Better than best answer?

May 17, 2006 8:36 AM

I'd like a way, beyond "best answer," to give feedback/kudos to users who offer exceptionally helpful AskMe answers. [more inside]
posted by Alterscape to Feature Requests at 8:36 AM (25 comments total)

I posted this AskMe about job interviews last week, and received a lot of great input. I've since attended the interview, and today I learned that I'm on the "short-short" list for the job, thanks to the way I handled it. I'd like to thank those who posted helpful information. I've already marked a best answer, but as far as I know that feedback doesn't get directly back to the user who posted the answer. Posting in the thread doesn't make sense, since its long gone from the frontpage and I think it'd be unlikely for anyone to read it now. I realize I could just look up everyone's user profiles and pass along a note, but that seems a bit much.

Does anyone have thoughts on ways to reward answers that aren't just "best," but are seriously helpful long-term? Am I onto something, or just too lazy?
posted by Alterscape at 8:36 AM on May 17, 2006

Email.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 8:38 AM on May 17, 2006

I don't know, it seems like you should just e-mail them.
posted by ludwig_van at 8:38 AM on May 17, 2006

I'd put a comment in the thread saying as much -- if I had answered, it'd show up in My Comments and I'd see your followup.

Short of that, yes, you go to their profile, look up their email, and send them a nice note. Between best answers, fantastic posts, and the occasional sidebar, we've got automated back-patting functionality in spades.
posted by cortex at 8:39 AM on May 17, 2006

*makes odds on thread explicitly about being thankful turning into a shit fest*

i'm really, really kidding
posted by cortex at 8:41 AM on May 17, 2006

I got an email from someone thanking me for an especially helpful answer once. I liked it.
posted by iconomy at 8:50 AM on May 17, 2006

yeah, e-mail is a nice way to send a personal thank-you note

that, and naked pictures of yourself in attachment
posted by matteo at 8:57 AM on May 17, 2006

Someday we could have paypal addresses for everyone in their profile, allowing other members to drop them a buck or two when they give excellent advice.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:03 AM on May 17, 2006 [2 favorites]

Yeah, email is the best way in this case - I've had mail as a result of Ask Metafilter, either thanks or a request for more info, and it's really rather nice, made nicer still by the fact that you know someone has taken the trouble to look up your email address.

As for users without email addresses in their profile - fuck 'em. (Er, maybe a bit harsh, but I always take the absence of an email address as a bit of a snub to every other user. It's not like it's hard to set up a free MetaFilter-specific account if you want to remain anonymous.)
posted by jack_mo at 9:04 AM on May 17, 2006

I realize I could just look up everyone's user profiles and pass along a note, but that seems a bit much.

It does? What seems like less than, or more appropriate than that?
posted by squirrel at 9:05 AM on May 17, 2006

<not sure if that's a joke>Paypal would be grim - we'd end up with semi-pro money-grub mercenary Ask-answering capitalist pig-dogs. Keep it a strictly altruistic monument to the beauty of human cooperation, I say.</not sure if that's a joke>
posted by jack_mo at 9:09 AM on May 17, 2006

As for users without email addresses in their profile - fuck 'em. (Er, maybe a bit harsh, but I always take the absence of an email address as a bit of a snub to every other user. It's not like it's hard to set up a free MetaFilter-specific account if you want to remain anonymous.)

Eh. I think people ought to include an email, but the only people who chap my hide are the folks who don't provide an email and then proceed to conspicuously act out.

I read a lack of email, in the absence of bad behavior, as a neutral move toward privacy. I can't fault someone for simply not wanting email, if they're being a good citizen.
posted by cortex at 9:09 AM on May 17, 2006

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. For some reason email seemed psychologically too familiar for a response to something on a mefi-type site, but everyone's reactions make it clear that it would be appropriate. I'll do that, for sure.
posted by Alterscape at 9:09 AM on May 17, 2006

As for users without email addresses in their profile - fuck 'em.

Would that be email in particular or are you just trying to say contact information?

Check my profile - I'll be dead and buried before I go back to using email for general-purpose communication. IM clients have buffers and logging for a reason.
posted by Ryvar at 9:24 AM on May 17, 2006

I've always appreciated a reach-around.
posted by yerfatma at 9:27 AM on May 17, 2006

I was promised beer and hookers and blow for one of my answers once.
I check my mailbox every day....
posted by Floydd at 9:28 AM on May 17, 2006

There was someone who was incredibly helpful to me, and I sent them a gift certificate to Amazon. It was the least I could do considering all the time that they'd taken with me.
posted by voidcontext at 9:36 AM on May 17, 2006

Come to think of it, my little triumph still makes me smile when I read it. I think if I actually received anything of value from anyone I'd feel a little dirty.
Unless it was hookers.
Then I'd feel a LOT dirty.
I guess I'm just the altruistic sort.
(although I guess I could take a shower afterwards....)
posted by Floydd at 9:55 AM on May 17, 2006

not sure if that's a joke

God I hope so.

I realize I could just look up everyone's user profiles and pass along a note, but that seems a bit much.

Newbies are cute, always wanting to reinvent the wheel.
posted by justgary at 9:56 AM on May 17, 2006

I find that sometimes I find my own answers to my questions. So I take myself out for ice cream as repayment. This system has never failed me.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:56 AM on May 17, 2006

I tried to thank myself once, but I got a nasty email back and it just went downhill from there. Now I just refuse to answer my own questions on general principle.
posted by cortex at 10:04 AM on May 17, 2006

can't fault someone for simply not wanting email, if they're being a good citizen.

Er, yeah, of course - dunno why I upped the vitriol to 'fuck 'em' levels on this point.

Would that be email in particular or are you just trying to say contact information?

Oh, just contact info - never really used instant messaging, though, so might become confused upon entering a world of AIM.

I wonder if anyone has a 'phone number in their profile...
posted by jack_mo at 10:14 AM on May 17, 2006

You can flag it, mark it as a fave (and since you're the asker, as a best answer), e-mail the OC, and even e-mail Matt if you think it belongs on the sidebar (not sure that this practice is officially encouraged). What more do you need?

You are only one user, and so get only one vote. So unless you got a whole bunch of fives, that's about it.
posted by Eideteker at 10:28 AM on May 17, 2006

Getting a marked answer is nice, but a mail is more personal. Notes are nice, even if just for clarification.

I frankly don't understand not having a mail in your profile. It's not like anonymous ones can't be had from google, yahoo or a thousand other providers. A talk to the hand, kind of thing, I guess. Anyway, that's someone else's problem, not mine.

I'd vote against monetizing the system though. As mentioned above, we've got lots of ways of giving out cookies here. I think we've got enough.
posted by bonehead at 2:26 PM on May 17, 2006

Someday we could have paypal addresses for everyone in their profile, allowing other members to drop them a buck or two when they give excellent advice.

A user here actually did click through to my profile, then to my site, then to my 'me' page there to dig up the well-buried 'buy the wonderchicken a beer' dropcash link, and send me $1, because they liked an answer I gave! That was pretty cool.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:10 PM on May 17, 2006