What makes a good answer?

Question

Hello community,

since we are always looking to expand our Help Center with information and tips on TibiaQA, I wanted to ask what, in your mind, makes a good answer? Are there any specific requirements that you have to consider the answer good and worthy of your up-vote? Please share your feedback here. If you have any examples of good answers, you are welcome to attach them here as well.

Answer 1

Answering questions is what makes a QA community strong. While there will always be players curious and asking all kinds of answers, players with knowledge who are willing to share are more uncommon. With that being said, a QR community is only as strong as the quality of its answers - if they aren't good, it's unlikely that those asking questions will return, and some may even give up before asking if they don't expect to be helped. This is why answering must also be done in a way that help the community grows, and not simply as if you're doing someone a favor. 

• Comments are not answers. TibiaQA has the Comment feature, which allows you to interact with other users without adding "answers" which are in fact simply requests for more information about the question, for example. This is important because:
• Links are not answers. As simple and obvious (for you) that a question may be, simply providing a link to somewhere else isn't a good answer, because the player shouldn't be forced to go somewhere to get his answer, otherwise TibiaQA is failing its main objective. If it has been answered before on TibiaQA, it can be flagged as a duplicate. If the answer is on another website, you should at least quote the important parts. This is specially important since websites can be changed or even shut down, but answers should always be complete. When possible, add your own interpretation or comments about the quoted information. 
• Answers should give complete solutions to the problem. In Tibia, this may be hard sometimes. Nevertheless, you should always focus on the question being asked. If you think the person asking the question could benefit of other things not being asked, you can add that after the answer to the question or just as a comment. 
• Provide examples, data, and images. There is an infinite number of ways of answering the same question. Sometimes, a simple "yes" may be the correct answer, but it shouldn't be enough. Take the opportunity to clearly explain why that is the answer. If images and screenshots are helpful, do your best to provide them. If the question involves calculations, show the numbers, the formula, and where they came from. 
• Give references. In many cases, your answer will be based on information found somewhere else: fansites, the official manual, the forum or the client. Either way, make sure to always reference your sources. Not only this is fair to whomever created that content or did that research, it also adds value to your answer. Players will be more confident in what you're saying if it's not just you saying it. They may also discover new places where they can learn about Tibia and find answers by themselves or for future questions on TibiaQA. 
• Understand the perspective of the question. Even though subjective questions are not ideal for TibiaQA, they will inevitably be asked, and in many times it is possible to provide good answers to them, as long as the subjectivity is not ignored. If you think the question is only meaningful to a certain situation or group of players, make it clear before answering the question - perhaps others will agree with you, and the question itself will be improved. Also, remember that there are many different ways to play the game, and more often than not the "best" way of doing something is not the same for all players, so you may want to provide pros and cons in such cases, and as many options as you can think of. 
• Use the text editing tools. TibiaQA has a powerful text-editor enabled, which allows you to format and organize your answer to highlight important keywords and increase readability. But do not exaggerate: what players are looking for are direct answers, not a design contest full of glowing imagens and ^{unnecessarily} _overly ^{formatted _text}. It's annoying. 

Answer 2

Read the answers first! Check if someone has already provided an answer to the question that was asked

• Ponder: If you are not going to provide additional or complementary feedback to the question that was posted, then there might not be a need to answer; you can also upvote the question(s) that answered what you were about to instead
• Comments: Sometimes it is also a nice and a useful gesture to use the comments section to indicate to a person how they can improve their answer; for example, if you see that they already put a good level of detail into it and they forgot to add something, if they made a small mistake in a long and elaborated post worth keeping as a main reference, etc.
• Answer!: However, if you have the impression that the answers available did not include the necessary level of detail, that they were badly formulated, or of course if there was no reply or you feel you can provide a much more valuable answer, you are very welcome to post your own answer!

Below you will find some points to guide you on how to write a good answer. Some are crucial, however not all of them need to fit necessarily in one answer. Use them wisely to write the best answer ever!

