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This is different from the request in mark a comment as answer to a question.

Sometimes a comment should be an answer. Sometimes an answer should be a comment. For some reason, people screw this up. I'd like to propose a ability to convert between the two.

For the case of an answer with comments, converting it to comment should convert the answers comments to comments on the question below the migrated answer (which is now a comment). Comments that are not @replies should become @replies to the answer-turned-comment.

For the case of comments turned to answers, I think its straightforward.

I propose the following migration privileges:

  • If you can edit questions you can convert
  • If you asked the question, and have at least 200 rep you can convert answers and comments
  • Anyone can propose to convert an answer to a comment or a comment to an answer.
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    Note that mods can already convert answers to comments, so you can flag an answer as "not an answer" and they'll take care of it (at least in that direction)
    – Michael Mrozek
    Commented Oct 20, 2011 at 0:37
  • @MichaelMrozek what about the other way?
    – Justin Dearing
    Commented Oct 20, 2011 at 0:58
  • Nope
    – Michael Mrozek
    Commented Oct 20, 2011 at 1:34

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If you can edit questions you can convert

That bar is by far too low, in my opinion. You can edit starting at 2,000 rep. I'm getting pretty close to that and, while I think that I'm perfectly capable of making minor corrections to an existing answer, I don't think that I'm qualified to rule between answer and comment.

Also, I could picture a lot of competing answers converted to comments...

If you asked the question, and have at least 200 rep you can convert answers and comments

It makes sense to me that a the OP should be able to convert a comment to an answer. More than once, I've seen the OP replying (to a comment) If that was an answer, I would accept it.

But the other way around? 200 rep is almost nothing. A lot of proper answers will probably get converted to comments since the OP doesn't like / understand them. Quite often, the actually correct answer is not the one that gets accepted by the OP. Converting it would rob other users of the chance of voting them up and, by doing so, recommending it as the correct answer to future visitors.

If it really needs to get converted into a comment, leave it to the mods...

Anyone can propose to convert an answer to a comment or a comment to an answer.

You can already do the first by just flagging it.

The latter might be useful somehow, but not as useful as permitting the OP to convert it directly...

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    +1 for "It makes sense to me that a the OP should be able to convert a comment to an answer." There are a couple of valid reasons why a person might post a comment instead of an answer. If the OP thinks that the comment solved the problem, then I don't see why not to allow the OP to convert it to the accepted answer, crediting it to the comment's author. Other users can then upvote/downvote/edit the answer to make it more useful.
    – Dr. Wily's Apprentice
    Commented Jan 12, 2012 at 17:14

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