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AB-Rich

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Phantom answers

posted September 14, 2009 11:29 AM AB-Rich
We're getting reports of people not being able to view certain answers, i.e. you get the "this question has not been answered yet" message when you know the answer is there and valid. This may be related to the problem of merged answers sometimes not appearing when a duplicate flag is accepted.

This doesn't seem to be too widespread at the moment, but if it's happening to you, know that we're looking into it.
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BigDaddyBS: Sep. 14, 11:44 AM

Thanks for letting us know, Rich.

BTW: To see all other answers when that happens, click the Go to Question Page link. It will show ALL answers the question has visible.

FIRST COMMENT! Cool! ;-)

 
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Google Loves the Foos: Sep. 14, 01:06 PM

Thks Rich.
Second Comment!
Also Rich I have sent numerous complaints about when I go on my friendslist, and then go on friends Q's, nothing comes up. So I can't answer thier q's.
Is anyone else having trouble with this or just me?
Hopefully you check it out.

 
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Gingerminx: Sep. 14, 02:25 PM

That has been happening to me for months. Sometimes no matter what I try I can not get the answers to show. I am glad you are working on it.

 
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Chicago Lady: Sep. 14, 02:56 PM

Many times I answer a question, it shows up on my profile page, but does not show up on the question page, even after refreshing and reloading multiple times. I had no idea why. Thanks for the update!

 
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Chicago Lady: Sep. 14, 03:37 PM

At 5:35 p.m. (central time) on my screen, this questions has three consecutive answers appearing and consecutively displaying "First Answer," "First Answer," "First Answer," next to each question. Perhaps it will be corrected later when the system reloads.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1697052

 
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FreshApples: Sep. 14, 04:35 PM

Good to know Rich. This seems to happen fairly often with me

 
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Spicy Hot is an Angel..: Sep. 14, 05:33 PM

@ Google: click either to see your friends answers OR their questions, not both at the same time, that seems to help with that problem.

 
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ma_muazel_l: Sep. 14, 06:48 PM

I've noticed that more on slower computers, but I usually get that about once every time I'm on, good computer or not. I'm glad there's finally a name for it though, so people don't freak out.

 
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BigDaddyBS: Sep. 14, 08:01 PM
in response to ma_muazel_l's comment on Sep. 14, 06:48 PM

@ma_muazel: Friends Q&A problem

My machine's not a "slower computer" and it happens to me.

Yeah... Friends' Q&A seems to come up very slowly, especially if you have a lot of friends. Part of that, though, is the program has to go through all of your friends, checking on questions and answers you haven't already seen, then sort them into date order newest first), then display the first five pages of whatever you have checked.

I also found that it may take a few clicks to make it work. I tried the options in the tabs about 4 times the other day, each timing out, then I clicked Friends Q&A from my info box (top right corner most screens), and it came up almost immediately. Maybe the effect is cumulative.

 
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YARNLADY is happy everyday: Sep. 16, 12:23 AM

I frequently see "First answer of 0" or such. I also get "no answers" when viewing questions, or when clicking on "see other answers". It's very widespread.

 
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dingo: Sep. 16, 07:14 AM

Thanks, Rich. Driving me crazy because want to response to ABers who have answered my questions, but can't see the responses.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1374806

 
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Google Loves the Foos: Sep. 16, 09:30 PM
in response to BigDaddyBS's comment on Sep. 14, 08:01 PM

Thks Big D for answering that,:)

 
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YARNLADY is happy everyday: Sep. 17, 01:31 PM

today I see a phantom comment: http://www.answerbag.com/profile/
refers to a comment by "zombie" but when I click on it, I find no such comment.

Edit: This one: http://www.answerbag.com/.../

and I still can't find a comment by "zombie"

 
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BigDaddyBS: Sep. 17, 07:15 PM
in response to YARNLADY is happy everyday's comment on Sep. 17, 01:31 PM

@Yarnlady - I've seen that and pointed it out as well - Where the permalink can't open the answer, but opens the question at the top of the question. For those, like this one, where it has multiple pages, you have to actually look for the answer. Here's the link to it: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/175191/ (question view, it's on page 2, right now, part-way down the page. Clicking on the permalink for the answer starts the question over at the top.

