Community Guidelines: Be courteous
Opinions are helpful when they allow us to learn more about another’s experiences to help inform our decisions. But things get a bit trickier in topics that are more personal or controversial than “how to” style Q&A.
Our Community Guideline reads:
Be courteous. Yahoo! Answers is a diverse community of people with diverse opinions. It is up to each of us to be polite and treat each other with respect.
Diversity is a very important part of community. It’s important to remember that Answerers come in all shapes and sizes, from many different backgrounds and viewpoints. In a community this diverse, it may be difficult to tell when personal opinions are appropriate and helpful.
When reading a question, consider who the Asker expects to answer their question:
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Does the topic in question conflict with your personal beliefs? If so, you might want to refrain from answering if you can’t keep your objections to the topic to yourself. Remember, the asker is looking for an answer, not a fight.
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Is the Asker seeking unique and differing opinions, or a factual answer? If they’re asking for advice it might be best to refrain from answering with just an opinion.
Lack of courtesy can also happen when asking questions. Consider how your question will sound to Answerers before you post it.
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Does your question sound like it targets a certain group’s beliefs or opinions? Does it use words or phrases that you would find offensive if said about your beliefs or opinions? If so, you might want to rephrase it or ask a different question.
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Are you genuinely looking for an answer to your question, or are you provoking a debate? If you really do want to hear other’s opinions, ask for them—and treat your Answerers with respect.
Dissenting opinions can be very valuable to the community, as long as we all remember to be respectful and courteous.
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“Remember, the asker is looking for an answer, not a fight.”
Please do something about the Religion & Spirituality section. This forum has devolved into nearly total uselessness as a repository of knowledge, and you have to scroll through about fifteen or twenty questions to finally get to the one that is actually “looking for an answer, not a fight”, and not ranting or platforming for some cause; and barely any of the answers are made in good faith. I can’t help but get the feeling that the aggressive tone of this forum is driving away a lot of users.
So does this mean rude people can be reported?
When I get A Best Answer I like to thank the person. I know that most of my “Comments” never get read.
Is there any way you can light up the comment box, like you do when someone gets a star? (Make it gold, so it’s noticeable?)
Thank you very much.
Sincerely, Lynn
I just read where all it takes if for two or more “valued members” to report a question in order to have it removed.
If been averaging about 4-5 removals a day (that I know of) because of question removal and I don’t even get a chance to see what the question was.
How fair is that? Not just that I don’t get to see the question in order to learn what was wrong about it in the first place, but that you’ll take these 2 “valued members” at their word and drop a question (and answer) just on their say-so.
This supposes these people to be above petty jealousies, dislikes or “teaming up” on any number of folks well intentioned and having no idea they’re doing anything wrong. Who’s running the asylum, I often wonder?
Another convoluted, one-sided and ridiculous rule by the Answer brigade, a group that obviously has it’s pets and suck-ups who simply cannot stand head to head competition and have been given free reign on Answers to wreck havoc and do as they please, all with the Answers Staff’s blessings.
What a joke!!!!!!
If I can’t find value in any answer and the way a question is answered I’m missing out.
I am getting pretty tired of people abusing the thumbs-down button … using it for any answer they disagree with, or to harass another contributor who once said something that upset them.
Some…even TC’s….have the mistaken belief that the thumbs-up/thumbs-down is some sort of voting device…and blithely go through thumbing-down any answer they do not personally consider “the best”….which is usually any answer other than their OWN to that question.
I think it is a form of harassment and think you should post more clear instructions about courtesy on the site….
this is the USA and everyone here has a perfect right to post an opinion….and, if the criteria is supposed to be giving a thumb-down only when the answer is incorrect if it is a technical question, or when the answer is not one that actually answers or gives the information the questioner asked for .. then that should be more clearly explained.
I have seen so many thumbs-down lately that are given to perfectly good answers that are clearly answers to a question….and have reasonable opinions expressed in them….that I think that many, even TC’s, just don’t “get it” what the thumbs-down button is supposed to be used for.
They think it is some sort of voting device or just have no clue what the term “courtesy” actually means.