128
votes
Accepted
New SO user not agreeing with the guidelines
As a reviewer, it isn't your job to convince other users, or even to argue with them. Please leave that to diamond moderators.
You may, as in this case, choose to leave a comment explaining your ...
Cody GrayMod
- 245k
74
votes
Accepted
Why were 2/4 of my mod flags declined despite all 4 answers being deleted?
Both declines are unfortunate mistakes.
this one was declined because I opened the link to the original post in a split screen: the page scroll didn't position exactly on the post you linked, so I ...
blackgreenMod
- 45.3k
53
votes
Accepted
Should I accept the duplicate if it is really a converse?
In my opinion, the general rule for such a case should be not to close as a duplicate.
The main reason for closing as a duplicate is to consolidate knowledge, and get all relevant answers and ...
- 32.7k
49
votes
Reputable people keep answering duplicates - What's the solution?
I made a suggestion that kind of covers off your third point:
Give "this may be a duplicate" warning to those answering questions, in a similar way users are warned about posting duplicate questions
...
- 22.8k
46
votes
Accepted
What should I do with answers that are copied from another answer in a similar question?
Although the post was attributed properly, the entirety of the other answer was copied into this one.
This is not acceptable:
A post that consists only of copied text, even when attributed, is not ...
- 79.2k
46
votes
Apache AGE (of Despair)
Strange pattern indeed. As some of us have noted, there's a lot of repeat users answering these questions. At first, I thought that there could have been voting fraud. However, NotTheDr01ds pointed ...
- 5,043
36
votes
Inadvertently posted answer using same technique as existing answer
If you think it adds value, just leave it. If you didn't rely on the prior answer, there's no credit to give. For a given technique, there can be many different presentations. After all that is ...
- 15.2k
34
votes
Reputable people keep answering duplicates - What's the solution?
I have a suggestion, which I am always attempting to voice since it never gets done.
Include the chosen tags in the search criteria for “Questions that may already have your answer.”
Seriously, this ...
- 82.4k
34
votes
How about adding a "duplicate answer" manual flag type?
I was about to post a similar request when I was handed a link to this one. I fully support and agree with this request but with a twist:
Why even "bother" moderators with such flags?
I ...
- 19.5k
31
votes
Answering questions that already have a good answer
The general etiquette is don't. If you truly have nothing substantive to add to the existing answers, move on to some other question.
I like to answer questions on SO as a form of learning, to ...
- 476k
28
votes
How to handle cleanup of late blatantly duplicate answers ('surfing') on popular questions
I don't think converting them to CW is fair. If they posted it solely to earn rep... they're not alone, a lot of answers are posted for that very reason; on old questions, new ones, and all in between....
- 95.1k
26
votes
Reputable people keep answering duplicates - What's the solution?
In my view, the reason why it happens is efficiency, pure and simple. Desire for points isn't the issue. It's simply a desire to get the question 'dealt with' (answered soundly) quickly, to save ...
- 756k
25
votes
Where shall we let the community update Xcode download locations?
Several thoughts, in no particular order
The reason we have Offsite Resources closure in the first place is that links get stale really quickly. Download links are the bread of links: they go bad ...
MachavityMod
- 31.7k
24
votes
Accepted
What (if any) action should be taken when the same answer appears on several questions?
In this case the answers are subtly different, so the automatic duplicate answer detector won't flag them.
In this case the simplest thing is for you to flag one of the answers pointing out that it's ...
ChrisFMod
- 137k
24
votes
New SO user not agreeing with the guidelines
Users don't get to "disagree" with the rules, regardless of how new they are or aren't to the site. If they disagree, they need to not use SO. Cody has already dealt with this particular ...
23
votes
Where shall we let the community update Xcode download locations?
Such questions should be deleted.
SO is not an authoritative source to answer questions like "Where do I download X". Google is one or perhaps someone's blog if official pages are too bad. ...
- 22.1k
22
votes
Should I mod-flag duplicate answers for deletion, or not?
In general:
These kind of "canonical" posts are very valuable to the site, but always attract a lot of late crappy answers. Therefore, continuously moderating them should be made a high priority.
...
- 217k
21
votes
Where shall we let the community update Xcode download locations?
Use both a tag wiki and a question that you can close others as duplicates of. Ideally, answer the question with a link to the wiki...
Wait, what? Heh... I'll explain.
Which tag wiki do you think gets ...
- 160k
20
votes
Reputable people keep answering duplicates - What's the solution?
I received this comment earlier from someone - not answering a blatant dupe, but answering a blatantly off-topic question:
@Makoto Because I wanted to share my insight and I don't agree with every SO ...
- 107k
20
votes
Accepted
Duplicating an answer because the question can't be flagged as a duplicate
You already had a duplicate answer here on this other question answered 21 March. You could have flagged both questions as duplicates of this one, and improved your original answer instead.
If you are ...
- 79.2k
19
votes
Accepted
Deletion of original answer after its copy was deleted
Please always tailor your answer to the question you're answering. Assuming the questions aren't duplicates, there's something unique that should be addressed in any reasonable answer - if that doesn'...
- 160k
19
votes
How does this system support questions about symptoms that have multiple root causes?
The abstraction of "answer collections" seems either moot at best or confusing at worst, since every question can have a collection of answers associated with them.
This does not have ...
- 107k
19
votes
Accepted
Is the re-use of the image on these posts appropriate?
There are several problems with this user's posts.
First, yes the Flappy Bird image is totally irrelevant here and should be removed. If the questions or answers were somehow related to Flappy Bird, ...
- 21.1k
18
votes
Accepted
Duplicate answers in Low Quality Answers: (Re-)Flag or Delete?
Given the current guidelines it seems the only correct response for LQA queue is "Looks OK" (or "Edit" if needed).
According to How do I use the Low-quality posts queue?:
Recommend ...
Henry EckerMod
- 35.7k
17
votes
A suggested alternative to marking similar but different questions as duplicates
This premise is flawed:
It is my understanding that duplicates are considered duplicates on the basis of the question being the same, not on the basis of answers being the same.
Standing advice ...
- 107k
17
votes
Accepted
How to handle cleanup of late blatantly duplicate answers ('surfing') on popular questions
If you think that a late popular answer adds at least something to existing one, you can edit it and remove all duplicated information. If after such an edit this something looks like a comment or ...
- 8,580
16
votes
What's the recourse when duplicate answers don't mean duplicate questions?
You're getting downvotes because you're cross-posting the same answer to multiple questions. That's not allowed. Even in link-only form.
You can certainly link to other answers as reference for a new ...
- 476k
15
votes
Automating duplicate question detection
I asked because I am currently looking for a m[a]ster's thesis
Well, good luck. No two people describe a problem the same way, and a lot of questions actually are XY problems due to a lack of ...
- 152k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible