Timeline for How good is an answer without any explanation? And how far should an explanation go?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2022 at 4:27 | comment | added | Pineapple Fish | Wow I just upvoted this answer for "In contrast, a bad hint is put up by someone who thinks they know what they are talking about (usually they do not) and is trying to answer first. Anyone here can tell from such a "hint" that little thought and zero work was carried out. Many times, they will send the OP down a terrible path and frustrate rather than inform." and then realized it was by you. Hello again. Maybe that's what I really hate about this site - the hints that endlessly lead you down a wrong path. I believe I've certainly got my fair share of them | |
| Jan 2, 2016 at 23:01 | comment | added | Jonathan Y. | I think it needs saying that posting a hint for an answer needn't imply that you don't intend to expand on it, eventually. True, most viewers will encounter the question long after the dust has settled; still, there's something to be said for guided discovery of the answer, and a temporary hint can serve a double function (help the OP the right way, and also let other people know that you've taken it upon yourself to answer the question. Not to discourage other answers, if someone has a better approach in mind, but to save them the effort if they don't). | |
| S Dec 28, 2015 at 23:10 | history | mod moved comments to chat | |||
| S Dec 28, 2015 at 23:10 | comment | added | Daniel Fischer Mod | Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. (Sorry for yet another ping, Ron.) | |
| Dec 27, 2015 at 17:02 | vote | accept | Simply Beautiful Art | ||
| Dec 27, 2015 at 1:14 | comment | added | quid | Yes it does matter, in that it shifts the balance. I am of the opinion that the question asked should be answered, like you, and that this should in general be done in a away useful for somebody that actually might have this question (and not so much for those that happen to read and to vote as usually a leisurely activity close to the time of writing). | |
| Dec 27, 2015 at 1:14 | comment | added | zyx | = "Your audience is all interested readers, but answer the question that was asked". Change the second part to "but keep replies plausibly relevant to the question" and we get (imo) a complete FAQ in one sentence. | |
| Dec 27, 2015 at 1:03 | comment | added | Ron Gordon | @quid: at that point, does it matter? Address your answer to those imaginary or real (or complex) people who may be interested in reading it. | |
| Dec 27, 2015 at 1:02 | comment | added | Ron Gordon | @zyx: I meant, answer the question that was asked. | |
| Dec 26, 2015 at 21:54 | comment | added | quid | Regarding 3: what is "the community"? The (active) users of this site, or the prospective readers of the text? As far as I know around 90 percent of the readership come to the site via searches. Thus, this is not at all the same. | |
| Dec 26, 2015 at 21:18 | comment | added | zyx | Another thanks for #3 (rest was also nice). But in what sense is the "the question ... the OP's"? It seems to me that the question-posters forfeit any notion of ownership or entitlement to direct the discussion once the query is let loose onto the wilds of the Internet. | |
| Dec 26, 2015 at 18:10 | comment | added | Aloizio Macedo Mod | That third item is a concise, beautiful point of view of the answer-system which addresses many doubts I've had at some point when answering. Thanks for that. | |
| Dec 26, 2015 at 16:20 | history | answered | Ron Gordon | CC BY-SA 3.0 |