Why is two points more important than a decent answer?

Question

I recently asked, why do people only read the title of the question and was flooded with people saying d'uh two points plz and things like that, so the question is, why are the points more important than a decent answer, I mean what achievement is it to have lots of points when none of us know each other?

This is a serious question by the way, I really want to know why that is.

THANKYOU VERY MUCH TO THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ANSWERED THIS QUESTION SENSIBLY. I AM AMAZED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE THIS ANNOYS OTHER THAN ME!!

Answer 1

You know what my kid says I am dumb but i actually answer everyone as good as I can,to help with trivia,medical advice,give my true opinion,i asked peopl to name a decent Native American movie and they have to be assinine and it was important to me.Good luck not everyone is in this world just for their greedy selves!!

Answer 2

WELL DONE!!! The amount of questions I could answer just for a guess or for a couple of points is amazing. I don't answer every question I open because some people out there do want genuine answers and I'm not a time waster. Can I just say I am answering this question to commend u for asking, not for the two points (I bet u will still get some silly a**ses tho. I hope not too many) =o)

Answer 3

I think it is because we have been conditioned to be goal oriented and overly competitive without consideration for quality and value.

Take a look at our economic system... Gross National Product, planned obsolescence and increasing consumption is critical, making conservation through durable, quality products pretty much a thing of the past.

The educational system, where we pick up many of our basic concepts of competition and achievement, is geared towards the grade point average... We learn to avoid or 'cram' for the classes we are not good in so we can have our coveted grade. Very little thought is given to how well students really know the material so long as they can answer the questions right then.

Now we have what you see... "gimme the points, man" attitude with no thought to what can be learned or shared by the answer.

Answer 4

I don't think 2 points IS more important than a serious Answer, but it depends on what people are looking for.

If all they want is points, or to relieve their boredom, anything will suffice.

If someone understands what this site is really for (serious Answers to serious Questions), then a serious Answer is more important.

That is why any Answer gets 2 points, but a Best Answer gets 10 points.

This is not a chatroom.

Points are intended as an incentive to encourage better Questions. You lose points for asking, so it should be worth something to you to do it, and you gain 10 points for Best Answer, as an incentive to better Answers.

The idea is that people who contribute more, by better Answers, should be able to participate more.

In my opinion, this site has gone to hell recently, as people who are bored, and people who care more for points than genuine information and truly helping others, are taking over.

Answer 5

I guess because people are competitive and want to get to the "next level", not that you get anything great for that, other than being able to ask and answer more questions! I never answer to get points but I do sometimes answer with short or not especially comprehensive answers. You have to realize that there are all kinds of people on here that are here for all kinds of reasons. I'm sure that even the most serious and devoted answerer's sometimes give curt or unhelpful replies. Its part of the fun of being on here, letting your answers reflect your mood.

Answer 6

Because some people's lives are so boring, all they have to look forward to is seeing what happens when they accrue more points on Yahoo! Answers.

I haven't gone on Yahoo! Answers in a little while, but I am doing some part time call-screening for a radio station which is SOOOOOO boring, and Yahoo! Answers is a great way for me to pass the time, whereas for other people, they MAKE time to spend all day on Yahoo! Answers for the points.

Answer 7

Some people word their question in such a way that you don't even know what they are asking until you read the small print. Some people feel if they are going to open a question (that turns out they either know nothing about or don't care about) they may as well get something for reading it. Your question was not one of these by the way.

Answer 8

I always try to give a decent answer and I expect one in return, but some people are greedy and don't care about the question being asked. Some people are just that way.

Answer 9

That is true, more and more everyday I just try my best to get "best answer" for every question I answer. I've realized as you move up through the levels, getting 2 points isn't good enough if you want to reach level 7.

Think about it, a Best Answer saves answering 5 questions.

Answer 10

I don't really know, i mean at the end of the day what do we actually get out of having these points it's not as if the points are exchanged into money so we can all go and have a good shop or summat.. so the jury is out on this one for me!!

Answer 11

some people are greedy for points and will put anything, even three dots, as an answer just to get the 2 points. They don't care about putting thought into their answers so they can get 10 for a best answer