5

Recently on SO, a question asker asked me a yes/no question in the comments. I wanted to say "yes", but I had nothing else to add. However, the comment length filter required me to add characters, so I added what's essentially filler text to my "yes" comment.

With an experienced user, I might just upvote the comment and they would know what that meant. A lot of times with clarifications, you might say "yes" and that's sufficient, but with a "no", usually it's "no, here's why ...", so the comment length filter isn't a problem.

In this situation in the future:

  • Yes with filler, e.g. ("So you mean I should do X?" "Yes" -> "Yes, you should do X")
  • Upvote the question comment
  • Other?

Edit: Hmm, it seems that filler in comments is common practice

Improve this question
2
  • 4
    Often, a comment upvote on a question can mean importance (as in +4 on a "Can you give us this information?").
    – Linuxios
    May 7, 2014 at 15:22
  • 1
    Often, a comment upvote on a question can mean importance (as in +2 on a "Often, a comment upvote on a question can mean importance (as in +2 on a "Often, a comment upvote on a question can mean importance (as in +2 on a "Often, a comment upvote on a question can mean importance (as in +2 on a "..."). "). "). ").
    – nicael
    May 7, 2014 at 16:23

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
8

Answering a "yes/no" question directed at you by upvoting the comment in which the question was formulated is an ambiguous way to respond. The person who posted the comment cannot distinguish the upvote between:

  1. You answering "yes".

  2. Someone who saw the question and thought it is a really relevant question that demands an answer, so they upvoted it.

  3. Some other reason.

The 2nd case happens quite often.

So to make it clear that you are actually answering the question in the affirmative, you have to put in a comment. You may need to add some language to satisfy the length requirement. It is better if you add something that reads nicely rather than just a bunch of periods to satisfy the length requirement like some people sometimes do.

Improve this answer
4
  • I was editing while you were posting your comment. See what I've added at the end of my answer.
    – Louis
    May 7, 2014 at 15:32
  • That comment is basically a really long way of saying "yes" :)
    – durron597
    May 7, 2014 at 15:32
  • Yes, that's a long winded way to say "yes", but I was not sure if what you had in mind was a filler like a bunch of periods or something more substantial. :)
    – Louis
    May 7, 2014 at 15:33
  • I edited to clarify what I meant by filler, but I think the question has been appropriately answered anyway.
    – durron597
    May 7, 2014 at 15:42
4

Look at it this way. Which of these blocks is easier to process?

^ You mean I have to foo the bar and THEN the baz?

Or

You mean I have to foo the bar and THEN the baz?

Yes. (/morechars)

Agreement with a question in a comment is ambiguous. Did the upvoter mean that the question's answer is correct, or that the upvoter likes the question, or that it happened to be Tuesday?

Additionally, there are cases where there literally is no more explanation needed, but there are plenty where you can expand without adding fluff. (Similar to how there's usually plenty to edit in a question/answer, rather than just that one grammatical error.)

Specificity is a good thing, even if you have to work the system a little to make it happen. But generally, you should try to avoid the situation in the first place.

Improve this answer
1
  • Yep - the problem with upvotes on an interrogative is that they often mean, "I also am wondering if the answer is 'yes' or 'no'", as opposed to "the answer is 'yes'"
    – Jaydles
    May 7, 2014 at 18:02
0

Upvoting a comment means:

  • it provides useful information
  • it asks for necessary information
  • it asks for a reason of using/doing something that looks strange / produce strange result
  • it thanks
  • it shows someones unfair / strange action
  • it shows agreement
  • it is funny :)
Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .