Currently, the highest rated answer is listed (& read) 1st, propagating points. In long threads, many later posts never even get read. Wouldn't it make more sense to reverse the order, allowing for a truer evaluation of ALL the answers to the question?

OK. I'd buy that. I just think there are a lot of good answers not even being read. I've noticed the higher profile ABers often don't bother posting once the responses go into page 2 or more.

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by Little Miss Dangerous on February 9th, 2007

Thank you! I'm not crazy. If it isn't convenient to do so people aren't going to agonize over reading new answers. They just get lost.

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by Little Miss Dangerous on February 9th, 2007

A few problems with your logic. You're assuming the highest rated answers are 'correct'. I've seen plenty of medical misinformation rated #1 until challenged/corrected. (Others, rate highly as a result of user overall popularity or humor--not accuracy.) The best answer may never be viewed because it came in later.

I'm well aware of the search engine issue; it's how I found AB. Using a standard search engine like Google is no more difficult than navigating AB.

Finally, how do you know you're getting the best answer without reading them all? ABers won't and don't always go through long threads. 'First responders' rake in points, but the usefulness of the site (to offer the best information) is compromised. Check out the 'what do you look like?' thread. It's huge (211 answers) and after page 5 the points drop drastically. From a high of 143 down to zero? Clearly, it's explained by answer #1 getting more exposure than #211.

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by Little Miss Dangerous on February 9th, 2007

The highest rated answers, ideally, should be correct, if us regular ABers would do some homework and rate only correct information. There are usually enough of us on here to catch mistakes. If I find one, I will look up the correct info, downrate the answer and post a comment with the correction. If the correct answer is not yet listed, I will post it as an answer as well. For your example of the "what do you look like" thread...Those are questions that have no correct answer anyways. No points should be given for that kind of question. It doesn't add any useful information to AB's knowledgebase.

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by nfntjy on February 10th, 2007

Ideally, yes, but it often happens that incomplete or inferior answers are rated highest because they were posted and rated first. Yes, at least they can be improved with comment trails.

I would say the majority of questions asked on AB don't add to AB's knowledge base. They don't have a singular right/wrong answer. For example, there are a lot of questions asking "what" (should I do, do you think, etc.), for which there is no 100% right answer. To propose eliminating points on those doesn't make sense, as you really can rate them 'helpful' or 'not 'helpful'

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by Little Miss Dangerous on February 10th, 2007

I couldn't agree more. I spend a lot of time paging through threads and more often than not great answers sit at zero, because people don't take the time to go read/rate them. Maybe responses should list highest ranked answer followed by newest to oldest...on one page. I always use 'see all'.

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by Little Miss Dangerous on February 9th, 2007

Yes I use 'see all'too but i am afraid most of the time anything other than the front page is on zero, everyone that goes to the answer just rates the top few answers . which is why there is such a large point diversity between the front page and very good answers getting ignored lower down

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by Firebrand on February 10th, 2007

maybe your newest to oldest may work i do not know how they would change it but i am sure it is posible. it could be tried .

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by Firebrand on February 10th, 2007

It would certainly be a refreshing way to see new answers and boost new users when they deserve it.

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by Little Miss Dangerous on December 29th, 2008