What is your threshold for answering a question here in the MA community?

i agree with ray for the most part, and more and more i find my self answering less and less questions on here.

would you believe i maxed out my blocked list, i spent a while yesterday, looking for accounts i can remove so i could add two more worthless accounts there. im running out of accounts to remove from my blocked list. they need to make that list bigger

the amount of research time doesnt bother me. what does is when i spend all that time and they close the question.

the trouble is finding questions that are worth spending the time and answering

Good question...and lots of good answers.

My answer: It varies. I'll try to answer serious question. I don't get involved with "Who would win a fight in the shallow end of a swimming pool: A shark or a polar bear?" (That was a real question.) Or even most of the "Who would win: Bruce Lee or xxx?" If I do answer, it's usually to point out that Lee is dead and xxx wouldn't have a difficult time beating a rotted corpse.

Generally, I don't do much research. I answer questions I know the answers to. I tend to do research when someone is asking a serious question about which gym or dojo looks best. I'll follow the links, look at the websites, and give an answer. As others have said, I'll usually only do research if it'll help me or my knowledge of something.

Yes, I get very frustrated when someone picks an answer almost immediately...even when that answer is a really poor one. For that reason, here and on some other sites where I answer questions (Trulia, Zillow--I'm also into real estate), I begin with the newest questions and work my way back. It's not really to get a "Best Answer" award but rather to provide a solid answer initially. If other folks have better answers, great. But by the time a question has 6 or 8 or more answers (ironically, like this one), the odds of my input being considered drops substantially.

I enjoy earning points. But--as regulars here probably notice--I frequently provide an answer but begin with "XXX provided a great answer. You should give him the 'Best Answer' award." And I also learn a lot here from reading the other answers. I'm strongest in the areas of BJJ, grappling, MMA, and wrestling. I'm weaker in--have more to learn about--traditional martial arts. So I enjoy the discussions on those topics.

Here on Yahoo, I also am fairly active in "Words and Wordplay" and the various business, finance, and real estate areas. I apply pretty much the same critera there. But in those (especially "Words and Wordplay"), a lot of kids are asking homework questions. If they really don't understand something, I'll try to explain it. But I draw the line when someone posts half a dozen homework questions and simply wants someone else to do the work.

Hope that helps.

Well most of the time I answer questions, it is during either the morning before work (like right now) or during my free/down time at work. So I never really do research. Basically the way I answer a question is if the question is either interesting, or genuine. I'm no longer going to play the, "this style is better than that style" that I'd wasted too much time on; I have my opinions, like we all do, but I've come to realize that a lot of my own bitterness comes from my past experiences... and I don't want to make other people feel bad for their style of choice. So unless someone asks me directly, "What do you think is better, Kung Fu or Muay Thai" I'm not going there anymore.

But I would be frustrated if I were you too. For the record, I really love your input on TKD. Being a TKD practitioner originally, it gives me a bit of a bias toward (and ironically against) the art. Just the other day in fact, I dawned on some TKD sparring gear for the first time in 13 years and got massacred, lol. I just can't move like I used to for it, but it was sure fun.

I really don't participate regularly in any other forums. I just don't have time for it. And after work, I am either at the dojo (I am currently taking Goju ryu and might be participating in my first tournament this weekend and have my first promotion next week and I am also currently enrolled in Judo) or spending time with my wife and daughter. So unless I find a question interesting or genuine, I just won't spend too much time with it. Even if I find it interesting, if I don't know the answer off the top of my head, I won't answer it but I'll check back to see what the input of others are.

The closest I've ever come to doing research for a YA question is when I am answering a science-related question, as I am a chemist by education and profession. So it kind of benefits me to know also. If I could make martial arts my career, then I probably would research.

Well I don't know if that answered your question or not, but sorry your hard work has been lost.

Edit: oh and thanks for trying to remember to choose BA for your questions. Sometimes I find that frustrating too... as people dedicate their time to answer a question and the asker doesn't even choose... and I don't get why as it gives them 3 points back and it's not like it's hard to do.

@Kokoro: "more and more i find my self answering less and less questions on here."

I've noticed that... :(

Edit: you can never go wrong with picking my answer... it's as easy as pushing the button... stress free, you don't have to worry about growing a pair, and I won't feel guilty about it at all... :D

That has happened to me a number of times. What I thought was a legitimate question turned out to be by some ungrateful piece of monkey crap.

There are different reasons why a question is deleted. Yahoo themselves, of course, but some people I guess just don't appreciate the information and squander it so no one else can get any use from it. Questions are stored on Y!A for a long time, and I'd like to think our answers reach more people than who are reading it while it's still open. I've even gotten messages from people who've read really old answers of mine and wanted more information.

Anymore, my answers are a "do I feel like it" sort of moments. That's bad, I realize, then there are those that I almost feel obligated to answer, that is if someone else hadn't already given at least as much information as I could give.

