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Link H
Lv 6
Link H asked in Yahoo ProductsYahoo Answers ยท 9 years ago

Point Awards Issues in Yahoo Answers?

Does anyone else dislike the current point system in YA? My pet peeve is that ppl get 2 points for answering with "IDK" or something equally stupid. Another is that we get NO POINTS for voting, if we choose "No Best Answer".

I propose the following changes to the point system.

Answer = 1 point

Thumb up rating = 1 point for person who answered (not for rater)

Interesting question = 1 point for person who asked question

Vote of No Best Answer = 1

Vote of Best Answer = 2

Best Answer Chosen by Voters 5 (even if asker chooses best answer)

Best Answer Chosen by Asker 10

Current point awards in YA!:

Answer = 2 points

Thumb up rating = 0 points

Interesting question = 0 points

Vote of No Best Answer = 0 points

Vote of Best Answer = 10 (chosen by vote OR by asker, but not both)

Can we get YA! to re-evaluate the point system?

Update:

Oops, made a mistake on last line of current points... it should be

Vote of "Best Answer" = 1

Award of Best Answer = 10 (chosen by vote OR by asker, but not both)

Update 2:

IMO any effort that I make that provides value to YA! should return value to me. The main reason I contribute in YA is for points, which buy me the opportunity to ask questions, and advance my level and credibility. If I read all the answers and opine none best, I save myself the small effort of pushing the button "No Best Answer," since no one but YA! gets anything for it. Interesting questions are more valuable than uninteresting ones, and could be rewarded by making them less expensive to ask. The side effect is that non-trivial and non-homework questions would get highlighted more often. I would rather see kids get a point for clicking NBA than to waste my time reporting IDK answers.

Update 3:

@JanetM the point for the thumb up on an answer would go to the person who answered in a way that someone (besides the asker) likes for whatever reason. Also, the fact that you deign a question as uninteresting does not mean that everyone agrees with you. Simply put, I disagree with you on so many specific points that there is not enough space to rebut them all here.

Update 4:

@SomethingElse the suggestion board is a good idea. thank you. unfortunately, i don't expect much action on most suggestions unless there is a groundswell of grassroots support, which I am attempting to mobilize. in other words, i can ask any question i want to, within the community guidelines, as long as i have five points to pay for it. and if it is an interesting question, under my proposed system, i will get one point refunded.

Update 5:

@badhadyt I don't understand. What things are being removed that affect this database, and what stops kids from randomly picking "best answer" in order to earn 2 points under the current system?

Update 6:

I'm sure everyone knows that "best answer" will probably go to someone who agrees with the asker's opinion, no matter how insane or outrageous. Hence, anyone who disagrees with the asker is effectively disadvantaged, if not actually penalized for wasting the time they spent in producing their answer, no matter how cogent their opinion or how well it is presented. One intent of my proposal is to motivate a greater variety of responses to questions. Points awarded for GOOD answers will be increased by thumbs up, while points awarded for stupid answers will be reduced.

6 Answers

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  • Favorite Answer

    well i agree about voting no best answer should still give you points, but i think you should still have the answering a question be 2 points

  • - Answer, 1 pt. Why?

    - Thumb up rating 1 pt to asker (so if an answer is horrible, wrong, rude, and some idiot gives it a thumbs up, they should get a point?) Answers with thumbs up DO receive points if that answer is chosen or voted best answer.

    - Interesting, 1 pt: Again... why. I've seen some of the worst questions marked as interesting... they should get rewarded for that??

    - Vote of No Best Answer, 1 pt. I repeat... why? Also, I'm not sure if you mean the person voting gets the point, or the person who answered

    - Vote of Best answer, 2 pts. Makes no sense. I don't get it. Who gets the 2 points. The person voting, or the person whose answer got the vote?

    - Best Answer Chosen by Voters, 5 pts (even if asker chooses best answer). First of all, if the asker chooses, then the best answer can't be chosen by votes. If the asker let their question go to voting, and they vote, they are voting as just another user... like anyone else voting, not as the asker. Best Answer is Best Answer... 10 points

    - Best Answer Chosen by Asker, 10 pts - see above.

    You might want to consider that THE POINTS ARE USELESS HERE! There's absolutely NOTHING you can do with them... THEY MEAN NOTHING.

    So, to answer your question, I don't like or dislike the point system... other than I don't think there should be a point system at all. My reason... because people spend time like you just did complaining and fussing over points, post question after question complaining about losing points, getting points, not getting points. I'd like to see this site actually function as a real question and answer site. They should remove the Polls & Surveys (nothing is learned or gained there), and Jokes & Riddles Categories. But removing points all together, would probably cause a lot of people to leave... leaving behind the people who seriously need help, and the people who want to help.

    I don't think Y!A needs to re-vamp their point system. It's at the bottom of the list of what should be important on a real question and answer site.

  • najar
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    in case you do no longer provide proper answer it quite is going to bypass to the vote and we are going to have threat to have our say. I do see your component. it quite is barely delight quite to prefer proper answer. all of us like being offered them now and returned yet we can do honestly no longer something with the factors we earn different than that those with zillions of things could desire to take a seat here all day asking and answering via fact they are in a position to apply the positioning without limits while those human beings on tiers a million and a couple of and so on. are constrained in how plenty we can use the positioning. The thumbs up and down are a greater suited theory yet those are used mischievously besides so at the instant are not a real instruction manual as to what others honestly seen our answer. The checklist button is an analogous. If there's a consumer who has stated something nasty approximately yet another consumer they are in a position to look out for that individual returned and checklist them for the daftest of motives to get retribution. it fairly isn't for the heavily minded or easily indignant individual yet, for people who DO use Y.A heavily, it quite is totally effectual - which replaced into the unique theory i'm beneficial.

  • 9 years ago

    To take them in reverse order.

    1. If you got points for NBA, kids would just go through voting NBA and ignore good questions and answers. Since the point of YA is to build a database, they really don't want things removed.

    2. As to the IDK and junk answers, you should be reporting these. If everyone did this, you would see few and the users would not get points and if they appealed, they would lose points.

    Everything in the point system has a reason.

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  • 9 years ago

    Just report stupid answers. They'll be deleted a lot of times because they don't hit the requirements

  • ?
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    IDK answers are a violation and should be reported. You fail in your responsibility

    YA does not care what you think, posting your opinion here is useless put it on the suggestion board and stop complaining to other users

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