Undecided questions - what is the proper etiquette?

You might have seen me vote, I'm a fairly strict voter when it comes to best answer although I do understand when a short answer is 'best' and sometimes when its not :) You might have seen my comments to others about answers and me leaving links to helpful Mahalo pages such as those below - I have the list saved and copy/paste it to answers if required. Helpful Mahalo pages to avoid NBA votes Mahalo Answers Etiquette How Mahalo Answers Works How To Get a Best Answer on Mahalo Mahalo ProTips Mahalo Copying and Pasting Guidelines Mahalo Terms of Service I include the terms of service for those that think retaliation for voting is OK, because it isn't. I have also had answers that get NBA votes - it means I work harder and have worked harder to be thorough.

I know perfectly well that old questions get one answer before voting so any answer I give has to be better than a simple search, and its good practice for working out if other old questions have a best answer if only one answer is given. Voting is important but so is selecting a best answer. In fact, I leave questions I can't vote on because my knowledge in the area isn't sufficient for me to know if the Q has been answered.

I use the spy feature to see how voting is going - for example if someone has already voted NBA I see why, and if I agree I add my vote so the question is going to disappear from the list faster and gives us better answers to vote on. I do try to be flexible but there are way too many flippant answers, one liners without sources, copied and pasted answers from examville or Wiki which add nothing to Mahalo - they weaken the site and its quality - and they will get a NBA no matter how much the tip is worth. So, although I might have gone off track I hope it helps you decide on voting and how its done.

I'm no expert. But if we all try to think quality not quantity we should improve the Mahalo experience for everyone.

Not only is it fair, it's a great idea. Many questioners especially on the .25 cent questions never even return to the site. The .25 is funded by Mahalo.

If someone put in the time and effort to answer the question and did so adequately they deserve best answer and the tip. Also now when someone googles that same question they will be led to Mahalo which increases traffic on the site. Also be careful to be sure they are answering well though as I've noticed some people will just go through old questions spamming answers expecting people to vote them best just because they put something there.

That shouldn't be rewarded because of the above stated google linking. It hurts the reputability of the site. On top of contributing to the site in this way you as a user also gain 1 point per vote which acts towards your belt level.

Voting also keeps there from being an unimaginable back log of undecided questions. I've even let some of my questions go into voting when I was undecided on which was "best" a tie breaker of sorts. Though I'm a little unclear exactly what you asked, I hope this answered your question.

:).

We can help each other by voting on undecided questions. If we do our part to vote then everything becomes fair. The questions asker gets their information, the person who answered gets the tip and if there has been no best answer given everyone gets their money back.

We can help this to happen by voting on undecided questions. I like to think of voting as my little part to help keep the quality of answers as high as possible. I think I qualify as someone who knows what a less than best answer is because I have given approximately 1150 answers that were neither selected or voted as best answer.

Basically I learned how to answer by doing it all wrong and learning by trial and error. We the voters now have a bit of an obligation to help newer users do the same. I know it takes some time to vote and the direct reward is minimal (1point) but the indirect reward of learning what is and is not a "best answer" is what the true benefit is.

I learned everything I know about how to deliver a best answer here on Mahalo Answers by reading other peoples answers and voting on them. So yes voting is not mandatory by any means but voting on undecided questions has a far reaching and very helpful effect on the entire community and we will determine the future of Mahalo Answers by the quality of answers we select as best by voting on undecided questions.

Take a look at Mahalo Answers Etiquette about halfway down the page you will see voting etiquette. Basically voting is optional, but everyone is encouraged to do it. All questions stay open for 3 days, then the asker is sent a reminder that it is time to choose the best answer.

If the asker does not choose a best answer then it goes to undecided. There is a great discussion of this on a question from Jeff Hoard mahalo.com/answers/mahalo-answers-commun... Why you should sometimes choose no best answer when voting on undecided questions.

I've only asked one question, so I'm not sure yet. I mean, I only got one answer and wasn't happy with it, because it wasn't anything beyond what I knew, when I asked the question to learn something I couldn't find on my own. I try to do outside research unless it's an opinion question, or cite my bookreading when it's that which I draw from.

*But* there is a sort of obligation to not clog up the boards with undecideds, so I gave in to best answer. I can see where voting as a group is a more of a fair option, I mean there's always some risk of sway, but multiple people might end up with a better view of 'has the question been answered' properly.

Let me put it in short. A voting is the only way left to decide which is the best answer. 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.