What does Best Answer mean to you?

Question

This came up when I was answering another question. I've only been on here a short time, but I realized fairly soon that in many cases, best answer has little to do with right answer. In my observations, it often means an answer was what the asker wanted to hear, or people voted for it because an answer supports their opinions, or sometimes I think it's about supporting a person's buddies on the site. What do you think it's worth when your answer gets Best Answer?

Answer 1

10 points plus a point for every thumbs up...that's what it's worth....

I've seen insane answers get best answer...For example a biting, kicking, trying to kill me horse...Best answer, feed treats and let the horse know you just want to be his friend.  That's just nuts and bad advice...but it IS what the questioner wants to hear.

I usually relate personal experience...kinda 'been there done that'

I do vote for myself at times...but not always.  If I've just made a comment...I leave it alone.  I can live without it though...

I am guilty of using humor alot.  Well...at least it's funny to me at the time...

I do try to pick the BEST answer to my questions.  Sometimes it's the one that made me laugh....even though it didn't answer my question.  

If it's an opinion question or tell me a story...I send it to voting.  How can there be wrong answers for people's opinion?  

Anyways...I like it when someone takes my serious advice that comes from experience.  I'm not real 'technical' but I know what has worked for me and my horses.  That's what I use to try and advise people...

Answer 2

If I award someone a best answer it's for one of several reasons - they solved the problem,they made me think, they made me laugh. ( usually the last as I tend to ask stoopid questions !)

I don't ask questions for people to agree with me.

Edit (oops -dimwit me forgot to actually answer your question !) If I get best answer I guess I did the same - solved it, helped someone think round it or gave them a laugh.

Answer 3

"Best Answer" is a fickle thing....Many times, I think, "best answer" isn't chosen as an actual "best answer"....lots of schmoozing on the Horse Board will get you a "best", lots of "cutesy" on the board will get you a "best".....I've seen "best" given to a male board member just because it was a guy giving a answer...never mind if it was incorrect or nonsensical..."bests" are given to people who agree with the person asking the question, tell'um what they want to hear....

If I've done  research on a question and provide worthwhile links to opinions on the subject matter and share whatever knowledge I have on the question and I get a "best", to me that means the person asking the question recognizes that I did some homework on their behalf and awarded me, "best".  That means a lot.  I am more willing than most to take the time to do the research......

Answer 4

It's worth ten points. lol

I choose a best answer when I think that person has really helped me. I once chose my friend as a best answer, even though her's wasn't the best one there. I don't do that anymore, because I know it's biased and dumb to help out your friends when there are other people actually helping you. It's not worth much, but 10 points out of one anwer is better than five regular ones. Hope I Helped.

Answer 5

I always try to give the best answer I can, based on my experience; that's why I'm very choosy with the question/s I answer.

What it's worth to be chosen the Best Answer?.....10 points!

.....and the knowledge that I have imparted something to someone.

Answer 6

Hopefully it means that that answer was most helpful to the asker (that is, it contained the most/best knowledge on the question asked).  But you're right, sometimes people do choose the answer they wanted to hear in the first place, regardless of whether it's right or wrong.

I do think it's a riot, though, that when a question asker REALLY hates your answer, yet they neglect to choose a best answer, and it goes into voting and the answer they hated the most ends up "winning".  Bwahaha!

Answer 7

to me, it means that the answer is probably what the person in the situation would most likely do. sometimes, it may not be the actual best answer but people don't like to listen to the stuff that isnt what they wanted so they pick the one that they would want to happen instead of the one that may actually happen...thats kinda what it means to me. good question though, i've often wondered about this too.=)

Answer 8

Well...people can vote for whomever, the answer has to make the asker happy...I see it all the time where someone picks an answer that isn't correct, but what the heck it only matter to the asker.

Answer 9

To me it is what best answers my question, the way I feel it should have been answered or in that it best explains the question.

Some people ask a question but prefer not to pick a best answer so they leave it up to others to chose.

Answer 10

It depends....

If your answer is among a bunch of dumb ones where the answerers only tell the asker what they want to hear & others tell the truth or the way it is, then the asker only chooses best answer based on who agreed with them or told them what they wanted to hear.

I prefer to get best answer based upon my answer when the other people who also answered the question answered in a knowledgeable, informative way & they were not concerned with whether that was what the asker wanted or not.

I would rather be in a group of intelligent people who answered a question honestly than a group who only told the asker what they wanted to hear hoping to get best answer.

I will admit.  I have been surprised at some of the best answers I have received because although I thought my answer was intelligent & thorough, there were others who had answers that were equally or more so.

There are some of us who like to goof around & have fun on here as well, but our main goal is to answer questions to the best of our knowledge & experience whether the asker or anyone else likes it or not.  Thumbs down mean nothing to me, because they are generally given by trolls or little kids who wouldn't know how to answer a question intelligently to save their life or because someone has chastised them for a really stupid comment or for being rude or just down right ignorant......

**EDIT**

I agree with BB especially the last paragraph.  I only know what I was taught & what I have picked up & used or tried on our own horses.  I have never been real technical.  Definitely rough around the edges on some stuff.....

Answer 11

it's the most reliable and intelligent answer but uhhhh...

why did you ask this in the horse section?

Answer 12

What it's worth to me...I never thought about that. It means nothing to me. Just means that I said something that helped that person who asked the question or they agreed with my opinion. I don't have that many best answers...no point in answering the question if I see ahead of time that someone has already said what I would have.

Other than that...I mainly lurk and read questions and answers.

Answer 13

i get best answer for one of 3 reasons

1 it is the best answer (whether it solves the problem or makes the most sence)

2 it is the only answer

3 it is the most humorous when no other answer is the best answer

Answer 14

Sometimes, the right answer is not picked because the person asking is totally unaware of the right answer. Which is why they are here asking people what they think instead of asking a professional. I think many questions asked here are for opinions and what better place to get a large variety of those?? Or humor. Voted answers can most likely be the top answer on the list: You head into the category, there's the list to choose from and you just click the first one you see. That would explain some of the totally oddball picks that arise from THAT avenue.

When I answer here, I try to be clear and correct. I rarely quote or just spew links, but I do enjoy ansering with personal experience that comes from being around horses for the past 50 years. Done a lot in that time, forgot more than I know, ben there, done that, spent a fortune, lost more.... So when I get Best Answer, it makes me feel like I really helped in some way and somebody else gets some use out of my experience.

Answer 15

Yeah, true. Also, it is nearly always the longest most long winded answers that get 'best answer', along with this, when a question is in voting, you can vote for yourself - that is stupid because people can pick themselves to get best answer

Answer 16

I normall award best answer to people who need a moral boost (yeah i'm nice like that), or to people that cracked me up or were right and then if i can't decided i just give it to Debi.

Answer 17

I agree with Sov7!!! I would like to think that my best answer really was the best for them..... I get a lot of voted best answers, so it makes me think people just don't like me...?? But like my answers, because when you vote you can't see who it is...??!!  But I really don't care! I am on here to offer help & knowlage. I have made a few friends, real friends, I hope.... LOL I have seen some answers picked, it's like holy cow you have to be kidding me!! LOL

Answer 18

I try to give the best and easiest to understand answer I can.  Some folks just post a link without a clear explaination.  I try to if I can, relate it to personal experience with one of the several horses I've had over a fourty year period of time.

Oh occassion, those experiences can be humorous or sometimes sad, but they are real life and hope folks can identify with or from them.