Coincidence? I Think Not!!! (Vote Cheating)?

Question

Within the last week Bekki B was selected by “Voters” for ten (10) “Best answers” sequentially (#1 being most recent) as follows:

Bekki # Votes to Closest Answerer # Votes:

1. 9 to 8
2. 10 to 9
3. 9 to 7
4. 9 to 8
5. 9 to 8
6. 9 to 8
7. 9 to 8
8. 9 to 8
9. 11 to 9
10. 3 to 2

This information is easily verifiable and I recommend you do so. Keep in mind that this data excludes Bekki’s “Best” when selected directly by the Asker or when she was the only answerer. The quality of her answers range from nonsensical to well-written without a significant deviation in this pattern of voting.

What are the statistical odds of always beating out the next nearest answerer by 1-2 votes? Is cheating acceptable to enhance status here? Is it o.k. or funny to cheat other answers out of being selected who worked hard to provide a good answer choice? Do some people take the imaginary points awarded here too seriously?

Answer 1

i think it is too harsh on Bekki B, to pick a piece of stat, wherein some/few particular askers must have voted recklessly. It does happen when you keep your folders open (not put to private block).

I am generally neither in the total points race nor inclined to answer if some contributor has already written the most plausible answer to the problem. But, i had to put my folder on PRIVATE, when some persons started to VOTE me 10 votes for my answer when there is no other answer to compete with. I knew then someone (fan) was voting from inside my allowed folder to fan/contacts.

Its great that Bekki still chooses to keep it open - closing it private is not desirable because then it does not serve the purpose of "searching" or "global use" and is marred by 1-to-1 answering.

I have carefully examined that Bekki B does not indulge in fake voting for self.

But, i am glad that you raised the point of her varying degree of contents -- in a hurry to score off everything tossed on this category and especially when the solution (without numerical values) provided to asker - is just like a coconut or palm-date positioned fruit in turn.

Physics is such a typical branch wherein solution eludes you even when someone has written the basics (units, max-min, interpreting result, +/- relativity, etc) -- which are already there in books -- so the asker keeps burning the mid-night oil though the best person around on YA wrote the solution (1/2).

Answer 2

I think you're absolutely right. Some people are taking the Best Answer way too seriously.

Best Answer means often only that people like you. I'll try to keep track of your answers and vote for them so you get more Best Answers.

Answer 3

Why are you so bothered by points or percentages? You can take an Y!A answer just as a pointer in probably a right direction. Sometimes you get great answers, some times the best answer selected by voters or the asker is plain dumb.


MooseBoys, you've hurt me!

Answer 4

I have accepted the fact that the "Best Answer" whether chosen or voted, is not always the best answer- it was just the one that the asker wanted to hear or that the majority of people who happened to be voting during the voting period thought. Neither of those results is always really the best answer. Interesting stats, though...

Answer 5

Personally I've found people with "best answers" of greater than 25% or so to be completely useless. I've generally found that they have the ability to 'sound right', but are generally wrong. Take, for example, the person who stated the definition of an odd number to be "a number divisible only by itself and one". This person had a 46% best answer rating in the Math category, and doesn't even know the difference between an odd number and a PRIME number.

Feel free to -not- vote me as best answer. If I cared about best vote percent, I wouldn't be answering this non-question.

Answer 6

The best way to circumvent any presumed vote cheating is to bother to vote yourself for the truly good answers. The primary distortion in the voting is that not enough people vote.

Answer 7

Yes. And some people take the possibility of people cheating here too seriously.

Answer 8

You'd have to ask Yahoo!. I've noticed they allow you to vote for your own answer. So if that's what she (or anyone) is doing, its Yahoo!'s fault for allowing that loophole.

"Do some people take the imaginary points awarded here too seriously?"

Do some people pay too much attention to other's stats?

Apparently, you do.

Answer 9

Really...why do you care??Let Bekki be.Get a life and start answering some questions to gain yourself some points. I think you are just jealous.

Answer 10

i don't pay attention to the points or the points gaming at all, after all they are pointless anyway.
just have some fun.