Why do some people feel the need to write a book as their answer?

Question

now i can see getting a little long for a long question, but some questions are only asking for a little something. i mean it's cool they know the subject thoroughly, but then you feel some obligation to give them best answer cause if you don't, they just wasted a h**l of a lot of typing.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, a majority of the people that "write" these long answers are just copying and pasting them. I make sure that the answers aren't copy and pasted on my questions and give best answer to the person that took the time to write a thorough answer. And of course I have to be able to understand it. :)

Answer 2

I often post Wiki segments to back up a one word answer. I always use quotation marks and post a link so the asker can verify "my" answer.

I don't do this to sound knowledgeable but to assure the asker that the answer didn't come off the top of my head. And I could care less about "best answer" points. If someone gives a better answer, I often delete.

I've seen some answers that are well worded and very "scientific sounding" that are just plain WRONG and that upsets me because they appear so much more "believable" than the simple (correct) one word answer. Especially to the asker who obviously has NO working knowledge of the subject.

Ability to paraphrase or state ideas in our own words is secondary to getting the idea across. If I can find a good explanation on Wiki why not pass it on?

I mean, this isn't a test of our knowledge so much as a forum for sharing knowledge, from all sources. IMO

Some people need an example set for how to research on their own. Some use YA as a form of "research" in itself because they have to pass that science class to get their degree in horticulture. It's all good, chill.



  

Answer 3

I am glad someone else is getting fed up with people who feel the need to write novel a when a simple answer will do.

Answer 4

Hey, I only write novella length answers.  Some questions require a carefully reasoned complete answer, not just a clever quip,  to be correct.  I've got lots of time on my hands.  Only rarely would I cut and paste wikipedia articles.  Whats the fun in that?

Answer 5

Not all simple questions have short answers.  The point of Yahoo Answers is to get a variety of answers from a variety of people and perspectives.

Answer 6

Some answers demand long answers and some questioners demand a lot of evidence. It would definitely help if many people would just give the link of the source instead of copying and pasting like they were the ones to have actually wrote it...

Answer 7

It's not just a book, it's a book where the precise meanings of every word counts.  And, while long, some of these answers are so terse that they border on poetry.  Examples increase length, but add to understanding.  For example:

You ask a simple question.  What would the weather be like if the Earth's axis was tilted 40 degrees?  Holy c**p, that's complicated.  A book won't cover it.

Answer 8

many of the long answers are copied from other sources, particularly wikipedia.

many ppl have stock answers to repeatedly asked questions that they just paste in.

some ppl demand lengthy, detailed answers and get upset at a few words or a couple of lines. they seem to miss the point that this is a volunteer effort and we are not paid research staff.

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

Interesting Q, I wonder that too at times, yet I think the A is a

variable, my full A would be too long.

Answer 11

They don't "Write" the answers at all.  They will look it up on that wiki-thing and do a copy-paste of all the copyrighted information they find on the subject and paste it in as their answer as if they were the one that wrote all that information.  It really irritates me how many people are chosen as best answer when they do this too because it was nothing more than a copy-paste of something that is technically illegal to do.  I'll stop now because you really dont want to get me started on this any further than what I have said already....

Answer 12

As has already been stated - sometime we can't address the question adequately in a single sentence or a single paragraph.

I personally think that we should be concise - but that means using the minimum amount of words to convey the whole picture.

As for copying and pasting - I do that - but only of my own words. Once I have come up with a good, concise answer I want to use it again because I want to be as brief as possible.

There you got several paragraphs out of me - is this a book?