Mathematics Questions and Best Answers?

Question

It is generally seen that most of the askers do not mark the best answer.As such,all the answers are sent for voting,where most of them result in ties.Sometimes,the wrong answer get away with Best Answer.Can we not do something to improve this position?

Answer 1

Many Askers are only interested in getting enough information to get their homework done, and as soon as they have that, they lose interest in the question and its answers. And many voters are only interested in picking up points, and they have little to lose by voting for any answer, right or wrong. The main problem is that there are far more questions and answers that there is time for even the combined attention of everyone involved to give sufficient time for. And Y!A offers little real incentive for people to give answers enough thought.

What's the cure? What I do is to avoid the questions by Askers that I suspect will disappear without even acknowledging anything---a typical homework mooch.

Answer 2

I have noticed what you meention and also:

1. Sometimes an Asker will not pick any answer, in which case, as you say, the answers go to Voting.
2. Sometimes an Asker will pick an answer, but the answer will be wrong. This has happened to me at least half a dozen times, when I knew the answer someone else gave was completey wrong, yet it was picked as Best Answer.

The only thing we can do is to encourage good answers by leaving Thumbs Up for good answers, and not being complacent with the voting.

Sometimes, also, there are several good answers, and so the tie results not so much from a lack of voting, but from the fact that there is no truly "Best" answer.

In any format where it is open to user feedback, you will get some great feedback, some mediocre, and some bad as well. That will mean sometimes bad questions are asked, bad answers are given, and even bad answers are chosen. Democracy of this kind has its ups and downs. More participation may help pull the good answers out of the pile.

Answer 3

Hi,

I have thought the same way as you were and while I agree, that there are improvements need to be made, it will be pretty difficult due to the size of participants. The point system is in place to help solve these problems, but since the incentive associated with the points accumulated is not much, many people don't actually care about it. Not to mention, that it will take a lot of effort to gain these points. So, it's really up to the participants to be honest with oneself, be responsible, and do their parts in helping to make sure that things are done the way it is supposed to be.

Answer 4

May be that is be'cs of the reason most of us does not send the exact answer what the asker is looking for.

Answer 5

The same reasons why bad answers win thumbs up, and good answers get thumbs down: one does not need knowledge in order to rate and vote.

Answer 6

I don't know, It maybe because most of askers, WHO ARE STUDENTS, want answers only, without caring of point!!!!

Answer 7

yes