IS there a definitive answer? "Helpful/Unhelpful"? "Best Answer/I Don't Want This To Be B.A."? "I agree/I disagree"? HELPPP! Vote here?

This is likely to kill my chances to get selected as BA, but I have to say it. Your question is very wordy, but not clear. Accordingly, I'll answer what I *think* you're trying to ask.

I believe you want people to weigh in on what is the most appropriate way to use the "helpful" and "unhelpful" buttons available on each answer. Further, you're offering the choices of: A) Helpful/Unhelpful B) Best Answer/I Don't Want This To Be B.A. C) I agree/I disagree D) Leave it the way it is - some murkiness is good/fun (in fact, add agree/disagree somewhere) E) Don't know/don't care and asking people to use option B only when they rate the answers on this particular thread. So, assuming I understood correctly, here's my response.

The way helpful/unhelpful has been explained in the past on Mahalo, before the current single-stage voting, was closest to A. Specifically, that any answer is helpful if it provides useful relevant information to the asker. An answer can only be considered unhelpful then if it does not provide any information that is relevant to the question *as stated* (as opposed to, "well, you did answer what I asked, but not what I *meant* to ask" kind of silliness we've occasionally seen on Mahalo).

This means that any answer to an opinion-based question, whether the reader agrees with that opinion, or finds it horrifyingly wrong, as long as it is the answerer's opinion which is asked for, and it is relevant to the question, that answer cannot be classified unhelpful. However... we are now in the single-stage voting regime. This means that people need to be able to vote for the answer they think is not only helpful, but is also their candidate for Best Answer (BA).

In this regime, it makes the most sense for people to vote up those answers they think are BA-worthy (or in some cases the most BA-worthy of several great answers). The question remaining then is - when should we vote an answer down? I'd assert that this should still not be used except for answers that provide nothing relevant and helpful to the discussion.

Even if I disagree with someone's opinion, I believe in free speech, and as long as they present a valid argument, even one I disagree with, it is not an unhelpful answer. My conclusion then is that in the best outcome, Mahalo would modify the buttons and provide 3 buttons on each answer: "BA-worthy" (or "I like this" or some such), "Comment" (where readers can argue with an answer if they disagree with it), and "Report" (where the reader can point out spam, non-answers, etc. ). Given that Mahalo has not yet made such a change (and may never do so), I'd recommend the following use of the existing buttons.

- If you think an answer is worthy of BA - click the "helpful" or "vote up" button. - If you disagree with an answer, but it is not irrelevant or spam or profane - leave a comment. - If you feel an answer is simply irrelevant (e.g. "Great question.

I don't know the answer") - click the "unhelpful" or "vote down" button. - If an answer is spam, illegal, or something similar - click the "unhelpful" or "vote down" button, and then click the "Report" button. I agree that hitting the "vote down" button on a valid answer just because I disagree or don't like the content, or hate the answerer, is being immature and/or trying to game the system.

The problem is not as simple as the question makes it appear. When people read the questions and answers, they experience a lot more reaction that just one of intelligence. In other words, sometimes they are offended or completely disagree.At the same time, they might not have the time to refute, rebut or even to comment.

As an example, today is a complete luxury for me in that I have been on Mahalo for maybe 6 hours. Usually I have literally 15 minutes a day if I'm lucky. On short days I tend to read and vote, but obviously don't have much time to retort.

I think that a possible answer already lies within Mahalo, it's just not available in the right place; that is the like/dislike button that shows up on your profile when someone answers one of your questions. I would still leave the *unhelpful* button, because sometimes there truly is an answer that you know someone put there just to be a wiseguy and the unhelpful vote is a way, as a community, to maintain the quality integrity of the site. However, I have experienced *unhelpful* votes, mostly on politically charged answers where someone didn't like my take on an issue, but likewise didn't leave a comment, or even if they did leave a comment they felt so strongly they needed to take that next step of the unhelpful vote.

If they had the "venting" option of *dislike* in addition to commenting, maybe they could maintain the integrity of acknowledging that the answer was at least helpful in continuing the debate, even if they were greatly opposed to it. Mahalo is a community of people, not encyclopedias. I think Jason is a perfect example of this.

If Mahalo wants to continue to evolve to be the ultimate *answers* destination site, it needs to address the whole person in each Mahaloan - emotion and all, and then a Mahalo Etiquette Standard will make sense again. So in answer to this question, I vote F) Other. I vote for keeping the helpful/unhelpful and also adding the like/dislike.

Note: I'm a big believer in KISS (keep it simple simon) so normally I wouldn't necessarily suggest adding more to the pages, but sometimes too little choice is as bad as too much choice, which = diminishing return. Obviously, we haven't found the right balance yet. Great question.

Thanks.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.