• Structure: Provide all the information you know about the topic in a structured manner (you can divide your content in sections, use bullet points, etc.)
• Content: You should look for a good compromise and balance between elaboration, quality and quantity
  • Elaboration: Dedicate the time necessary to elaborate with a good level of detail and care, and to expand on your idea
  • Quality: On top of elaborating, try to bring into the explanation the key information: focus on quality; avoid redundancies, and try to find the right words
  • Quantity: Try to not write too much, just the right amount of information for the people to understand the answer and the context. Manage the quantity of information that is provided
• Examples: If it fits, you can use examples to help understand how to achieve what was asked
• Research: Do not hesitate to do further research before providing an answer, even if you believe you know it for sure: you might find complementary information, or you might even discover that what you thought you knew was actually different
• Sources: If you have used information from other websites or fansites, cite your sources
• Revision: Once you’ve written your answer down, take your time to re-read it from beginning to end. Sometimes you might even feel to rewrite or rework it to capture your idea best!
• Edition: Don't be afraid to edit your answer later on. Sometimes after some hours we find that word we were looking for or a much better way to express what we were trying to say in the first place. Additionally, even if English is your first language, nowadays we have many corrector tools to help you correct typos and other errors. That shows effort in writing up your answer and will make it more understandable
• Disclaimer: When you feel your answer might be misunderstood and you need to provide contextual information, but you don't want to pollute the answer with these peripheral clarifications, you can use a disclaimer with italics. Try to make it succinct
• Use the editing tools: Bullet points, colours, underlyings… There are many tools available that can help you with the structure your answer. A better structure helps others to understand much better the information that you present! However, do not make an overuse of the tools, as that might trivialize their purpose and confuse the readers!
• Use pictures: Do not hesitate to use pictures to complement your idea. A picture is worth a thousand words! You can also use tables, formulas, or any other resources that you think will help
• Be nice: Remember that there’s no player that knows everything! Always be respectful.

• Flagging: If you find that the question is duplicated, that it breaks the rules, etc., you can flag it (if you have this right) so that the necessary actions are taken by the moderators
• Downvoting: Also, if you believe that there is a repetitive misconduct of a user, you can use the downvote function. You can change your decision later if you see that they decide to rectify; we can all make mistakes! :)
• Upvoting: Do not hesitate to show your appreciation by upvoting or using the comments section if you see that a question is good, that an answer helped you learn something new, or if you want to share something related to the topic with other users!

Remember that this is a community that focuses on a game. Keep a nice attitude to others while helping to build this Q&A database! :)

Answer 3

What makes a good answer?

Answer button.

The first thing you need do is check the Code of Conduct on the Help Center.

Enter on the Help Center to see the Code of Conduct and more.

Before posting your answer, use the search tool on the site to make sure there is not another similar question posted yet.

Search tool on TibiaQA.

If you find similar or duplicate question can use the Flag Button to inform it to the admin or moderators.

Flag button.

Flaggin post.

Dont forget copy the link of the duplicated question on the Flag option.

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I gonna explain a ‘‘good answer’’ with a little list of steps/recommendations who can help a lot.

Good answer, have more upvotes.

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• Lenguague, always use English on the site to all.
• Respectful, be respectful with all user and staff of TibiaQA.
• Grammar, if English is not your first language, you can use many corrector tools like Google Translator to help you correct typos and other errors, but it can make some mistakes so check it before posting.

Google Translator.

• Format, a good answer have good format, use correctly all the format options like Bold, Italic, Size of letters.

Format options.

• Visual, an image can help to understand the answer most quickly.

Images tool.

