extension of what a newspaper does. You can contribute your own information, and take part in opinion making.

Just ask a question and direct it to a topic "circle". Members give "applause" (rating points), to questions and each other.

It's easy to look up the whole question and answer. The inputs and outputs are short pieces of plain text stored in their database.

It's free. You compete for "applause", best people and answers getting top billing. Circle moderators can earn a monthly stipend of $250 for 7 to 10 hours a week.