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I have a question on SO that has no useful answer. As I changed my application distribution, that question is not so important to me anymore. As I see it, I have the following possibilities to deal with that question

  • Delete it: As I think that question could (if answered) be helpful to others, that is not an option for me.
  • Set a bounty: I don't want to set a bounty as it is not so important to me anymore.
  • Answer it myself: I could give an answer explaining what I did to prevent the neccessity to solve this and then accept that answer. I don't think that this answer would really be valid because it doesn't tell how to do what the question asks, but how to prevent it.
  • Leave it open: And hope that there will be an answer one day. Unfortunately, this will change my % of answered questions, so I don't like that option. Additionally, I think there are already enough unanswered questions messing up SO, so I don't want to add another one to that pile...

Can you tell me how to deal with that situation?

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    Accept rate is a meaningless and worthless stat. Don't sweat it.
    – razlebe
    Aug 22, 2012 at 13:34

2 Answers 2

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Unfortunately, this will change my % of answered questions, so I don't like that option.

Why do you care? You're still at like a 90+% accept rate. You generally don't have a problem accepting answers unless you're 40% or less.

Just leave it alone.

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  • I like my stats to be clean. Plus I think the second point is more important (I don't want to add another unanswered question to the pile).
    – brimborium
    Aug 22, 2012 at 12:39
  • The add your "not really an answer"-answer and leave the question open.
    – Bart
    Aug 22, 2012 at 12:41
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    @brimborium: Questions without accepted answers do not harm the site. The database does not unravel or summon Cthulhu or whatever if too many questions don't have accepted answers. As for "I like my stats to be clean", there's nothing "clean" about what you're trying to do. Not accepting an answer on a question is not, in and of itself, a bad thing.
    – Nicol Bolas
    Aug 22, 2012 at 12:42
  • Hm, ok. Thanks for your answer. I guess leaving it open is the best option here.
    – brimborium
    Aug 22, 2012 at 12:48
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Delete it:

Even if you want to delete it,you cannot as it contain an answer.(Only mods can do it)

Set a bounty:

You have 1.7k repo! Why are you bothering about mere 50 rep ! If you still don't want to set a bounty,think about lower accept rate and what costs you more

Answer it myself and mark accepted:

That would be uncool :/

Leave it open:

As Nicol said,that won't effect your accept rate much

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  • You are right, but I can vote for deletion. For the bounty: I don't care about the rep, but I think the chances are slim that it produces a good answer. Actually, I could just try it and not give the bounty if there is no useful answer...
    – brimborium
    Aug 22, 2012 at 12:58
  • Oh and btw: I am not concerned about what costs me more, but more like what helps SO more... ;)
    – brimborium
    Aug 22, 2012 at 12:59
  • Even if you want to delete it,you cannot as it contain an answer.(Only mods can do it) Wrong, he can delete it as the answer is zero scored. That would be uncool :/ Why? It's perfectly fine and even encouraged to answer your own question if you have a good answer for it.
    – yannis
    Aug 22, 2012 at 13:41
  • @YannisRizos I didn't see whether it is upvoted or not. my mistake. But what's with your opinion about answering our own questions and accepting it? Suppose i asked a question and answered it myself and accepted it(if there is a chance). i'll gain reputation like this. Wouldn't it be uncool? This would be a lame trick
    – Bhuvan Rikka 웃
    Aug 22, 2012 at 13:55
  • @BhuvanRikka No it wouldn't be uncool, we care for good answers a lot more than we care about reputation, if you have a good answer to your own question you should go for it. Also, it's not just my opinion, but the community's: Is it ok to answer your own question and accept it?, Etiquette for answering your own question and Encyclopedia Stack Exchange
    – yannis
    Aug 22, 2012 at 14:00
  • @YannisRizos If a user continues to do so, without an actual intention to ask a question but to gain reputation by accepting his own questions then wouldn't it come under voting fraud?
    – Bhuvan Rikka 웃
    Aug 22, 2012 at 14:16
  • @BhuvanRikka Forgot to mention that earlier: You don't earn any reputation when you accept your own answer, that only happens when others accept your answer. There's no fraud, if your answer is actually good and others upvote it, the reputation you earn is fair, same as with any good answer.
    – yannis
    Aug 22, 2012 at 14:20
  • @YannisRizos fine then
    – Bhuvan Rikka 웃
    Aug 22, 2012 at 15:16

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