Do you ever give a thumbs-down just to get a very long answer off of your screen?

Question

So someone copies three page-downs worth of text from carm.org, or answersingenesis, or wikipedia, or anywhere else. I admit that I will often give a thumbs-down not exclusively on merit, but rather because I don't want to scroll past it as I go up and down, reading answers.

I think it's kind of bizarre that Y!A hides answers you don't like - it seems like official sanction to never think about contrary opinions to your own. (At the very least, I'd like an option where you can choose to hide or not hide unpopular answers.)

But I always feel a twinge of guilt doing it. I don't read the answer, I just hit page down three or five or seven times to get to the bottom, and I give it a thumbs down. Not reading it, I'm not 100% positive that I don't agree with it.

So what's the threshold for thumbs-down? What's the confidence interval? Is 95% sure that you won't like the answer enough? Is there a brevity requirement for a good answer?

Answer 1

I do that all the time. I feel no guilt. The way I see it, the thumb ratings are not such a big deal, they don't really affect anything. They don't stop you from getting best answer, you don't lose points.

All it shows is that someone disapproves of your answer, and when I see an unnecessarily long answer, I disapprove of it being that long. So, thumbs down. I feel no guilt.

On the other hand, I tend to make my answers really long, and I realize that some people will give it a thumbs-down, and I can't blame them. So I am at peace with myself on this one.

See, there is no requirement except to be unhappy that it is so long, and as long as you don't like its length, you can honestly give it a thumbs down and maybe that person will understand that it was too long.

Answer 2

Frequently. If it's a nuisance to scroll past, it's gone. You can always click "Show" if you ever cared about the content. As there is no real penalty for a thumbs down (although some excessive cut&pasters should be banned), you might as well show that it is not appreciated. Length isn't the only criterion. Some of the idiots who use the same cut&paste for every question get it liberally. If it's weakly related to the issue, thumbs down. If the source isn't cited (especially when the Wikipedia "[edit]" appears throughout) it's more likely to get it. Significant factual errors get a thumbs down. Long, involved answers that stay on topic, if I'll read them to the end get to stay.

Answer 3

I'll read it once. But as soon as I see the same answer again in a different question, I'll hit the thumbs down to get it off my screen.

Answer 4

I'm not sure what else to say, all the other answers pretty much covered it. Yes I thumbs down if someone starts preaching especially if it's copy and paste. I don't mind long, relevant answers that have come from someones own mind.

Answer 5

If someone asks a scriptural question and gets an answer that is 7 screens long and doesn't even address the question at hand or if a person is not telling what the bible actually teaches on the subject but instead spews endlessly from their heart which in actually is just their opinion then it is zzinnggo time!!

Answer 6

I think there should be a word limit to answers.If they really want to they can leave a link. Many will usually do this in religion & spirtuallity. I also find this with some questions, but usually just skip it if it seems excessive. I wouldn't mind just a hide button though. I don't usually use the thumbs up or down anyway but these answers do push the limit for me also.

Answer 7

Yahoo answers is a place people (or at least I) come to to hear the perspective of other people. So, you could say that copy and pasting a page from wikipedia is definitely plagiarism. Not only that, it's not really what anybody wants--anyone can just go to wikipedia and search for the answer themselves. So, on that merit, it's okay to thumbs-down a copy and paste answer because it's a bad answer.

Answer 8

I think the thumbs down is better applied to those who do not even bother to answer a question but just make a "fun answer" or a mocking answer..or a rude one, hatefful one, put down one etc etc etc.
I think for some people, they have long answers in order to honestly properly answer the question they believed was seriously wanting it properly answered. Perhaps you are really missing some good info by not glancing through the long answer..if you don't want to read it, perhaps a little patience just to scroll past it would be better.

Answer 9

Long answers I don't mind, but I loathe copy pastes.


I *always* thumps down copy-pastes from wikipedia. I mean come on, any idiot can copy paste from wiki. I get annoyed because I'll spend a good 10 to thirty minutes typing up a detailed answer in my own words only to see all these other people copy pasting from wikipedia.

Answer 10

I used to, but only if the answer was not relevant to the question.

I haven't handed out a thumbs-down since I returned.

I have, however, turned on all the answers hidden by Yahoo's arbitrary censorship policy. I've one in mind I'll be picking as a best answer, which should be interesting as anyone who wants to see the answer will have to turn it on ;-)