• Sentences, some times just one sentence is not enough to understand properly the answer, add more sentences, information or details on the answer is always a good option.
• Concise, make your answer clear and easy to understand to all.
• Simple, focus on one topic, don't mix topics that don't come to the original question.
• Why?, Dont be afraid to explain your opinion or justification of the answer, this just have more value, than a single yes or no.
• Structure, pay attention to how look your answer, the order of the ideas and timeline do you use to explain your answer, be consecutive.
• Sources (Link), sometimes the best tool to give it truth to your answer is add the official (Tibia.com) or trusty sources (Wikis or Fansites), with this it's harder for other user to refute or deny your answer.
• Examples, if the answer can be misunderstood an example can help you to show your point of view more efficiently.
• Quantity and Quality, maybe this is the most hard part to do, not always a long paragraph is the best answer, you need make a good work in the balance of Quantity and Quality.
• Focus, write just the right amount of information for the answer, focus on the topic of the question and dont fall in redundancies.
• Editing, don't be afraid to edit your answer later on. If you think you need make some changes, add more details or expand the answer.

Editing, button.

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The Feedback: When you posted a answer, you can check the answers of other users and make recommendations or give your opinion about it.

• Comments, is really useful to to delve into a part of the answer, solve doubts, give recommendations to other users on their answer or show if you are agree or disagree with others answer.

Comments button.

• Thankful, a lot of users gonna put is time and effort to give an answer like you, if you considered useful/good, an other answer of an user, you can show your approbation upvoting it.

 Upvote answer button.

• Also if you think the question have a value to the community or just you like it, you can show your approbation upvoting it.

Upvote question button.

• A good comment can be upvote to.

Upvote comment button.

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Answer 4

What makes a good answer? ( https://i.imgur.com/pvaBfeA.png )

Answer 5

I take the following criteria into consideration:

• quotes a trusted source - if an answer can be found and confirmed with a trusted source (like tibia.com, official CM statement, a guide on another fansite) this adds a lot of creditability to an answer. Of course, the original content needs to be linked as well
• goes straight to the point - the answer shouldn't contain any unnecessary content, like "Hello player X, great question!" or "I really hope this helps". The answer should contain... just an answer. Think of it as of a wiki page - you wouldn't write "Hello" or "hope that helps" on a wiki page. Of course, it also doesn't mean it needs to be answered in one sentence. The point is to avoid making it long for no reason.
• uses proper formatting - unnecessary bolding the whole text doesn't make the answer better. It's fine to highlight important pieces, and it often helps to find the most crucial information, but if all text is bolded out, this brings no value.
• provides screenshots/images as necessary - especially useful for questions like "Where can I find xyz". A single picture/screenshot is often better than a wall of text in that case.
• provides a solid research - not every question can be answered by quoting an existing source. Some questions require researching something before providing an answer. Explaining what steps where taken in such a research and what results it yield proves that someone knows what they are talking about and adds confidence the answer is correct.

Some nice answers:

• https://www.tibiaqa.com/718/what-is-the-thickest-book?show=745#a745
• https://www.tibiaqa.com/1492/there-possiblity-contact-cipsoft-order-revert-status-deleted-account?show=1505#a1505
• https://www.tibiaqa.com/3067/how-to-use-elemental-wall-runes-correctly?show=3142#a3142

Answer 6

As I've already answered the question about what makes a good opinion-based question, I'll continue and write about what makes a good opinion-based answer!

