Looking at Stack Exchange websites, there are some answers with many down votes like this one (just an example).
For what reasons for don't we delete / remove these kinds of answers?
asked Oct 2, 2014 at 16:02
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The answer hasn't been deleted, it just indicates that the answer is inaccurate or incorrect as deemed by the community.– MakotoCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:03
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@Makoto I think OP is asking why it hasn't been deleted.– SavannaCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:06
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@Savanna That's correct. Makoto: I'm looking the reasons for don't remove them i don't want put it in the OP, but this is a possible example (One of the reasons could be the quantity of comments on it).– Mauricio Arias OlaveCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:09
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@Mauricio Check this out. These are the ways answers can be deleted. If one of these conditions is not met the answer is not deleted skeptics.stackexchange.com/help/deleted-answers– SavannaCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:12
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@Savanna Checked. You can add it as an answer for other viewers.– Mauricio Arias OlaveCommented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:20
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8Please don't downvote this question. This is a request for information, not a proposal to make a change. We shouldn't downvote people on Meta just because they want to understand the site culture better. (Think of the long-term effects of consistently doing that.)– D.W.Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 18:52
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2 Answers
Why should all downvoted answers be deleted?
A wrong answer, downvoted, also conveys information. It tells you, the visitor: don't do this. This answer is wrong, and if you are lucky the comments tell you why it is wrong.
If we deleted such answers, someone else might make the same mistake.
So instead, we (try to) only delete answers that are not answers (when they are new questions, or comments, or gibberish), or spam, or offensive, etc. We don't delete answers merely because they are incorrect.
answered Oct 2, 2014 at 16:19
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1It tells you, the visitor: don't do this. This answer is wrong, and the comments tell you why it is wrong. : It's a good point, but, how can be visible for the visitors?, maybe the key is hide them for "don't allow comments on it (if someone does)", maybe i'm exaggerating, but with @nicael's answer and yours can be the correct answer that i'm looking for. Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:27
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@Mauricio: not sure what you are saying. The answer is not deleted, therefor it is visible to visitors. If downvoted to -3 or below, it'll be shown somewhat faded to further convey that the answer is not helpful or otherwise wrong, but you can still read it, and the comments on it. Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:29
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I recognize that i'm a little confused, but as you noticed i marked your answer as the accepted one (would be nice if nicael's answer can be marked too but i think that isn't possible). Commented Oct 2, 2014 at 16:42
Not all the downvoted answers are deleted. There is a reason to delete an answer, if it is:
not an answer (it was posted as an answer, but should be a comment or edit, or something else (e.g. What things did you use and why didn't it work?) )
link-only answer (because information, accessible from the link can become invalid due to server fault, etc)
duplicate answer
unproven answer
very low quality (and cannot be improved by editing)
it is spam (simply advertisement, promotion)
If it does provide an answer, even incorrect, it won't be deleted (unless it is full nonsense).
