topic Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer" in Q Talk

OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

wildcat fan — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:01:50 GMT

I understand what the "Best Answer" feature is all about, and I see it can be helpful for those who want to skim long threads and focus on the "best" responses. I also like the way an OP can assign the "best answer" distinction to more than one response.

However, I think it's odd that an OP can comment on his/her own thread and mark his/her own post(s) as the "best answer." We can't give ourselves hearts, so it's odd that we can single out our own posts as the "best." There is a thread in the Beauty forum now about Chaz/WEN that caused me to reflect on this feature.

What are your thoughts about the "Best Answer" feature?

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

GCR18 — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:09:19 GMT

It was odd. If the OP has the best answer, why start the post. Seems like it should work like the hearts.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

Citrine1 — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:40:17 GMT

@wildcat fan, I just checked out that thread. I agree that it's odd -- really odd. Then again, did you notice that the poster who started the thread is new? Or maybe it's an old poster with a new nic just looking to stir up some trouble. Who knows!

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

skuggles — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:47:48 GMT

Sometimes ... you gotta blow your own horn.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

Pearlee — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 02:37:48 GMT

@wildcat fan They should get rid of the feature. Just yesterday someone awarded a best answer to a very sarcastic, sourpuss answer on one of my threads, just because whoever did it dislikes me. The feature can definitely be used as a popularity contest - or unpopularity contest.

BTW - I accidentally gave my own post on one of my threads a "best answer" check mark once. I had meant to hit the quote button to quote a previous post of mine and instead I hit the best answer button! I was so embarrassed and I, too, hadn't known that I could give my own answer as a "best answer." I explained on that thread how I hadn't meant to do that - it was a while ago.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

wildcat fan — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 04:55:56 GMT

@Pearlee I almost gave myself a "best answer" by mistake. As an iPad user, sometimes my screen bounces or I just accidentally tap somewhere by accident. Is there a way to remove the best answer distinction (similar to how we can take away hearts)? If not, that would be nice to have as a feature if they are going to continue with "best answer."

We've been able to use "best answer" for a few months. It was a feature they added after the forums changed. Now that everyone has gotten a chance to see how it works, I was just curious what everyone thinks about it. I'm sort of on the fence: I see its benefits while I see it helps some advance their agenda. I feel that if we can't give ourselves hearts, we shouldn't be able to label our own posts as "best answer."

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

newziesuzie — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 09:59:47 GMT

@wildcat fan wrote:
@Pearlee I almost gave myself a "best answer" by mistake. As an iPad user, sometimes my screen bounces or I just accidentally tap somewhere by accident. Is there a way to remove the best answer distinction (similar to how we can take away hearts)? If not, that would be nice to have as a feature if they are going to continue with "best answer."

We've been able to use "best answer" for a few months. It was a feature they added after the forums changed. Now that everyone has gotten a chance to see how it works, I was just curious what everyone thinks about it. I'm sort of on the fence: I see its benefits while I see it helps some advance their agenda. I feel that if we can't give ourselves hearts, we shouldn't be able to label our own posts as "best answer."

@wildcat fan I thought at first the

Best Answer feature might help but since

its been in use I haven't noticed any

benefits.

😊

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

Nataliesgramma — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 10:27:12 GMT

I wouldn't mind if they got rid of it either...

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

Pearlee — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 11:25:26 GMT

@wildcat fan wrote:
@Pearlee I almost gave myself a "best answer" by mistake. As an iPad user, sometimes my screen bounces or I just accidentally tap somewhere by accident. Is there a way to remove the best answer distinction (similar to how we can take away hearts)? If not, that would be nice to have as a feature if they are going to continue with "best answer."

We've been able to use "best answer" for a few months. It was a feature they added after the forums changed. Now that everyone has gotten a chance to see how it works, I was just curious what everyone thinks about it. I'm sort of on the fence: I see its benefits while I see it helps some advance their agenda. I feel that if we can't give ourselves hearts, we shouldn't be able to label our own posts as "best answer."

