For Yahoo! Answer’s first birthday, the best contributors get a gift. For certain level distinctions, those who contribute the top answers are entitled to either a sticker, a car magnet, a water bottle, a hat, a coffee mug, or a fleece jacket.

We all know that social networking is a popular medium and this was likely the reason for Yahoo’s obvious victory over Google. And this “gift” incentive isn’t too bad either.

For Yahoo!, it really wasn’t entirely necessary to award its best community members with something completely unexpected. However, it sets an interesting precedent. Monetary prizes and gifts, beyond just the online recognition, is an excellent way to encourage people to contribute to social networks even further. We have sites that give away money to their “hired” community members, but with Yahoo! giving away prizes just because they wanted to honor their best, we have something even greater — acknowledgment of individuals within the community at large who didn’t apply for a job, yet they outshine the others without seeking compensation. It makes new contributors, who may be hungry for such incentives, acknowledge the site and want to participate. Even though the Yahoo! Answers site might already make the participants feel warm and fuzzy inside when they answer something well and satisfy some answer seeker, it’s not about the community itself noticing anymore: Yahoo! took notice and awarded accordingly. How much happier should you feel about that?

It truly is a win-win situation for Yahoo. So happy birthday Yahoo! Answers, and here’s to many more.

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