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In When should I vote to delete a question?, we only cover questions.

When should 20k users vote to delete answers?

Should this be discussed on a site-by-site basis? Why?

1 Answer 1

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An answer that is not an answer should be deleted (should be a comment, doesn't answer the question etc...).

Answers that are answers but are factually wrong or are actively bad (say promote SQL Injection) should get downvoted, but not deleted.

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  • 3
    Why not vote to delete a -10 answer that is factually wrong and actively bad? To serve as an example?
    – user159834
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 20:50
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    @WesleyMurch Because they still have a right to provide the answer, and seeing an approach widely considered wrong is still useful information, as opposed to trying to stick your head in the sand.
    – Servy
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 20:51
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    Because although the answer is bad, and wrong. It is an answer. Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 20:52
  • 4
    I gotta say I disagree, and I regularly vote to delete answers with harmful information. Seeing the negative score is OK to prevent people from using it, but if the answer itself isn't valuable I see no reason to keep it around, especially when the user is inactive and not likely to revise it or delete it themselves.
    – user159834
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 20:53
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    @WesleyMurch - I think that seeing what the community believes is a bad answer is valuable. And if someone chooses to use such an answer, they at least know others think it is a bad idea.
    – Oded
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 20:56
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    What about cases of community fail? E.g. if an objectively harmful or wrong answer is up voted?
    – Sklivvz
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 20:59
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    @Sklivvz - Grasping at straws? Community fail would also mean that the answer wouldn't get deleted.
    – Oded
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 21:01
  • Right, I forgot one needs -ve score... point taken
    – Sklivvz
    Commented Jan 14, 2013 at 21:02

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