BTW: Yarnlady, your link will take a person to their own Feedback page. And on yours, the only way I could see it was another page or so, or shut off answers and ratings. Just FTI. ;-)

 
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skeeter: Sep. 18, 12:43 PM

Off the topic here but if you go back to the previous blog I had a question on whether or not you could fix the "search my questions" feature. Apparently it was being worked on. I'd appreciate an update. Thanks.

 
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yay! thank you rich!

 
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Gingerminx: Sep. 18, 10:13 PM

This is off topic but, when I come across a question that is flagged as a duplicate, I am no longer redirected to the original so I can answer it. This is becoming extremely frustrating. Also I am finding that when I click the "See unanswered questions" the actually unanswered questions are not posted until way down on the page, I have to wade through the answered ones still.

 
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HasntBeen: Sep. 19, 07:28 AM

On the subject of updates to the system: of course everybody loves new features and bugs that suddenly disappear. But I've noticed of late that whenever I see the "Answerbag is being updated..." page, I can expect a new spate of bugs. Technically this is known as "regression", and regression testing is one of those things programmers generally hate to do -- it's boring. But so helpful.

 
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skeeter: Sep. 19, 02:41 PM
in response to skeeter's comment on Sep. 18, 12:43 PM

No response??

 
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HungryGuy: Sep. 19, 05:45 PM

Thanks for looking into this! It still happens to me quite frequently. Though not as often as it did a few months ago, when I could hardly see ANY answers...

 
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answerbagy: Sep. 19, 07:58 PM

AB, can you please fix the following:
1)The time of date of the last activity is not accurate (for a while) My latest activity is on one of my questions, http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1647458 is sept 19 or at least 18, but it shows another question which had a march 4th as it's last avtivity.

2)My last posting in the answerblog was http://www.answerbag.com/blog/comments/206 comment number 18, there is no response under it, is it possible it was answered in the following blogs?

 
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The Chief: Sep. 21, 07:46 AM

Thank you, Rich.

Another bug I've recently found on a couple of my answers:

When I click on the permalink to my answer, I am not directed to my answer specifically. What I get is the question with ALL the answers, as if I had clicked on "Read all answers".

Needless to say, this can be somewhat annoying if I wish to post a link to a specific answer and what gets sent pulls up the associated question and some dozens of answers total.

I will send any such examples via email when they pop up so your staff can look at these as well. Who knows...perhaps they are related problems?

:):)


<EDIT>

Well, waddaya know? Seems YARNLADY and BigDaddyBS have already brought this to the table!

Oops! I'll still email such things: maybe they'll help localize the fault.

 
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skeeter: Sep. 22, 07:44 AM
in response to Perryman's comment on Sep. 21, 06:19 PM

I think that's quite a handsome avatar.

 
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Zack-Phillis big brother: Sep. 22, 09:57 AM
in response to Perryman's comment on Sep. 21, 06:19 PM

Perryman, what do you have against the male body? He doesn't even have any big boobs. These avatar alerts are kind of kooky.

 
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BigDaddyBS: Sep. 22, 01:30 PM
in response to Perryman's comment on Sep. 21, 06:19 PM

@Perryman - I saw the avatar for which you issued an "alert". While risque, as most of Zach's avatars are, everything was covered, which meets "broadcast standards" criteria. In fact, I've seen women wearing LESS, and even MORE risque behavior on broadcast TV.

Remember that Zack changes his avatar pretty routinely, so what you see one day, you won't necessarily see the next.

And Zack - Don't try to say that that's the avatar for which Perryman was issuing the alert. There's a major difference between a woman with huge breasts, a thong top and hands covering what needs covered, and a weightlifter!

Obviously, you know you need to be careful. I haven't heard any complaints for some time, so you should have a good idea what will fly and what won't.

 
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