Timeline for What is the official etiquette on answering a question twice?
Current License: CC BY-SA 2.5
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2020 at 8:37 | comment | added | Anakhand | @rob Sure, but what happens if someone who isn't very knowledgeable about the topic finds that upvoted, multiple-answers-in-one post? How can they know which solution is (deemed) best? I.e. how do the votes distribute among the different solutions? Assuming some expert will always come by and "correct" any bad solutions and "elevate" the best solution in that post via comments before anyone less knowledgeable sees the post seems like wishful thinking. | |
| Jul 1, 2015 at 19:08 | comment | added | rob | @DVK I didn't say anything about increasing your upvotes by splitting up multiple solutions into separate answers, but I do think some people will try to game the system in that way. As I said, when someone points out that one of your approaches is especially good or bad via a comment, you can edit your answer accordingly to differentiate good from bad. It isn't necessary to split them into physically separate answers. Presumably if you're knowledgeable enough to provide a really great solution, you won't intentionally include a horrible solution without stating that it's a horrible solution. | |
| Jul 1, 2015 at 18:36 | comment | added | DVK | @rob - the goal isn't to get votes. It's to differentiate good from bad approaches | |
| Jul 1, 2015 at 18:07 | comment | added | rob | @DVK I disagree. If part of an answer is really great, you'll almost certainly get at least one upvoted comment patting you on the back for that solution. If part of an answer is actually bad (as opposed to not good), the community should tell you why in the comments so you can remove it or note in your answer that it is not recommended. Perhaps if each answer is very long or if the site demands one solution per answer, it makes sense to post them separately. Otherwise you're just trying to turn the question into a poll or popularity contest. | |
| Jul 1, 2015 at 17:26 | comment | added | DVK | @rob - also see comment from Lance Roberts Oct 8 '09 at 22:43 on another answer here | |
| Jul 1, 2015 at 17:25 | comment | added | DVK | @rob - because the collective wisdome very well might decide that 1 is outstanding and "best", 2 are good, 1 is meh, and 1 is really really bad. They need a way to differentiate | |
| Jul 1, 2015 at 17:22 | comment | added | rob | @DVK if all 5 solutions are equally good and sufficiently brief, I think it makes more sense to post them all in a single comprehensive, definitive answer. | |
| Aug 16, 2013 at 3:09 | comment | added | Rob Kennedy | Why does it matter whether the two answers are from the same person? Who cares? | |
| Oct 9, 2009 at 6:15 | comment | added | DVK | Sux - I just lamented that about Sinan's answer no longer than 3 hrs ago | |
| Oct 9, 2009 at 2:58 | comment | added | DVK | P.S. However, I agree that, with some exceptions, the practice of posting multiple answers is Not A Good Thing, and therefore highly approve of SO's solution (allow but add extra hoops to do so). | |
| Oct 9, 2009 at 2:56 | comment | added | DVK | Jeff - I fear I must point out a counter-example for you. In 2 words: "Perl" questions. I can frequently think of 5 different ways of answering a given question before even getting my breakfast, to paraphrase from Alice. | |
| Oct 8, 2009 at 22:36 | history | answered | Jeff Atwood | CC BY-SA 2.5 |