@wildcat fan It doesn't make sense that there can be more than one "best answer' either -- every single post can be marked Best Answer! Although I guess it does in case a better answer than the first best answer is posted later. I wondered too if it could be removed but so far I'm not seeing how. I think we should each decide for ourselves which is the best answer on a thread; in other words, get rid of that feature! What one person thinks is a BA is not necessarily what another thinks is.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

febe1 — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 11:55:58 GMT

This appears to me to be the opposite of the heart feature or as we have seen elsewhere, a like or dislike feature. I stay away from them. I find it strange they have this feature, however, they cannot apply the ignore feature. A best response should be only ONE, and I'm not interested in a OP making that decision.

...

debic — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 12:07:26 GMT

I just don't open any that have been checked.

Re: ...

NickNack — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 12:18:58 GMT

I find it irritating. It makes it seem like the thread is closed after a best answer has been assigned. I never go to what was considered a best answer. I still read the entire thread if it's something I'm interested in. I don't even know how to assign a "best answer" to my own thread.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

Pearlee — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 12:20:30 GMT

@febe1 wrote:
. A best response should be only ONE, and I'm not interested in a OP making that decision.

Except someone could post a better answer after the first designated one!

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

redhead65 — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 12:58:34 GMT

I feel somewhat dense here. I have no idea what you all are speaking about. Best answer? Voting for yourself?

Boy, I have obviously missed out on something here.

...

debic — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 12:59:50 GMT

For me if I just wanted an answer I'd google it. I come here for conversation.

...

debic — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 13:03:03 GMT

@redhead65 Just go into Today's Special Value and look at the Nutrisystem post. It has a big green check in front of it. That means the OP has determined that they have recieved the best answer. If you open the thread you can click on the bar and it takes you to the post.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

dooBdoo — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:26:30 GMT

I'll just add what I wrote in the other threads on the "Best

Answer" option.

If there's one thing we all can agree about it's that every feature has its fans and it's not-such-fans.

In theory, this seems like it might be helpful. But only if the question is the type which has only one right or best answer (asking for the item number of a specific product, or the title of a book, for example).

Otherwise, from reading numerous posts about this, often it seems to come across as being less than useful since most questions have more than one possibly correct/best answer.

There are times when I do wish the OP of a thread had the ability to lock it after the questions are answered (other than reporting their own thread to the moderators, so they can lock it) -- that way we could stop the cycling through of the same answers being repeated and repeated and repeated. After pages and pages of responses, sometimes (not always) a very long thread can run its course.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

dooBdoo — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:34:00 GMT

To add:

@wildcat fan and @Pearlee, you can remove the "Best Answer" flag if you want.

To choose a reply as "Best Answer," you click the 3 dots in the upper right corner of that response and choose "Best Answer."

To un-flag the post, click the 3 dots and choose "Not the Solution."

(Note: The "Best Answer" feature isn't available in all of the forums and sub-forums, as far as I can tell.)

hth!

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

NickNack — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:32:29 GMT

@dooBdoo wrote:

To add:

@wildcat fan and @Pearlee, you can remove the "Best Answer" flag if you want.

To choose a reply as "Best Answer," you click the 3 dots in the upper right corner of that response and choose "Best Answer."

To un-flag the post, click the 3 dots and choose "Not the Solution."

(Note: The "Best Answer" feature isn't available in all of the forums and sub-forums.)

hth!

@dooBdoo Is it just in certain forums that you can mark an aswer in your thead as best answer? I just clicked on one of my threads in the Pet forum that had lots of answers, and there wasn't a choice to say "best answer" under the editing feature. I wasn't going to use it as I don't like this feature, but have wanted to know how it worked.

Re: OP voting own post(s) as "Best Answer"

dooBdoo — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:33:08 GMT

@Nicknack wrote:
@dooBdoo wrote:

To add:

@wildcat fan and @Pearlee, you can remove the "Best Answer" flag if you want.

To choose a reply as "Best Answer," you click the 3 dots in the upper right corner of that response and choose "Best Answer."

To un-flag the post, click the 3 dots and choose "Not the Solution."

(Note: The "Best Answer" feature isn't available in all of the forums and sub-forums.)

hth!

@dooBdoo Is it just in certain forums that you can mark an aswer in your thead as best answer? I just clicked on one of my threads in the Pet forum that had lots of answers, and there wasn't a choice to say "best answer." I wasn't going to use it as I don't like this feature, but have wanted to know how it worked.

Hi, @NickNack, yes. That's mentioned in my "Note."