Correct answer?

[Claudio_González1]

I have my doubts:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1162940?tstart=0

[Claudio_González1]

My doubts again:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1176182?tstart=0

[Claudio_González1]

Can an answer that didn't solve the questioner's problem be TheCorrect one?

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1192865?tstart=0

[Claudio_González1]

This can't be The Correct Answer to the opening question!

http://forums.adobe.com/message/5449948#5449948

[Claudio_González1]

How can a suggestion that didn't solve the issue be The Correct Answer?

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1263443?tstart=0

[pwillener]

I un-corrected the post.  It seems people just click on things without knowing what they do.  You wouldn't believe how many times people click on 'Report' when they mean 'Reply'.

[Claudio_González1]

Pat, nothing personal, just trying to add more evidence on the uselessness (does this word exist in English?) of the concept of The Correct Answer.

[Adobe_Hacker]

Claudio González wrote:

Pat, nothing personal, just trying to add more evidence on the uselessness (does this word exist in English?) of the concept of The Correct Answer.

You have to understand that there is no such thing as "Correct Answer" because something correct to you may not necessarily be correct to me or vice versa.  Only the original poster can decide what is correct to him/or her not you sitting here in a nice comfortable room deciding for somebody else and egging on some self promoted MVP to change the concept arbitrarily.

.

[Claudio_González1]

I thought that by mentioning again how useless I think that the concept of The Correct Answer is, it was clear that I don't believe that there is such thing. Of course, we do disagree on who is best qualified to say that an answer is correct. I have mentioned many times in other threads that I think that usually the newcomer is the least qualified person for this. If an advise such as "keep the Ctrl, Shift and Delete keys, while hittting repeatedly and quiclky the space bar and saying Amen three times" happens to coincide with the problem disappearing by itself, the novice will certainly believe this to be the correct answer. S/he will be most disappointed when this recipe doesn't work next time in solving the same problem. Much worse, it will disconcert future newcomers with the same problem who find this "solution" to be useless in spite of being marked as Correct.

Let's not forget that the foriums must be useful for all its users.

[the_wine_snob]

Claudio,

As the thread has been around a bit, with a few little tangents, I am no longer sure that I mentioned this - the Adobe Forum Team (not the Design Team), does use the data from both "Correct" & "Helpful," plus the "Was this helpful?" to campaign for more Adobe Forum $, staff and the like, to the upper management. Those data are, in part, responsible for the corporate support of the Adobe Forums.

Now, there will almost always be instances, where the first two get filled in incorrectly. The MOD's try to sift through those, and make corrections, if deemed absolutely necessary. The MOD's, who I know, do so with great trepidation, as they also feel that the OP is best qualified (in most cases), to determine which response WAS "Correct." Some will even ask for guidance in a Moderators' Forum, if they do not feel 100% that what changes they are making, are correct. Most really do care, and are doing their best to make the forums as good, as they can be.

Also, if one comes to a thread, say from a Search, and sees a "Correct" answer, they should feel somewhat comfortable, that if they have the exact same issue, that answer is very likely to help them too.

Is it a perfect system? No way! Are many trying to make it better? You bet!

I think that I have made "corrections" to maybe 4 threads, when it was obvious that the OP just made a mistake. In that time, I have done about the same, when the OP realized their mistake, and asked for a correction. For me, that is only on about 4 Adobe Product Forums, hence the very low numbers. Still, every correction (or Move), that I have made, have been dictated by trying to help everyone get the most out of the Adobe Forums, and make them the best resource possible.

I share most of your feelings, and they help guide MOD's, such as myself, to do the best job possible. Is it perfect? Again, no, but most of us do try.

Why do we do it? For others, I cannot say, but for me, it's about paying back to Adobe, who allowed me to have great fun, and earn a decent living, through their software. Is it about "power?" Well, not for me, and probably not for most MOD's. It is about "responsibility."

I do wish that it could be a perfect system, but I try to make it the best possible.

That is not to diminish your frustration, but only to provide a bit of insight into what goes into being a MOD.

Take care,

Hunt

[Claudio_González1]

Bill, I have never questioned the actions of the mods. Quite to the contrary; I think they do an excellent and most needed job without receiving even a "thank you" in return.

Thanks for explaining that some of the markings many of us think are useless are indeed useful and taken into account. However, in view of what I see, I cannot share your optimist in thinking that they do produce results.

[the_wine_snob]

Claudio,

I also have no direct correlation to those data provided to the Forum Team, but indirectly, though them, they have repeatedly asked that those areas be "ticked," so that they can gather it, and campaign to upper-management for continued support for the Adobe Forums. I trust them, and try to help them, in any way possible. I even did a short article, that I link to, to help new forum users understand better the potential benefits of marking their threads Correct, or answers as Helpful.

Could that be a futile task? Possibly, but when the folk, trying to help us all, and keep the support for the forums coming, I listen, and try to help. Apparently, they are able to pull the data, and take them into meetings to support their contention that the forums ARE worthwhile, and ARE a viable means of providing technical assistance.

Whatever, I hope that the Forums Team is successful in continuing to receive funding and support for the forums. In a time, when areas are viewed as only cost centers, with no direct revenue generation, I understand the need to get upper-management exicted and keep them on-board. Sometimes, the "bean counters" do not get the big-picture, and just see outflows, with no inflows of cash. Where do you think they would want to cut first?

I just wanted to share another side of things (not focusing on the mechanics, or what we, the users, see), beyond just the helpfulness to future readers, of those marked threads - another benefit of that marking system.

Now, a discussion of the mechanics and implementation would take into account other aspects, and I feel they need to be addressed. Maybe through design, or implementation, things could be better?

Hunt

[Claudio_González1]

Bill, if the bean counters fail to see the enormous service these forums provide by complementing -I almost said replacing- an acknowledgeably very poor customer service, I fail to understand how they ever became bean counters. Successful businesspeople are supossed to smell a bargain at a hundred miles, and getting excellent contributors who are willing to provide first-class assistance for nothing is a bargain if I ever saw one.

[the_wine_snob]

Claudio,

I agree. While I have had but a tiny glimpse into some of the workings of Adobe, so many corporations have departments (often with various "purse strings"), that require written documentation, spreadsheets, show-n-tell presentations with tons of graphs and charts, before performing any action. That just seems to be how it is, in the corporate world.

You should see all the paperwork and presentations that my wife must assemble, whenever her corporation is involved. Things that seem like "no brainers," require hours of work, to present to various boards of directors and upper-management types.

That is not meant as an argument, as I agree that it should be easy to see the value provided by the forums - a real no-brainer to me, but I am on the outside, spend a lot of time in the forums, so see things much differently, than some department CFO, who has never even seen the Adobe Forums, and might view them only as a "cost center."

Hunt

[Claudio_González1]

Is this question really answered?

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1392020?tstart=0

[Claudio_González1]

Another beauty:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1403756?tstart=0