Best answer selection etiquette

[Hlsgsz]

Being new to the forum, i obseved that an user is auditing old threads and selecting best answers, so after a little googleing i came across this thread:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-1951151/choosing-answers-answers.html

This led me to want to confirm that what i myself am doing is within the lines of Tom's accepted behaviour(moderator input would be appreciated).

I unselect BAs in the far too often case that the OP complains of accidentaly selecting them, hopefully, not to the displeasure of the owner of said post, if it is not myself.

I select best answers when the OP resolves their own issue, and writes explainign about it. In this case, I've unselected my own answer, if the case, and selected OPs as their explanation was the actual correct solution someone coming from google would be looking for. I have not, however, done so if OP selected another user's aswer, even if the above logic still applied.

Does all this sound about right, or should i alter my behaviour?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Selecting Best Answers is left solely to the originator of a thread or to the Designated Community Members for older threads in which the thread is considered dead (two or more months without a new reply) and the original poster (OP) has not selected a best answer.

If the OP requests a Best Answer selection be revoked, we would prefer the OP Alert the Moderation Team or Post A Request in This Thread.

Under no circumstance are you to select a Best Answer in any thread you did not originate. In your instance above where the OP answered themselves, the Designated Community Members will take care of that in due time.

Wolfshadw
Moderator

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Here are the rules as enforced by the moderators:

The rules are quite simple:

1. If the thread originator has chosen an answer you leave it alone, period.

2. If you come across an obviously abandoned thread (2 or more months old) with no chosen answer you may choose one.

3. If you come across a thread with an answer that is obviously wrong, or a better one exists, you may change it, unless the answer was chosen by the thread originator, in which case you abide by rule #1.

4. You do not choose/remove an answer in an active thread unless you are the thread originator.

5. Do not use multiple accounts to award best answers to one another. You will be permanently
banned for this

If an OP requests an answer be unselected please use the alert function to call in a moderator, do not unselect the answer yourself as it could be mistaken for gaming the system, which leads to sanctions.

I select best answers when the OP resolves their own issue, and writes explainign about it. In this case, I've unselected my own answer, if the case, and selected OPs as their explanation was the actual correct solution someone coming from google would be looking for.

Falls under rule #4

The best policy is to leave the active threads to the moderators/admins and just use the alert function. For abandoned threads you can choose at will, subject to the above rules.

 

[Hlsgsz]

Got it. Thank you for the info.