Accepted answer appearing below top voted [duplicate]

Question

On Add year to question and answer dates, sorted by votes, the accepted answer is #3 in order of votes. It appears as number 3 in the list as well.

Is this new behavior intended?

Answer 1

If the asker accepts their own answer, it is still shown in order by votes. The Accept Your Own Answers blog posting announced this feature.

Answer 2

I think the top voted answer should be shown before the accepted answer. Simply because the top voted answer is community's selected answer, whereas the actual selected answer can sometimes be what only one person thinks the right answer is.

Having the top voted answer shown first would feel more community-driven, like the rest of the site.

Maybe the order should be like this :

• Top Voted answer.
• Selected answer.
• The rest of the answers.

Answer 3

If you accept your own answer, it is ordered any other answer - by votes. If it's the most highly voted answer, it will be first in the list.

See the StackOverflow blog post "Accept Your Own Answers":

Now, there are some special rules around owner-accepted answers, to prevent gaming:

• Wait 48 hours. You must wait 2 days from the time you originally asked your question before you can accept your own answer. This gives other users a chance to answer the question in good faith, and earn the accepted answer.
• No change in sort order. Normally, accepted answers are “docked” under the question. This is not true for owner accepted answers; they stay in standard sort order like any other answer.
• No reputation is earned. Normally, accepted answers confer +15 rep to the answerer and +2 to the owner. Owner accepted answers do not earn rep (or badges) for anyone.