If an answer is not useful or if it gets down votes, is it good or bad to delete the answer?
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1 Answer
The best thing to do is always to edit it so that it is useful1 and gets upvotes.
Failing that deleting a bad answer can remove bad content and stop the downvotes. However be aware that deleting downvoted answers will not protect you from an answer ban
1 Just copying content from other answers shouldn't really be considered useful, so if that's all that can be done then falling back to deleting the answer is probably best
answered Jan 8, 2014 at 11:22
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What's an unacceptable percentage of deleted answers very roughly? 10%? Closer to 50%?– SzymonCommented Jan 8, 2014 at 12:17
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@Szymon Unfortunately those sorts of details are kept secret to avoid people gaming the system; living just on the edge of the ban. Not to mention downvotes being a contributing factor. But the usual people who come to meta with q-bans have 3 significantly (-5 ish) downvoted closed/deleted questions and no good content Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 12:28
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2Teetered on -1ing this. Personally, I would add that if somebody has already posted a good and comprehensive answer, it's better to delete your answer than to edit it such that it just repeats the same content - doing the latter just creates noise. This has happened to me a few times - the only bad answers I've ever posted have been when I've bashed out quick answers to simple questions and then realised that I've misunderstood the question or otherwise been an idiot, and usually someone less thick than me comes along and gives a correct answer by the time I realise my mistake. Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 12:39
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@MarkAmery Would you define a copied answer as useful? (He says being all weasely and lawyerish) Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 12:41
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@RichardTingle I wouldn't, no. I don't think an answer is 'useful' unless it adds something - whether that's extra detail, or a clearer explanation, or a completely different approach - that isn't present in any other answers. From what I've seen, though, when multiple people give the same correct answer, they usually all get upvoted. Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 12:45
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@MarkAmery That can be true when they are all posted at a similar time. Regardless I've added a footnote regarding this Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 12:47
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1I think deleting answers where a person has provide a quick but incomplete information when a better/complete answer has been provided is beneficial for all. The volume of information others need to read is less. Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 13:09
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2@JamieClayton If they are substatially different (as opposed to one being a worse version of the other) I say let the voting sort it out Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 13:10
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@RichardTingle - Totally agree that alternative (outside the box) answers are worth keeping and a voting system demonstrates it's value. I've seen some answers that have made me re-think approaches where I cherry pick parts of each answer ( or parts from multiple questions ). Commented Jan 8, 2014 at 13:21