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I asked a question on stackoverflow at the end of last year for a beta or pre-release product and got the answer I wanted. 3 months later someone else answered the question with the correct answer for a newer release. This answer got way more upvotes than the one I accepted. I only noticed this today so changed the accepted answer.

Can I get a notification email when an answer gets say 10 more votes than the one I accepted. Just to let me know something might be up.

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    Wait! You got the information, that someone answered your question, didn't you?
    – Ladybug Killer
    Aug 14, 2009 at 13:29
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    John Smithers: That might not always be the case. For example, I post a question now and the answer is "that's not possible", so I accept it. But in 6 months or a year, a new version of the tool comes out where it is possible, someone finds the question, and posts this, getting many upvotes. Well, I might want to clarify my question to make sure that it is clear what version I'm talking about or change the accepted answer if I decide to upgrade to a new version.
    – Thomas Owens
    Aug 14, 2009 at 13:33
  • Yes I did get the answer I wanted for Preview 5. The way of doing it changed in RC1 and so the accepted answer was now incorrect.
    – John Oxley
    Aug 14, 2009 at 14:35
  • @Thomas Owen: I understand that. But aren't you informed by the envelope icon or by mail (if set) that you got a new respond and check that?
    – Ladybug Killer
    Aug 14, 2009 at 18:23
  • PING! People find this useful: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/36195
    – Flavius A
    Jan 19, 2010 at 21:45

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I like the idea, I just have no idea how useful it would be for more than a very small set of people. A lot of times people won't ask questions that the answer is going to drastically change over time, so once they accept there is little reason to go back and look.

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    True, but there seems to be little overhead involved, and it might be beneficial. It doesn't even have to be for old posts - if I accept an answer after 2 hours and someone posts an answer that gets more upvotes 5 hours later, I want to know.
    – Thomas Owens
    Aug 14, 2009 at 13:39
  • and also downvotes...the accepted answer might be downvoted, which changes the community's pick for top asnwer.
    – Thomas Owens
    Aug 14, 2009 at 13:41
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    The accepted answer is supposed to be the correct answer for you, not necessarily the community. If I say 2 and get +5 and it works for you, that is accepted answer generally. If someone else says 3 and it gets +50, that does not mean it is going to be the right answer for you, just what the community believes. If you want to check in and see, I can understand that. I just don't think that the community's pick for the top answer is what you should be most concerned about most of the time.
    – TheTXI
    Aug 14, 2009 at 13:44
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    But it might be good to know that other people thought there was a better answer, that's all. I would say that most of the time, you wouldn't change your accepted answer, but even knowing that there is (potentially) another useful solution is good.
    – Thomas Owens
    Aug 14, 2009 at 13:48

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