That best answer deserves a favorite February 2, 2012 12:22 PM   Subscribe

Favorites and best answers. How about when you mark something as "best answer" it also gets an automatic "favorite?"

Typically when I mark something as "best answer" I'll also go back and mark it as a favorite as well. It's obviously a favorite, and something I want to keep track of. I also appreciate seeing when someone favorites a comment of mine, but a "best answer" doesn't show up as such and so a "best answer" often gets lost and I don't even realize that it was marked as "best answer."
posted by Sassyfras to Feature Requests at 12:22 PM (58 comments total)

I've often wondered why "best answers" are not tracked somehow.
posted by KokuRyu at 12:23 PM on February 2, 2012 [8 favorites]


What if I want to mark something as best answer, but having received that answer I do not feel like I will need to refer to it later, and so do not need to bookmark it?

Solution in search of a problem.
posted by absalom at 12:26 PM on February 2, 2012 [4 favorites]


No, we're not going to automate this. Folks who want to both best and favorite something can totally do so, it takes an extra second or so; folks who don't want to do so aren't forced to do so or to retroactively unfavorite something after besting it.

If you want to keep an eye out for best answers on answers you've contributed to ask threads outside of the thread view itself, they're marked with a check mark and "marked as best answer" at the end of the byline on the ask comments activity view in your profile.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:29 PM on February 2, 2012


I keep track of the best answers to my AskMes by looking at my questions. I bookmark posts and other people's questions so I can find them later. If a best answer is in my own thread, I don't see a reason to bookmark it with a favorite.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:32 PM on February 2, 2012


Sassyfras, you can use infodumpster to track your best answers, like so.

You can also make yourself one of your own contacts, so your best answers show up in your contact activity.
posted by hydrophonic at 12:37 PM on February 2, 2012 [2 favorites]


I just tried to add myself to my contacts. The fact that I did it appears in my sidebar, but not on my contacts list. Nor did any of the stuff I've been doing. WHAT IS GOING ON.
posted by griphus at 12:45 PM on February 2, 2012


@hydrophonic - who knew! Thanks!

Also, I'm not super concerned about tracking my own best answers, per se, but want to make sure that someone who posts a best answer get props for that, without dropping them an email, which seems bulky.
posted by Sassyfras at 12:50 PM on February 2, 2012


Typically when I mark something as "best answer" I'll also go back and mark it as a favorite as well. It's obviously a favorite, and something I want to keep track of.

Not everyone uses favourites this way and many would disagree that best answers are obviously favourites.
posted by Mitheral at 12:53 PM on February 2, 2012 [4 favorites]


I absolutely do not want to favorite best answers. I usually favorite good jokes. Most of the best answers I give are not jokes.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:08 PM on February 2, 2012 [2 favorites]


What about the idea of tracking best answers in user profiles, much as favourites are tracked?

If this is not desirable, it would be nice to get some sort of notification that one's contribution has been marked as a "best answer".
posted by KokuRyu at 1:21 PM on February 2, 2012


Sassyfras, you can use infodumpster to track your best answers, like so.

Wow I have very few best answers!
posted by shakespeherian at 1:23 PM on February 2, 2012


Let's set up a contest for most best answers!
posted by desjardins at 1:24 PM on February 2, 2012


I WIN no one count just go with this I WIN
posted by shakespeherian at 1:25 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


That's because your advice sucks, shakes!

Seriously, I still haven't gotten the goddamn smell out and I'm banned from every bowling alley and pet store in the county.

NO ONE TAKE DATING ADVICE FROM SHAKESPEHERIAN.
posted by griphus at 1:27 PM on February 2, 2012


shakespeherian: " Wow I have very few best answers!"

I have about the same number you do, and about the same number of answers. :)
posted by zarq at 1:28 PM on February 2, 2012


Is it my fault you bought the smallest funnel ever made?
posted by shakespeherian at 1:28 PM on February 2, 2012


Yeah, blame it on the funnel, like always. Meanwhile, "GGG" does not stand for "Go Go Gadget."
posted by griphus at 1:30 PM on February 2, 2012


Like hell it doesn't. And anyone could tell you that a derby doesn't hold as much liquid as a top hat.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:32 PM on February 2, 2012


What about the idea of tracking best answers in user profiles, much as favourites are tracked?

