Subsequent changes to the “best answers” — why?
Summary: stubenkram raised concerns about recent changes in the community regarding how discussions and questions are categorized, particularly focusing on the marking of 'best answers.' They noted that only mentors' answers are being chosen as 'best answers,' overriding original selections without clear criteria. hasjana explained that sometimes the chosen answers might be incorrect or not beneficial, justifying mentor intervention. However, stubenkram emphasized that altering members' selections without explanation is overreaching and devalues member contributions.
Hello everyone!
Since the end of August, only so-called "topics" can be created in the Café. In the other categories, all newly created topics have since been treated as "questions". Even if it isn't actually a question at all, but the topic starter intends it as a discussion. What are the reasons for this change in the community?
For topics in the "question format", "Not solved yet" appears at the top. When a "best answer" has been selected and marked, "Solved" appears at the top.
I had assumed that the topic starter could themselves decide, when a question is asked, which answer was "the best" for them, if they mark a topic as "solved". That’s why I was very irritated that the original markings for a member’s "best answer" were removed and, instead, answers from a mentor were chosen as the "best answer". According to what criteria does this happen?
The changes to the "best answers" took place about a week later and can no longer be undone by the topic starter. Should only the mentors’ answers perhaps always be chosen as the "best answers"?
I would like an explanation of these questions.
steffi@ebay
Hello @stubenkram , thanks for your feedback.
In principle, topic creators can decide for themselves which answer is the right solution for them. It doesn't matter whether that answer comes from a mentor, another community member, or the topic creator themselves.
The solution marking is not intended as an award or rating of a member, but above all is meant to help other users recognize and find a helpful answer within a thread more quickly.
Of course, it can't be ruled out that there may be differing views about which answer is the most helpful. However, the decision lies with the respective topic creator or with the people who are accordingly authorized to mark a solution.
If you generally have change requests regarding how the solution marking works, please use our feedback form so that your feedback can be recorded accordingly.
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Kind regards,
🌷 Steffi
Community Team | eBay Community
stubenkram
OP1 week agoThanks for marking, Peter, and thanks for your reply, Hasjana.
In categories like this, all members have the permission to reply to the topic starter’s posts. The topic starter also has the permission, by selecting a “best answer,” to mark a topic as “solved.” If members weren’t trusted to be able to do that, these two permissions probably wouldn’t exist at all.
Regardless of that, everyone in the community has the right to mark all posts in a topic with “reactions.” In doing so, everyone can set up to eight different symbols as a “reaction” per reply. These symbols can, for example, show how good or how helpful a reply is perceived to be, or whether you agree.
If the topic starter marks a topic in “question format” as “solved,” that can have various reasons. Usually, a topic will probably be marked as solved when it contains one or more replies that helped solve the problem or answered a question. But a problem may also simply have been resolved, for example because the topic starter found a solution themselves or because the person asking the question no longer wants to discuss their problem.
If there are several replies, the person asking the question will choose the reply that they like best or that was most helpful to them in solving the problem. If this choice is reversed by a mentor/moderator, then that is an interference with the member’s permissions. I would only consider this appropriate if the topic starter had clearly made a mistake when selecting the “best answer.” But it is hardly likely to happen that a member marked a reply by mistake and wanted to mark a different reply instead.
So do the mentors/moderators judge and decide based on such and other criteria whether a member made the right and best choice?
If the selected “best answer” of a member was factually wrong or nonsensical and the marking was therefore removed, then this should be mentioned in the topic and/or a clarification should be written. Only then would the removal of the original marking be understandable. But if the marking is not only silently removed from a member’s reply, but instead a mentor’s reply is marked as “the best,” then that is not only an interference with the topic starter’s rights. Such a change also devalues a member’s reply. But that reply may just as well have been good and correct?
It is patronizing and overstepping when you reverse a member’s decision and instead choose another reply - based on your own judgment or according to certain criteria. Without an explanation/information, I do not find such changes acceptable.
hasjana
·1 week ago@stubenkram
of course not
in my opinion, it also shouldn’t be mandatory for a post to be marked as the best answer or the topic as solved - you can do it, but you don’t have to
but it does happen that the original poster sometimes picks answers they like, but that are wrong, or simply something that offers no added value for others or is completely pointless, etc. - then, I think, that solution can also be removed again ... but as written, it doesn’t have to be replaced by something else marked as the solution or best answer
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 week agoHi,
maybe the lovely @steffi@ebay can answer your questions, thanks Steffi. ❤️