I don't think so. Either that or they're hoping they'll get an odd point or two. It's the same as people who answer questions which clearly go on the assumption that Gd exists with an answer 'Gd doesn't exist'.

i dunno.... hehehe p.s. your avatar hurts my brain

So are non-questions :-)) . I agree with you. Such answers must be flagged out.

That does seem like a waste of time (both for the writer and reader). I love rating answers, but I'm always hesitant about down-rating them (because I know how much I hate getting down-rated), but when someone puts no thought into an answer and types "I don't know..." I don't hesitate hitting the thumbs down.

im not sure....no im kiding i do belive people do this to signifiy that they to would like to know the answer and during the same time they put there comments about it for example " i dont know but i think it has to do with....." and stuff like that :)

I doubt these people value their points, so why should I? Flagging and downrating are available options that AB intends us to use. They are not the AB equivalent of the Death Penalty.

so if someone asks if their pregnant, i have to write yes you are, or no you aren't, instead of it may be possible. those questions can never be answered correctly. the best is to tell them it is possible and go see your doctor. is this really a problem.

Because sometimes, saying that it's better to ask someone else IS helping. I've seen a question here once that asked "I have these really grave symptoms [enumerates them] what could it be?" And it was answered with "I'm not sure. It might be better to call your doctor and ask him." And in my point of view, it's the PERFECT answer. It could be a disease that needs immediate medical attention, and asking about it to strangers on a website isn't really the best way to treat it.

I think that its because there is no feature to comment on the question and they want to say something. As a result you get lots of half-answers. For example, someone was asking for help after someone close to them died. I left a comment saying that I don't know how to help but I offer my heartfelt condolances.

It's often newbies who do that- I think perhaps they haven't grasped the idea of the site, and think the point is more a question-based chat, than people asking for specific answers, you rarely see long term users doing it. I agree, it is annoying when you (or someone else) asks a really valid interesting question, you get the e-mail telling you it's been answered log in and find that someone has just written "I don't know." Not that "I don't know" in essence is a bad answer- some things you CAN'T know for sure. But you have to provide something extra- if its about a medical condition for example, you could provide a link to an authorative site with some advice about the condition AND suggest that they go see a Doctor. It's equally annoying when someone answers with a link to wikipedia page on the topic ("Gosh really? An online encyclopedia? I never realised that was there!") or tells you to "Google it". Because it is generally newbies, it's probably nicer to leave a comment telling them that this isn't a terribly helpful answer rather than actually rate them down for it. If someone answers with something like "I don't know, interesting question." You might suggest that in future instead of responding to the question they add it to their watch list so they'll be notified when it does get a sensible answer.

maby they have to many point (j/K) but i think they are try to be funny when they say i dont know or they are stupid and those stupid answer sould be not posted. but i think i dont uder srtand can be good at time ecuse the person may have the answer u need but what ever

I ask for more information or for them to clarify the question if it is unclear so that I can answer. If I don't know the answer after the clarification I say I don't know.

I understand that you are talking about me, I apoligize for that, it is to hint to you that you ned to edit the question so others can understanding it, isn't that easier rather than being rated down for having an unanswerable question. Cheers.

I think sometimes, depending on the question asked, that some questions really are worded in a way that is hard for most people to understand. I sometimes will write that I am not certain of what they mean by the question, answer it with my interpretation, and suggest that writing a clearer question will get them better answers/results. In the case of someone asking a clearly worded question, i would not be able to understand why someone would answer so obtusely, except to say that maybe sometimes people are feeling a bit cheeky or silly and maybe that is why they do it.

The reason people bother posting "I don't understand this question" is because most of the time instinct would lead one to believe that if they can't understand it, most people will not be able to as well. So, by asking, they are probably just seeing it as helping everyone out-- the question gets clarified, and the answers are more accurate. If they are making an effort to say they don't understand, they probably have some grasp on what the question is asking already, but just need some clarity to answer it well, and they probably intend on editing it. Why people say "I don't know," I have no idea why any one would do that. Usually it's the newer people, so maybe they aren't as accustomed to AB as most of us are. Or maybe they are just jerks. There are a lot of possible answers there...

Some questions genuinely need clarification. If the poster has not worded the question in a way that people can understand it, it certainly warrants exploration. People who post saying, "I don't understand" are really being helpful, but not quite in the way most people think.

They have nothing better to do... Chevalier Daniel C. Boyer