1. Always explain the why. When someone asks an opinion-based question, they're not just looking for your opinion, but also why you have that opinion. A single worded answer is rarely useful. This is where opinion based questions really differ from fact-based ones, where you want to be as concise as possible. "What was the best Tibia version before 2015?"
   • Bad answer: 7.0
   • Good answer: I've always loved 7.0, because it was still a real challenge to level druids and sorcerers! I spent ages just hunting rotworms with a warhammer, and while that was hard, it also made it feel like a real accomplishment to get to a high enough magic level to use SDs!
2. When needed, add sources! This may seem weird for an opinion, but opinions can definitely be based on facts. If you make a claim about something, add a source. "What's the best frame rate to play Tibia at?"
   • Bad answer: 2 fps cause humans can't see more than that anyway, lols.
   • Good answer: This highly depends on the capabilities of your pc, because running at a consistent frame rate is more important than how high your frame rate is (as long as it's higher than 30). While there's an internet myth going around that humans can't see more than 30 frames per second, that's actually not the case [super credible source link to an amazing website]
3. Respect other answers. It may be tempting to completely discredit another person's answer, but remember - these are opinions. Just because you don't agree, doesn't make the other person's opinion any less valid. "What's the best looking outfit you can get for less than 50k?"
   • Bad answer: Lol that other guy is an idiot! The beggar outfit looks terrible and you're terrible for even thinking so!
   • Good answer: I personally think that the brotherhood of bones base outfit looks really awesome, especially with the skull on the cape that looks really intimidating. It also gives you something cool to work towards in the future in terms of addons.
4. Give your honest opinion. Sometimes it may be tempting to "go with the flow" of all the other answers, but answers that are different from the rest are extra valuable as they show a different perspective. Don't be afraid to be yourself!
5. Structure your answer. When giving your opinion, it's easy to go to a loosely related rambling. Try to stick to what was asked, and make sure your answer is easy to follow and read. "What are the best advantages of premium time?"
   • Bad answer: Quick travel is great because Cip often has kicks and that costs so much time so I need to make up for it by traveling and I hate the latest update cause there are too many server messages in my game window and I can't even find my hotkey bar anymore by the way my pet rabbit is doing great his name is fluffy just like the first stuffed animal that I got from my grandpa who was in the military where they wear green clothing which btw is my favorite color! Wait, what was the question again?
   • Good answer: My favourite perk of premium time is fast travel. It may seem like a useless perk when you're used to walking everywhere as a free account player, but quickly traveling back and forth between various spawns can be the difference between finding an empty or an occupied spawn. Especially when you may have limited time to play, those few minutes of traveling can really make a difference in how much you get done per session of playing Tibia.

Looking forward to reading more opinion-based answers in the future!

Answer 7

A good answer can come in many ways! I think that the answer doesn't need to be fancy, but should include all the information that someone knows to be fact about the question given. Using sources such as, the official Tibia site, CM statements, and other Promoted fansites is a good way to know that the answer given is fact or just an opinion. The answer can include screen shots, pictures, or links to help show the person asking the question in a quick to the point manner if needed, but it should also include some kind of text or description. All the best guides to quests and items have descriptions, pictures, and detail about the topic that are right to the point. It can also be helpful to site your sources if it would be to hard or long to answer the question without directly plagiarizing other fansites. While giving an answer it is important to not repeat someone else's answer. Putting in your answer should give new information to the question.  A good answer should be something that people can use in the future when asking themselves the same question given.

Things I look for when up-voting an answer are:

• Is it answering the question in full
• Does it stay on topic
• Am I no longer asking questions after reading their answer
• Did they provide facts or options (Did they know or just guessing)

A good example of an answer is Zupakode's here:

https://www.tibiaqa.com/11/best-solo-hunting-spots-for-druid-90-150

This answer is good because it gives good info that is right to the point with links to good videos without the need for a ton of text to explain a lot of information. It is also an answer that is going to be good for a long time because it gives many examples for different levels in the range they asked. The person asking the question can also look at it and choose a spawn he likes from the many given which is a cool additive. 

Another great example is from Krwiopalczasty

https://www.tibiaqa.com/5251/how-do-i-get-vampire-lord-tokens

This one is just right to the point. It has the answer to the question without a lot of text needed, as well as the right amount of detail about the topic without giving any useless information that the question did not ask for. It has a picture of what the monster looks like, a small description of where it is, and a link if they want more detail.

Answer 8

A good answer must be clear not only to the one who asked but to everyone that might read it. Based on that I think a good question should attend the following premises:

1. Read twice: you must have the question clear at your mind to be able to answer it.
2. Take time: it is commum users answer the question as fast as they can, but in general it provides poor response quality, so do your research at your time, quality content is worthy more than a quick response.
3. Comment: use comments to solve any doubt that you have before you leave your answer
4. Straight: go straight to the point, wirte down all information you need to answer in the shortest way possible. Eliminate all unnecessary information, remember that not everyone here are master  at English.
5. Media: images, tables, videos, all these stuff helps a lot, a well made table worth more than 1000 words.
6. References: all information taken from another fansites, official website, please post here at least a link with that information.