My threshold for answering is capricious. Yahoo seems to spit on legitimate people here more than it does the trolls, like little miss point farmer "Sophie". This site isn't the most monitored, and gets tons of stuff wrong, but I still answer in hopes someone out there is looking for real information, even if the people asking aren't.

The questions I get from contacts get priority #1. I delete contacts who have turned out to be less than honest. If I have to devote more than perhaps one hour research than I will probably pass on answering it. I have just about quit answering trivial questions like which art is best or which is more powerful and the like. I think someone more qualified will have a better answer.

I will check back sometimes in a day or so to see the answers. If the asker is not getting a sensible answer I might jump in after a little research on my own. I have brought up some questions to my Sifu because they were interesting and he has 20 plus more experience than me.

I don't participate in on line stuff much. Answers is about it. I have too much one on one to do. Some times I will visit a question I did not answer for the answers of some on here I respect to get their take on something that i dont quite understand.

IF I ever did that kind of research on a question and I have a few times it is also for my benefit and because that person got me thinking and me wanting to do the research so I too may learn. If others don't want to accept what I did and stay stupid that is really their prerogative. They really do have a choice in that. So if I can not/don't want to do that kind of research for my own benefit I don't do it and just scratch off the question as 'I don't know' and I am OK with that. I'll read other people's answers then instead. So think about how much you learned doing this and find some comfort in your effort and how much it broadened your horizon. Unfortunately you can never control what others will do only what you do. I agree with you, the quality of questions on Y/A has rapidly deteriorated but we can't give up. I am sorry the question got deleted and I would have liked to see your answer. I always do. E-mail me if you have it saved somewhere.

Limit on what I will answer depends on my mood and how much time I have. If I know the answer I will always answer serious questions. I am also trying to remember to give stars to the better questions to encourage people.

I really don't know my threshold for responding. I really don't go looking things up. I have looked at a couple peoples profile because something appears odd about a question. If I think it is a serious question I may answer. If I see some bad information or believe some bad information will be given I will respond. Most of the question I eliminate without even opening the question. Who know it could have been something worthwhile, but you only get one chance to make a 1dst impression. If the link to the question does not spark my interest there is no point in ever reading the question for me. There are exceptions. If I'm up late or I'm just looking for something to do I will entertain some question that I normally will not open.

In general if I decide to answer as question I already know what I'm going to write. It is rare that I look up something first. Having met you I know you answered to be helpful to someone else. Your research while frustrating that you could not share is likely to be something that you had some interest in. So, I see it as a win for you. you know more about the subject.

The questions that are frustrating to me are the ones asked then as soon as anyone answers with what they want to believe, they pick as best answer. Several times I would answer a question that was less than two hours old. Then when posting the answer I'd get one of Y/A canned screens indicating a problem. Backing up and looking at the question would show that while I was answering the Asker had picked a best answer. It would seem that there are those that want the answer they want. Those that are impatient (often asking the same question an hour later if they have not gotten responses), and those that want to make sure that the question does not go to a vote.

...

That's a really good question and for me it really varies and depends on several things. I generally avoid feeding the trolls by answering the absurd questions. I must confess though that I have answered a couple with the idea of bringing a smile or laugh to others. I also don't answer the questions about how to beat someone up and the school-yard fighting ones much either unless it is to suggest to the person a smarter, better approach to the situation than starting trouble for themselves. There are a lot of single parent households and this country's youth sometimes are seeking help or guidance so questions in that vein I will sometimes answer in hopes that it helps give someone a little more guidance about things.

I also enjoy answering questions about training and helping others reach their fullest potential. I sometimes get e-mails from people saying they followed my suggestions and it worked or helped them immensely. That is always satisfying to hear.

Questions about TMA and aspects along those lines I also at times enjoy answering. Beyond that I sometimes also answer some questions in the military section in an effort to help fellow service members and vets or their dependents in understanding something about the military. There again I sometimes get some really good, positive feedback about those answers also.

I generally avoid those questions that attack someone or attack a style. Its easy to sit behind a keyboard and diss someone or something and to me there is really little to be gained by doing that. Some still do though but to me that shows a general lack of integrity, respect, and self-worth in those that feel a need to that.

If you learned anything while you did your research, it was not wasted time!

I draw the line at "who would win" and questions about televised bouts.

I have absolutely no interest in such "entertainment."

I limit my responses to questions for which I already have an answer.

I also spend quite a bit of time in the PHYSICS and RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY sections.

I have been known (on occasion) to play devil's advocate in R&S just to see if people really know what they are talking about or are just regurgitating a bunch of crap that they have been spoon fed without taking any time to think about it. I spend a lot more time there espousing an under-represented point of view (Eastern Orthodoxy.)