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Morewood asked in Yahoo ProductsYahoo Answers · 1 decade ago

How should we handle duplicate questions, in keeping with community guidelines?

What should I have done to avoid a notice of violation of community guidelines?

After carefully answering a homework question, I noticed the same question (right down to topographical oddities) from two other users - all copy-pasted from the same original assignment? The three postings were all a week old and none had previously been answered, so I answered the other two by posting links to first answer. One of those two generated the violation notice, while the other is still in voting:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201010...

(Anyone what to report it? Or vote for it?)

The only question I can find here about answering duplicate questions complains about duplicate answers. It was suggested (by Johnny Q) that answerers post links to earlier instances of the same question (or report them as abuse - but these seemed to be honest duplications, all posted at about the same time):

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ap...

I also referred each querent to the other two. (Email is preferable, but none allowed email.) Students in the same class with the same problem ought to seek help together. However other readers would not be interested. Would that be grounds for a violation?

Note: I did try to get feedback through the "customer care" link in the violation email. However the "Appeal Form" to which it leads appears broken today.

Update:

I see that the question I referenced above has been deleted, this time without penalty to me.

@VNI: Johnny's opinion may be just that, but (before badhabyt) it WAS the only thing written on this specific topic on all of Yahoo Answers.

As for point gaming, perhaps, but it would have been much faster and easier to copy and paste MY original answer - DON'T say I didn't answer the original question! And what has "solicitation" got to do with this topic?!?

3 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    For duplicate questions, post duplicate answers, don't just put a link to the first answer. The reason is that if for any reason the first question is removed (by asker, NBA vote, etc), then the second answer becomes worthless because the link is now dead. Since this can happen, just putting the link is a violation.

  • 4 years ago

    sturdy question...and lots of sturdy solutions. My answer: It varies. i'm going to objective to respond to severe question. i are not getting entangled with "Who might win a combat interior the shallow end of a swimming pool: A shark or a polar undergo?" (That became a real question.) or maybe many of the "Who might win: Bruce Lee or xxx?" If I do answer, it extremely is in many circumstances to show out that Lee is ineffective and xxx does no longer have a confusing time beating a rotted corpse. frequently, i do no longer do lots analyze. I answer questions i be attentive to the solutions to. I extremely tend to do analyze while somebody is looking a severe question approximately which gym or dojo seems ideal. i'm going to persist with the links, look on the web pages, and supply an answer. As others have pronounced, i'm going to in many circumstances in user-friendly terms do analyze if it's going to help me or my information of a few thing. sure, i'm getting very pissed off while somebody possibilities an answer just about right this moment...even while that answer is an particularly undesirable one. for that reason, right here and on another sites the place I answer questions (Trulia, Zillow--i'm additionally into real sources), I start up with the latest questions and artwork my till now. it somewhat is not extremely to get a "ideal answer" award yet extremely to furnish a sturdy answer initially. If different persons have extra clever solutions, great. yet via the time a query has 6 or 8 or extra solutions (satirically, like this one), the percentages of my enter being seen drops considerably. I relish earning factors. yet--as regulars right here in all probability observe--I regularly furnish an answer yet start up with "XXX provided an superb answer. you should provide him the 'ideal answer' award." and that i additionally study lots right here from interpreting the different solutions. i'm Most worthy interior the climate of BJJ, grappling, MMA, and wrestling. i'm weaker in--have extra to examine approximately--classic martial arts. So I relish the discussions on those subjects. right here on Yahoo, I additionally am particularly lively in "words and Wordplay" and the numerous employer, finance, and real sources components. I notice exceptionally lots a similar critera there. yet in those (exceptionally "words and Wordplay"), an superb form of youngsters are asking homework questions. in the event that they actually don't understand some thing, i'm going to objective to describe it. yet I draw the line while somebody posts a million/2 a dozen homework questions and easily needs somebody else to do the artwork. desire that helps.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I took a look at Johnny Q's answer. Well, that's his opinion. What he said isn't a fact.

    Now, question duplication is not a community guidelines offense if the questions are asked by different members. A single member can ask the same question more than once, yes, I agree, but such member would need to ask only a few times, and at different occasions.

    You cannot post a link on a question to a previous answer just like that. That's considered point-gaming, soliciting and failure to attempt to answer the original question asked. See the format rules here:http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/answers/vsp.html;...

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