Best answer to a question [closed]

Question

Why do people select the best answer to a  question? Is it that important to do this? Why not share and allow the original questioner to select. Or if I get negative feedback to this question then please have the decency to wait at least one full day before you have to click that star. People click best answer to question in an hour. Some people do not read the question within an o hour. Some of us have a life outside of this huge and amazing tree. A couple of weeks ago someone gave a best answer to a question that I asked and it did not even answer my question.  Why? today someone gave a best answer to the question an HOUR after I asked it. Why? Please give some time or allow others to answer to encourage others into participation. Why bother an answer when someone already selected the best answer that was NOT the member asking the question.  Just wait some time, the questions will be there for a long time. One more day will not do any harm. In fact it may encourage others to give it a try. Please be considerate of others. If you want to points so bad come see me you can have mine if the site will allow it. I am not interested in speed I am interested in everyone participating and actually getting a reply that really answers the question

Comments

I think some people are just chasing G2G points as such the rush to get the answers tagged. I saw several wrong answers tagged in this way. Once I made a comment that the answer was wrong and my comment was flagged twice within fifteen minutes.

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I have seen answers in  similar questions to drop the best answer or go by how many up votes they get both do not help the community. I feel we need a best answer but not by up votes. this is not a popularity contest  or some people answer hours or days before another person and will naturally get the most votes. Why don't we leave it up to the person asking the question then of that does not happen in a couple of days then some one else can select it. and please do not be the same people doing it over and over, just clicking to get the points. We should be trying to get others  to ask or answer questions. I feel  like it makes others feel left out. We have to be creative here fellow members.  What is more important. being first or getting it right? Share people it is everyone's tree remember? Not only the fastest clickers.

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Louis I understand all to well. Being the first or the most is not important here. Accuracy is. I would like to see more people active and trying to help then people racking up the post points. Are the fast clickers any smarter or better than people that wait? No it just shows that they click faster and sometimes with no consideration for others.

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I have to agree with you that this G2G Section of WikiTree really needs a  proper rethink on how it functions.

p.s. Search results that are on a word are also randomly scrambled and not by date.(Sorry Jerry, not part of the topic but just to note)

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Jerry, do you disagree with my selection? I thought Lynda's answer (for you previous question) was the best, and don't see how it could be topped. But as Lynda says here, it can be changed or removed if another answer comes along or if you disagree. Choosing it doesn't prevent, nor discourage additional answers.

Louis, its true that some people are chasing points, but that's not my intention. I thought her answer was the best (even in the absence of additional answers). Anyone can remove the selection (thereby taking away my points) and select it for themselves (thereby claiming their own points). The points are merely a fun diversion designed to encourage not only participation but also as a way of crowd-sourcing better questions and answers (its used quite often and successfully in other technical and popular forums -- "the cream rises to the top", as they say)

This forum is not about any one person. Don't take the responses so personal. These questions and answers stick around and can be used to help other people later. Its best if the questions and answers make sense and are useful for other people who have the same or similar questions later on.

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Dennis, Sorry, I'm talking about the revamping of the G2G app. I meant nothing about you personally. I don't even know what other answer you are talking about.

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Dennis, I disagree when the questioner does not have a chance to give the Best Answer or if only an hour or two has passed and someone makes this selection before others have a chance to give their point of view. All I ask is that others have a chance to give answers. Remember that people work different hours and live in different parts of the world. And cannot participate as much as they would like to because everything is already done. I do not know if that is the best answer untilI see if someone else has an opinion or another fact to add. But why bother if the Best Answer has already been given.

Of course this is not about one person that is why I asked why people cannot wait until someone else gives a best answer. These questions are here to help many people they are not going anywhere so why do people give an answer the best answer before everyone  has a chance to answer. I never said that a certain answer was NOT a best answer just maybe wait more than an hour before the Best Answer is awarded. If it is no big seal then let other people do it also.

So the cream rises to the top? Why are the fast clickers the cream when the are just clicking Best Answer? What is so special about that? DO people need a PhD in "clicking Best Answer? Wow that is talent if I ever heard of it. Please don't take it personal. All I asked was to allow others to be given a chance and NOT click Best Answer after an hour or two. Not everyone can spend a lot of time here nor can they be on several times a day. Also remember that other people are from around the world and have different hours.

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I agree with you, Jerry. I think the questioner should be the one to choose the best answer when they feel they have a satisfactory response. I've noticed a couple of things....Firstly, many best answers chosen just parrot Wikitree Help pages. These are not always helpful in individual cases. Secondly, there seem to be a number of people who choose the best answer very quickly. Are they point collecting? (Most of us are big kids now and should be beyond point scoring.) Thirdly, the best answers often go to particular people whether it is the most helpful answer or not. This is discouraging to less "popular" respondents.

Thank for bringing up this topic. It has been bothering me too.

Answer 1

You can remove the star if you want to. I rarely do that, but on the couple of occasions where I have done so I have left an explanation in the comments. Feel free to remove the star that was allocated to me on your last question if you want to encourage more answers.

Comments

Linda that is correct but the question is not to change the best answer later on. It is to wait and allow others to give an answer. a fresh idea is always good to listen to. It will also encourage others to give answers. Idf I see a best answer already given I will not bother replying to that question. Why should anyone answer it if the BEST answer is already given. Why even bother trying. I asked a question this morning and a best answer was already selected in about an hour. I do not like to remove a best answer. the person answering did nothing wrong. they answered to the best of their ability. I would just like to see people not to be so trigger happy to select.  Allow others to participate. Give someone else a chance. Besides your answers are spot on if they are selected or not.  Helping is why G2G is here and  people earn a good reputation with their answers such as yourself. Again I ask the fast clickers to please wait.

