Sure, Usenet newsgroups have been allowing people to exchange information for years, but it can be difficult to find the answer you want when you want it. And newsgroups don't give people incentives in exchange for their advice. Some sites let Web users rate experts' track records and award prizes to those who score the highest ratings. The site features a list of questions that have been asked on a variety of topics, and lets users see all of the answers that have been submitted, one after the other. Many experts are professionals trying to build up their reputations, possibly amassing enough of an online following to drum up more business.
Some sites are all about the money.
One such site, EXP, is an online auction house for information, letting advice givers and seekers negotiate about how much a particular piece of information is worth. But not all experts are in search of money or ego gratification. There isn't always a lot of info on ferrets readily available to potential, first-time or experienced ferret owners. Even then, the information that is available is sometimes old and outdated or just plain insufficient. I think people like 'Carpetshark,' who use expert sites for philanthropic purposes, are what the medium was designed to be used for.