Does a "Best Answer" after the question influence your decision about a religious issue?

Question

I only ask because I've been told certain groups are contacting their Y? allies to ask for votes when a question goes to group voting.

As for me, what matters most is what's written in the question and answers. Everyone knows "Best answer" is subjective and anyone with a sincere desire for information is not going to allow that to influence their thinking. I guess influencing a best answer outcome in this way is a fun time filler for people with nothing better to do, but I doubt it really makes anyone who is reading for information think differently.
What do you think?

Answer 1

No, and I'll tell you why.

Look at the questions sent to vote. Almost all of the Best Answers chosen were the first person to answer. Often times, it is a "YES" or "NO" answer to a very complex question, and FAR from a true Best Answer. People in this section are very lazy, and are more interested in getting their 1 point for voting and moving on, rather than reading and selecting a truly good answer.

Very often, the best answer to any question is the last person to answer, and that's because they took their time typing out a lengthy response. If a question with more than 5 answers is sent to vote, the last people to answer rarely receive a vote at all. The first person to answer is voted for OVERWHELMINGLY. If you don't believe me, go to the questions up for vote now, pick one with a lot of answers, vote for a good one, and you'll then see the current results -- as well as the fact that I'm probably right.

This would also explain why you see many people type a period as their answer : so that they can secure the top spot for the answers to any given question, and then they type out their answer later on, so that they can potentially receive more thumbs up. Anyone that I see type a period for the first few answers automatically receives a thumbs down from me. That is cheap and sad on their part. Point whores -- that's all they are.

These days, a Top Contributor badge for R&S is about as valuable as one for Polls and Surveys.

For a section populated with people who pride themselves on being intelligent -- regardless of their belief -- they are equally as lazy. It's embarrassing.

Answer 2

Dear Pedi,

I find it very frustrating when excellent questions are allowed to go to a vote only to find that the worst possible answer was chosen as "Best" because askers didn't bother to pick and answerers didn't bother to check back.

I don't think it is influencing a best answer outcome so much as calling attention to In Voting questions that someone might not have seen in time to answer. There are some questions that I definitely don't want to give a star to but I do want to send them to some of my Contacts who I know will be interested in voting on a question.

I've voted on 3, 4, 5 month old Tiebreakers only to find that my vote was the ONLY vote.

I'm not on Y!A for the points but I do like closure. I'm not going to just give an answer and then not come back to see what others answer. I've been enjoying the people I've been getting to know and I've learned a lot.

I agree that the "Best answer" is subjective and there have been times that I've narrowed my choice down to 15 possible Best answers. There have been times that I want to be able to take a portion of several different answers to come up with the one Best answer.

When I have read the question and the answers before it goes to a vote I can always email the answerer to discuss a point but if I haven't seen it before it makes voting harder.

Answer 3

Many different things can be understood from best answer chosen by the asker.

And the Q's they ask and the answers they give.

Same goes for the answerer.

There are groups no doubt about it that "support" each other.

This is good if it is healthy and leads to knowledge and God.

People come up with new and wonderful ideas and insights.

So yes I learn though there is very little change in belief because I have been studying for 40 years - as you know, first there - then as an angry agnostic - and then as a Christian. Thank you God Almighty.

Answer 4

Much like the saying “beauty is to the eyes of the beholder” “best answer is to the mind of the questioner”. It’s at least silly to allow a best answer influence my viewpoint as far as religious matters are concerned however some of the answers make me wonder how naïve people can be about religion.
As far as I’m concerned Yahoo Q/As is just a tool to understand the mental and conscience state of people during these troubled times for our civilization.

Answer 5

Nope. Never. It makes me think a little differently about the person who gave the best answer, but it does nothing to me personal opinion.

EDIT
Deke, Too --People vote for the first one b/c it's faster. People usually only vote here when they have reached their limit, so they vote for quick points. They just want the points, they don't want to read all those answers, they just want the points... I know, lazy!

Answer 6

"Best answer" can be the best usage of satire, one the vote of the answerer. It means nothing except who gets the points.

Answer 7

Yes. Yes it does. I've changed my religion so many times since coming to YA that it just isn't funny anymore!

Answer 8

I agree with you. They do that for points which are also meaningless.

Answer 9

NO!!!