After asking a question on Yahoo! Answers, and reviewing all of the fantastic answers you've received, how do you pick a best answer? Do you go by the number of thumbs up an answer has received? The sources an answer as referenced? The quality of an answer? What? Tell us! We want to know!
Anonymous
Favorite Answer
1) Most simply, does the response answer the question?
2) Does it answer the question completely, including any additional details that the asker has posted?
3) If necessary, does the answer include cited references?
If so, are the cited references valid and applicable to the question? Are they accessible to the asker so that the asker can verify the validity of the answer?
4) If applicable, is the answer polite? Does it refrain from disparaging the asker or other answerers?
5) If applicable, does the answerer use proper grammar and spelling?
In general, the first question to include the most of these will my best answer vote.
In some cases these criteria don't apply at all. For instance,
Math Questions
If it's a math question, then the first right answer gets the nod. If it's a complex math question, then the first right answer that correctly shows all work or provides an explanation gets the vote.
Opinion Questions
Some level of civility is required, and the first one to state their opinion well, whether I agree with it or not, will get the vote.
Yes, No, or Polling Questions
The first to answer questions like, "Do you watch Survivor?" and "How many prefer Starbucks over Seattle's best?" will get a vote. I try to limit how much I vote on these kinds of questions since votes per day are limited.
₪ sɹǝʍsuɐ ooɥɐʎ ₪
Her Royal Nonsense
I go by the quality of the answer and the relevance of it. I'm in university, and I cannot even begin to explain the importance of fully reading the question before hand and answering it directly. I have failed first year essays in the past for not specifically addressing the question asked. I've kind of brought that over to my selection methods on Y!A - the individual who receives the best answer is usually the individual who best addresses the specific question I had asked and doesn't go 'off-topic' which I find many answers do. It's the individual with the most relevant answer.
I also look at how much thought and effort the answerer has put into their response; I will almost never chose a single lined response over a response that is a few paragraphs long although there are some exceptions to that rule. I also choose the individual who best backs-up or defends their claims. Someone who just gives me an answer but doesn't bother to explain why they think that way can't expect a BA from me.
It's Fryday, Fryday!
When I'm deciding what to pick as Best Answer, I follow several different steps.
First, I don't exactly judge by the number of thumbs up. Sometimes, what others consider a "great" answer, isn't what I consider a great answer. And sometimes, the best ones don't get any thumbs up.
Second, I consider how much the answer relates to myself. It's a lot easier for me to pick a best answer if I can relate to what they are saying. The best advice comes from people that try to "connect" with the asker by giving advice that they will find most useful.
Third, I think about how much the advice they give me will work. If the advice in the answer is practical, then there is no way that I can call the answer a best answer. I normally rule out ridiculous or sarcastic answers first, and then go from what I think is the best. I also think about whether or not the answer makes sense.
Fourth, I look at the grammar and spelling of the answer. I don't like to read answers that use text messaging lingo or answers that have a lot of misspelled words. It's almost like they didn't care enough about the answer to make sure that it sounds good or is spelled correctly!
Finally, the last criteria I use is the detail of the answer. Details can help give me a better understanding of the answer to my question. A question with a lot of detail usually is what I look at first, but a lot of times, the ones with detail don't make a lot of sense, so I have to consider that as well.
Reverend Loki
I usually go for the most COMPLETE answer. That one answer that fully answers the question. To this end, sources are very helpful (especially in an instance where more info is available and desired, but not necessarily pertinent to the question asked).
I do give some weight to the time of the answer (if one answerer does a good job of answering, any subsequent ones need to be noticeably better to be considered). Etiquette and grammar count too - I'll generally pass up the "OMG ur so stupid!!1!" answer will generally get passed up.
I do not normally consider the thumbs up/down it has. If it's my question, I figure I'm the best judge of what constitutes the best answer. If I'm voting on another's question, then their vote counts as much as mine. Besides, I've seen cases where it certainly appears that one bitter answerer has gone through and thumbs downed everyone else's answer to make their own look better.
Shirley T
It isn't always easy. I usually pick the one I feel will be the most helpful to the person asking the question. Sometimes there are lots of great answers. I could care less about thumbs up and thumbs down. A person who uses that for a criteria shouldn't be picking "best answer" as apparently they know next to nothing about the subject that is being referred to by the question. We should always remember we want to help someone not be petty. I have known of instances in the past where someone getting a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down" was because there were some who had a vendetta against a poster. We had this problem on the Genealogy Board about 2 years ago. A handful of people got on it and proceeded to call others "stupid": "idiots" etc. They talked down to people if they felt their question wasn't suppose to be on the genealogy board, such as "the Yahoo Idiots are at it again." They got reported. There were a couple of people who tried to bring civility back and it wasn't resented by that handful. Frequently people whose question is in the wrong category are newbies and the Yahoo System picked out the category.
Also there can be people giving thumbs down who might not know as much as they think they know about a subject and they think the answer is incorrect.
Edit: On the genealogy board anybody who answers "Thanks for 2 points" will definitely lose more than 2 points with thumbs down. That is gaming for points and a violation of Yahoo Answers. They really should be reported.