Answer 9

First you must subscribe to the TibiaQa page.

You should look for questions in which you have knowledge, so you can meet the needs of the other.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyOdseR38zo

Every time you resolve to answer any question  of a follower of the page, try to understand his question first, so it will be easier to answer exactly what the internet user needs.

Be clear in the answer and also always use reliable bibliographies and preferably those who are Fansites recognized by Cipsoft, that will be guaranteed to be truthful information.

If the person is asking a question, it will probably be because she lacks the knowledge about the issue. Use  means that are easier for the person to understand and avoid putting unnecessary extra information or to change the question so as not confuse the answer to the question.

You can use IMAGES, TOPICS, VIDEOS, among other ways to facilitate and help with your answer.

If the question is interesting or not, followers can vote as positive as negative. So people will know how rich information was that question, and help to share with more people their knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9yMYXrkeD0

There is also the right to reply, using the comment option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34oPnohM-8M

And don’t forget all answers must be in english ! If you don’t know, look for applications that do the translation, so you can understand the question and be able to answer it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOj8DuvLeLo

Be kind and share your knowledge J

Comments

Better than a video of 3-5 seconds, make a gif. I dont gonna enter to a youtube link to see how you make a clic.

Answer 10

Answers are the base of this website, it will be the more valuable information to make a rich database to help people to solve their doubts.

I will split this answer in two types: Non Opinion Based and Opinion based , I do this because the answer are different in terms of the type of the question so lets explain the difference and how we should answer on each of them to make a good answer.

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These answers are the most valuable for the Fansite because they constitute the soil on which the database of the page is based.

• GOOD READ: The first you have to do is to make a good read of the question and description to fully understand what the user is asking for , so with this you can make a better answer.
• CLEAR: The answer should be clear and easy to understand, it should be in a correct english and with a good structure.
• RELIABLE: The answer must originate from a source of own knowledge or from a reliable source, you must be strict in giving true information.
• SOURCE: If you use external sources for your answer remember to ask for permission to the original owner and put their source link in the answer.
• LENGTH: An answer is not better because it is longer. Try to always find the shortest way to answer the question, this will make it easier for users to read or understand the answer.
• MEDIA: Sometimes a image says more than 1000 words , if you have a good image to support your answer put it and try to do it in a good format and in a appropiate size. Also remember to don't put screenshoots of quotes or text , images should be representations of images and never just images of texts.
• ONCE: You should answer only once per question , if you want to add something do it by using the edit tool, and always try to fit all your content in only 1 answer.
• COMMENTS: Sometimes people/admins/moderators will comment your answer to make anotations, pay attention to them and if possible make the appropriate modifications.

EXAMPLE :

Question: https://www.tibiaqa.com/5621/how-to-earn-the-achievement-called-avid-spectral-reader

Answer by Loreffy

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Opinion based answers will be part of those questions where people is discussing about a theme or is asking for opinions , on this type of questions there is no best answers, only opinions.

• RESPECT: This type of answers are usefull yo see the different points of view that people has for some theme , for example: "What do you think about Tibia Store?"
  • On this case you should give your opinion about that with respect and with your opinion, Never try to put your answer above of others, respect all opinions and do not belittle each other's views.
• EXPLANATION: With your answer try to explain why you have that point of view, try to make your arguments reinforced.

EXAMPLE:

Question: https://www.tibiaqa.com/5535/is-the-third-prey-slot-900-tc-worth-it
Answer by  Daissy.

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Another examples of good answers:

https://www.tibiaqa.com/9/why-is-my-name-not-showing-in-highscores-despite-having-required-skill?show=12#a12

https://www.tibiaqa.com/3113/which-items-should-i-avoid-selling-at-yasir?show=3129#a3129

https://www.tibiaqa.com/5369/why-we-dont-need-diving-helmet-in-quirefang?show=5383#a5383

https://www.tibiaqa.com/134/how-do-i-get-to-yalahar?show=143#a143

https://www.tibiaqa.com/5795/does-golden-outfit-have-any-special-effects?show=5796#a5796