Why do some people ask questions and then never select a best answer?

Playing the game is how many become top contributors. Ask a question. Leave it open to vote. Log on with another account and vote. Friends also benefit in this practice as they get to vote as well. You can see how there are groups that do this.

I agree. It is....detestable, at best.

Here's another point of view for you. We live off the

grid. This is an optional lifestyle: we have a generator.

We only run it when we need electricity.

So, I am only on the computer when the electricity,

ie generator is on.

If I ask a question, I may not be able to get back on in

time to select an answer. We don't run the gennie if we

don't have other things to do with the electricity than sit

here and do this.

So there are other reasons. I do appreciate the folks who

take time to answer my questions, and I do look for it

when I get on.

But we will not waste diesel or gennie time exclusively

on the computer.

I think you're right.

I read and saved several questions where it appeared the person was asking because they needed help. Some I answered, most I just wanted to see how they came out. Some are still open after a week, and some went to voting and stayed there for days.

Still trying to figure it out.

I think there are a number of reasons.

Don't care.

Playing games.

Setting themselves up for points

Don't know how. (It took me some time to figure it out)

Some of the questions are obviously not real. I think that if I take the time to read a bogus question I can leave leave a bogus answer.

People should be responsible enough to follow up and choose though.

But this is Yahoo Answers where maturity and responsibility are not mandatory....

In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter if a best answer is chosen?

[edit:] Besides, I'm usually biased when I pick the best answer so I let it go to voting because I find it to be fairer.

I usually delete my own questions after 20 minutes. I like to rob Report Monkeys of the satisfaction. It's a cat n' mouse game. I generally win. :o)

Sometimes I forget and I delete those warning emails so by the time I get around to it it's in voting.

Because sometimes all the answers I got were crappy or just plain wrong it turned out. If none are great, there is no point picking the best one out of crap.

Selecting a best answer is not the goal of asking a question.

Some people think it's fair. Some people forget they asked. Some people don't give a hell to any of the answers they got.