No. We are basically done with making it any easier for people to rank themselves against other people for any reason whatsoever.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:34 PM on February 2, 2012 [18 favorites]


Was going to create a whole new post, but I'll just hijack this one.

Has there ever been a pony request or suggestion for a sort of "I think this is a really good answer" or an "I agree with this answer" link or option we, answerers, could click for askmefi?

I mean, I know we can manually say "nthing Mefite. I agree with her!" but it just seems like it would be easier on the OP if there was some sort of tally or indication that a bunch of users agree. Just the favorite tally seems too ambiguous. ("Why did people favorite this.. is it because it was a good/right answer.. or simply a well worded one. Maybe because they told a funny/interesting ancedote..?")

Sort of like a community way of marking a best answer.
posted by royalsong at 1:38 PM on February 2, 2012


And well, I wouldn't track it. So no indication on users pages or anything like favorites currently are. Maybe not even visible to the community. just to the OP (same way the best answer link is only visible to them)
posted by royalsong at 1:39 PM on February 2, 2012


No. We are basically done with making it any easier for people to rank themselves against other people for any reason whatsoever.

Sounds good to me!

/checks favorites eagerly
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 1:39 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


What I got out of this thread is I really like the idea of Derpy in a top hat. Thank you and good day.
posted by Wolfdog at 1:50 PM on February 2, 2012


I can see you trying to back-door some quantitative easing into the favorites economy with the rush of favorites this would create, and that is something I can never support. We need to get back to the Gold Favorites Standard and not just try to inflate our way out of every perceived affirmation problem. Can't you see the damage this would do to those of us who've been patiently storing favorites away for a rainy day, not to mention ensuring a disastrous favorites bubble? No, this is chaos, and I would rather see MetaFilter crucified upon a Cross of Favorites than stand idly by while demagogues drive the mobs to ruin those of us who acted wisely and favorited within our means sent to the favoritesless house.
posted by Copronymus at 1:54 PM on February 2, 2012 [3 favorites]


People love to talk about how we can't just print-more-favorites our way out of this mess, but what they don't realize is that we've been printing favorites at a proditious rate* for years and that the danger right now continues to be favorite deflation rather than favorite hyperinflation.

Pegging our favorites to the Best Answer Standard would, first of all, cause a massive favorites contraction that would in no way benefit the majority of MetaFilters. It would be great for the people who have been hoarding Best Answers for the past five years, but let's just call that what it is: a nakedly self-interested attempt to change the functioning, if messy, exchange of fiat favorites that we now have into something that benefits a small number of eccentrics with -- let's face it -- a radically contrarian investment strategy based on a discredited view of favorites policy.

* The actual rate is 100 favorites per user, per day, every day since August 31, 2007.
posted by gauche at 2:10 PM on February 2, 2012


That should be since at least August 31, 2007.
posted by gauche at 2:11 PM on February 2, 2012


I usually favorite good jokes

Thanks to the infodumpster I verified that I had at least one good joke during my time here on MetaFilter.
posted by burnmp3s at 2:12 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


folks who don't want to do so aren't forced to do so or to retroactively unfavorite something after besting it

I didn't realize AskMe was a competition!
posted by asterix at 2:13 PM on February 2, 2012


I understand why this is a bad idea now. I suppose my problem is that I don't know how to use the site very well (wth is infodumpster!?) and I don't know how to easily see activity on comments very well (and I suppose I thought others had the same problem). Just thought it'd be nice to give props to people who guessed the book from 1973 correctly. I don't know how to easily follow threads/activity to notice these things. I'm stoopid, okay? And I sometimes wonder about answers that I gave and wonder if they were correct or not.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:15 PM on February 2, 2012


Absolutely not stoopid. The site just has a weird learning curve because it's pretty easy to get the basics down and then some of the stuff is hidden behind a lot of layers of history and the wiki and whatever.