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Sometimes, "fast" clickers are folks who come to G2G only once or twice a day and/or when they see a tagged question they might have an answer for on their nav page. I know I usually head right over and attempt to give the most correct answer I possibly can (usually when there is a category question). Why? To prevent a possible mess!  To help someone learn something new! To facilitate collaboration!

Why would anyone assume that folks are chasing points? To what end? Bragging rights?

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Lynda, this answer deserves a Best Answer star!  ;)

Jerry, I see your point, but I'm afraid you are whispering in a hurricane.  People are gonna do what people do.  Mostly, I think they think they are helping.

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Herbert thanks for getting involved with the question. The more the merrier. ​I agree tat people will do what people do. I don't think it helps. People have to give others a chance. And I think that it is wrong to select a best answer if it is not your question. I am glad that you expressed your ideas on the subject.  I just wish that more people would have given answers instead of comments.

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Natalie I believe that everybody here in Wikitree, the best genealogical site anywhere, do give their best answer all the time. It is wonderful that you do this to prevent a possible mess. A mess can happen. I don't see it often but it does happen. That is not the point that I am trying to make. I wish that more people would get involved with G2G. What the initial comment was that people select a Best Answer when not enough time has elapsed and for another thing I don't think that anyone should  select the best answer  except the person asking the question. At the same time it should be the asking person's responsibility to select. As for your comment about people that only come here "once or twice a day" is another one of my points. Some people have a life outside of Wikitree and cannot make it here once or twice a day. Some make it only in the evening or a couple times a week. What good is the reward system that we have if everything is already done in G2G? Did you ever think that others may want to give a best answer to others? It feels good to congratulate others in this community but how can we do it if it is already done for one reason or another? Lets share  the fun here.

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I don't see how selecting a Best Answer deprives anyone of a chance to respond.  Members frequently add answers after a Best is chosen, and sometimes a new Best is chosen.  It's a non-issue in my opinion.  I also don't agree that no one but the requester should choose, but that has been discussed at length before.  As for answers versus comments, what kind of answers are you looking for, and what aspects of your complaint have not been addressed adequately by comments?

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How much time would need to elapse then? Two days? A week? Who's going to patrol for this? Sometimes things need to be addressed more quickly. I've waited for input on a question for DAYS when I could have used the answer right away. I had enough information and tags added, so maybe it just didn't interest other people. Who knows.

I believe that everyone can choose a "best answer" because we are collaborating, even in G2G. I've asked a question and have seen others pick a best answer, but I've changed the best answer to one I thought was more appropos. And on "Weekend Chat" changing "Best Answer" is encouraged all weekend. It's not a dis to have your answer unselected as best, unless, of course, someone is actively seeking to vandalize. (Hard to really prove that though). I agree with what Herbert Tardy just said.

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And, personallly, it's worse when you ask something and you get "crickets." ;-)

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Please go back and read all of my answers in their entirety then send me a private message and we can discuss it there. Denying that you do not know is not a very good answer. I explain my thoughts in my answers. Why didn't you give an answer instead of just a comment? Remember after you read my answers and suggestions shoot me a message.

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Natalie please do not take this personally but are you trolling?. My initial question wasjust  that, a question. DO you treat all questions the same way? That is not collaborating. Where did your answer help my question?NOBODY IS ACCUSING ANYONE ELSE OF VANDALISM. So don't even go there. If you are so much against sharing, do you want all of my points? You can have them if Wikitree would allow it ;)

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I never said you were accusing anyone of vandalism,I used it as an exception to my belief that unselecting BA is nothing to feel bad about.

No, I'm not trolling, and I don't mind that you asked me if I was.

I believe that answering questions in G2G is part of collaborating. We ask questions, answer questions, share information, etc., here. We are all on equal ground, with equal opportunity to share our opinions. We have rules but they are few and mostly relate to the use of spam, profanity, offensive remarks, disrespect,etc. Understandably so. If you start adding these extra layers of rules, such as who can comment and in what time frame, whether they are written somewhere or just "understood" by G2G users, it shatters the equal ground in a way.

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Lynda so far has the only, therefore Best by default, answer.  To leave it that way, I'll stay with comments.

Lynda's answer and the comments, and even the question, establish that everyone is free to post an answer or comment whether a Best Answer exists or not, and that Best Answer is not even a permanent designation.  Any constraint on people participating after a Best Answer selection exists only in their minds.  I have no idea how we know what's in people's minds, but that's the only place any such constraint could exist.

Rather than looking for a way to impose a particular behavior on members who cause no harm, why not spend that energy educating people about what Best Answer means and doesn't mean and how it need not affect their participation?  Instead of restricting each other's actions, let's encourage each other to exercise free will.

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Herbert Nobody suggested or implied to impose a particular behavior and I never ever even thought of restricting anything including free will. You do not know me and it was insulting and it hurt for you to print that publically or to think that about me. I am talking about being cooperative and share with others. Give someone else a chance to do it especially when others do not understand what the person asking even wanted to know. Do you share with others? Doesn't it feel good? Not everything in life has to be me, me, me. I had 2 answers last week selected as Best Answer. I was so surprised and I could hardly believe it. Wouldn't it be nice if others have the same reaction?