The infodumpster is just a front end that someone built out of the infodump which is where we make the metadata about the site available to people. It's nice for being able to run little queries that aren't too complicated and answer some nagging number questions. Alas stuff like favorites seems to get people's hackles raised which is in no way your fault at all.

What you might find useful is the old way we used to show comments on AskMe [like this] which makes it a lot easier to see your best answers over the past week or two. You can keep this link in your profile page and click it from time to time, that's what I do.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:18 PM on February 2, 2012


I didn't realize AskMe was a competition!

Huh? My comment was about it not making sense to force people to auto-add favorites or force people to manually remove favorites they didn't add. The is-it-a-competition discussion about the influence of favorites and best answers and other less codified forms of group feedback is a complicated and sort of interesting one but it wasn't what I was talking about at all.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:26 PM on February 2, 2012


No. We are basically done with making it any easier for people to rank themselves against other people for any reason whatsoever.

I realized when I pushed "Post Comment" that my request or whatever could come across this way. Anyway, I understand and agree with this policy.

However, is there a way this could show up privately in one's sidebar or something that's easy to see?

The purpose of this feature would be to see if the OP actually found value in your answer, without having to navigate back to the question.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:30 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


KokuRyu: However, is there a way this could show up privately in one's sidebar or something that's easy to see?

Add yourself as a contact. Anyone else wishing to do this, simply replace KokuRyu's user number with your own. Obviously this will only display in the sidebar until it's knocked off the list.
posted by gman at 2:39 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


What you might find useful is the old way we used to show comments on AskMe [like this] which makes it a lot easier to see your best answers over the past week or two. You can keep this link in your profile page and click it from time to time, that's what I do.

I just want to point out that when using the professional white background, those checkmarks look hideously unprofessional, and now I find myself questioning the legitimacy of my best answers.
posted by mysterpigg at 2:40 PM on February 2, 2012


KoKuRyu needs to be my mouthpiece because this is pretty much what I meant: The purpose of this feature would be to see if the OP actually found value in your answer, without having to navigate back to the question.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:41 PM on February 2, 2012


Add yourself as a contact. Anyone else wishing to do this, simply replace KokuRyu's user number with your own. Obviously this will only display in the sidebar until it's knocked off the list.

Thanks! I'll try that. However, it seems to break all the rules of usability.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:42 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


now I find myself questioning the legitimacy of my best answers.

Not to be all "the journey is the destination" about it, but that's probably okay.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:43 PM on February 2, 2012 [2 favorites]


That just blew my mind.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:44 PM on February 2, 2012


Huh? My comment was about it not making sense to force people to auto-add favorites or force people to manually remove favorites they didn't add.

I was riffing off your use of "best" as a verb. Not very well, apparently.
posted by asterix at 2:56 PM on February 2, 2012


Self-contacting sounds so dirty. I can hear random authority figure telling me not to self contact or I'll go blind.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:05 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


Er, sorry, I meant legitimacy. I'm actually quite fine with my best answers.
posted by mysterpigg at 3:08 PM on February 2, 2012


Send me $1 and I will favor any comment of yours that you like.

Send me $2 and I will unfavor any comment at all that I currently have favorited.

Bargain deal: for $5 I will unfavorite all comments of a particular user.


Special for this week: for $10000 I will "arrange" for you to be given 100,000 favorites and thus win Metafilter.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:09 PM on February 2, 2012


Ah, sorry. I am so used to inflecting and nouning and verbing mefi jargon at this point that it didn't occur to me to look for the ambiguity in my use of "besting" there. Humor fail on my part!
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:19 PM on February 2, 2012



The purpose of this feature would be to see if the OP actually found value in your answer, without having to navigate back to the question.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:30 PM on February 2 [1 favorite +] [!]


I definitely catch myself using favorites to see if people were interested in anything I said. It's not a terribly good tool for that, but un-threaded conversations can be hard to follow, so we grasp for tools to refer back to where we left off.

I don't know if there's a solution that doesn't involve attentiveness, work and reading. :)
posted by Stagger Lee at 3:25 PM on February 2, 2012


No. We are basically done with making it any easier for people to rank themselves against other people for any reason whatsoever.

This doesn't rule out the star next to a mod name making a comeback some day, does it? Because that, really, was a pretty cool thing. It was like being a Metafilter deputy.
posted by SpacemanStix at 4:14 PM on February 2, 2012


So the consensus of the mods is:

In order to easily (but privately) determine whether or not an AskMe poster has marked your answers as "Best", you should add yourself as a contact, so that such a notification will show up in your sidebar.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:56 PM on February 2, 2012


That's a handy passive way to keep track of it over time, yeah. Keeping an eye on threads semi-passively through Recent Activity will also do the job for all but the busier askme threads as well, I think, though I'm rarely leaving best answers so I can't recall offhand how they're denoted in that view.

Viewing your own answering activity from your profile page is a reliable way to look over stuff as far back as you like on demand. The infodumpster is also a fun way to browse this stuff, though it's a third-party utility and not an official mefi feature.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:01 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


Yeah I just usually go click the link on my profile page to check every once in a while. But I don't use the sidebar much. If you're a sidebar user, that is probably the easiest way to do it.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:09 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


There isn't a "add as a contact" link next to my own name. How do I do it?
posted by Tarumba at 5:27 PM on February 2, 2012


cortex writes "That's a handy passive way to keep track of it over time, yeah. Keeping an eye on threads semi-passively through Recent Activity will also do the job for all but the busier askme threads as well, I think, though I'm rarely leaving best answers so I can't recall offhand how they're denoted in that view. "

Does best answer marking bump the askme on recent activity? For me at least if the Asker doesn't mark for a few days and doesn't post a summary thereby bumping the thread on Recent Activity then I won't see the best answering (I think),

Mind you I've had my self contacted for so long I forget it isn't the default so I see best answers that way.
posted by Mitheral at 5:34 PM on February 2, 2012


How do I do it?

You can copy the link that gman provided and just substitute in your own user number.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:36 PM on February 2, 2012


Tarumba writes "There isn't a 'add as a contact' link next to my own name. How do I do it?"

Click on this link: Contact Tarumba

If you aren't Tarumba substitute your user number for theirs unless you want to contact Tarumba
posted by Mitheral at 5:36 PM on February 2, 2012


Does best answer marking bump the askme on recent activity?

Nope, so that method won't be as helpful in the case of folks who comment in a lot of threads or the case of significantly late bests, yeah.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:40 PM on February 2, 2012


Good gracious...

How about this...how about this pony...how about if we have a pony, a pony that reads metafilter for us, and askme, and the meta, and thinks about it for us, and comes to conclusions and opinions and makes comments, and asks questions, and favorites EVERYTHING and marks only the best answer as best answer, and makes remarks about hitler in the meta. And then that pony washes the car, makes dinner, and feeds the dog. Then it cleans the litter box.

And, if I die, the pony continues to live my life and nobody even knows I'm gone... until the rotting corpse starts to smell.

Could we have THAT pony? 'cuz then we could kill all the other ponys..
posted by HuronBob at 6:53 PM on February 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


I have no idea what came over me just then...
posted by HuronBob at 6:53 PM on February 2, 2012


I do know that ponys should be ponies...really...


ok, i'm done
posted by HuronBob at 6:54 PM on February 2, 2012


But, HuronBob, in order to be perfectly accurate that pony would have to ask for other ponies!
posted by beryllium at 8:16 PM on February 2, 2012


it just seems like it would be easier on the OP if there was some sort of tally or indication that a bunch of users agree

As a bona fide snob, I get a lot of pleasure from believing that people who come to AskMe instead of Yahoo Answers can all more or less read. And I think that's a good thing. I have no wish to pander to the laziness of people who can't be bothered reading and comprehending all the advice on offer.
posted by flabdablet at 10:37 PM on February 3, 2012


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