I noticed a new feature has been added which enables anyone to mark a post as being Helpful. Previously only the OP had that ability, but now users can even mark their own posts as Helpful.
Is that intended functionality?
I noticed a new feature has been added which enables anyone to mark a post as being Helpful. Previously only the OP had that ability, but now users can even mark their own posts as Helpful.
Is that intended functionality?
I like that idea.
I agree it's a good feature for users other than the OP to access the Helpful link, but I have a problem with users being able to mark their own answers as Helpful.
And what does the No option actually do?
Oh! I see it adds a sort of count (running total) to the Helpful score.
Do we really need both Helpful & Like buttons?
Depends if you get a brownie for a helpful answer
Used responsibly it makes sense - perhaps to highlight the best part of a back and forth discussion. Used irresponsibly... then hopefully enough readers mark it as unhelpful so that is shows up as 1 out 30 or something.
[I marked my own post as unhelpful so as not to bias the discussion]
That's true you shouldn't be able to mark your own as helpful. I could see someone sitting there saying "Dude I gave the best advice and nobody will listen to me, I'll mark my own comment as helpful."
My best guess for the No is if someone suggests something but you tried it and it doesn't work, then you could say it's not helpful and anyone looking for the solution later could decide to not bother trying that suggestion. But usually that would be accomplished by just replying to the comment and saying it doesn't work.
That seems like creeping featurism. If we kept only one the Helpful tally does seem a bit more helpful (than the Like button), and noticeable.
... I think we should mark every reply in this thread, so we can try it out and see where the votes land.
I see it as useful only if I can get points for my posts being marked as helpful so my quest to have more points than Deepak can be accomplished quicker
No, I really think that the Helpful is actually more useful than the Like option (and somewhat redundant).
I guess the Like button could sort of have a different function. Like if someone makes a comment with a feature suggestion, for example "when in the line tool you should be able to right click and drag to draw a construction line". Then many people might Like the comment, but it isn't really helpful. Also I suppose if someone tells a funny joke in a comment it might be likable but not helpful.
I tried marking my own post as unhelpful as well, and although it registered my vote by blackening the star, it doesn't display the tally. As a test I also marked your post above as unhelpful (just as a test, no offense ), and so there should be 2 no votes and it still doesn't show the tally. So I guess a comment needs to have at least one Helpful vote in order for the tally to show up. This seems like a flaw, because if everyone votes that a comment is unhelpful then you should see that 0 of 20 people found it helpful, instead you don't know that anyone even voted.
Good point. But now I marked your post as helpful and it is showing 1of1 helpful. And you marked it unhelpful? So maybe you can't publicly mark your own post as unhelpful. [but my helpful mark on this one does show up]
Kelvin Lamport wrote:
I have a problem with users being able to mark their own answers as Helpful.
They can mark their own answers as correct, why not helpful?
I had marked my own post as unhelpful, but apparently if there are no helpful votes then an unhelpful vote doesn't get saved. Now that you marked it helpful and it showed 1 of 1 (and my black star became unfilled) I marked it as unhelpful again and now it shows 1 of 2.
They can mark their own answers as correct, why not helpful?
I know you are only joking, Glenn but ...
Only one Correct Answer can be allotted to a thread. Having too many posts marked as Helpful would reduce the helpfulness of the truly helpful posts.
This isn't Facebook (no really, it isn't ) and we can't Like our own posts, so what's the logic in being able to mark them as Helpful?
Is it not just misleading!
Unless there would be a popup or something that said. "If your post is answered please use correct answer, otherwise helpful" or someting like that.
I think people who are getting correct answers will maybe only use helpful. It becomes then harder to see for us that are answering if it was answered or just helpful.
Hope I´m making sense.
It made perfect sense. There is a very real potential for the OP to mark a post as Helpful instead of Correct. And not just the potential, I'm pretty sure it's happening on a regular basis.
There are two items added in the last release:
1) Helpful - The intent is give user credit for "being helpful". Not sure we need this with the "Like" button. Now that it's been on for a little bit, we will create a poll and find out if it should be left one. The intent is good, but the concern (as listed above) is that it's just confusing.
2) I have this same question - Gives everyone an idea if you have this same question/issue. This is used to help identify questions that are effecting more than one user.
The release notes are just being updated to reflect these changes.
I do hope that the poll will also check the validity of the 'like' button.
The 'helpful' is a nice idea but is bound to be used incorrectly.
The 'like' however is only interesting if one wants to make it about being "popular".
If I wanted to be popular I wouldn't have gone in the engineering field.
The idea around the like button is two-fold;
1) Give recognition to the user for being "helpful".
2) Help drive the item up in search results.
I would vote for the Helpful only option providing it can be limited to other peoples posts (similar to the Like button), otherwise I will have to vote for the Like only option.
So I will have to save my vote till that is clarified.
I did check, you can mark your own comments as helpful.
Yes and that's what I have a problem with. I would prefer the Helpful Only option but unless that ability can be disabled I will have to vote for the Like Only option.
We can't like our own posts, so why should we be able to mark our own posts as Helpful?
Greg Jankowski, are you aware of the issue where an unhelpful vote doesn't get counted unless there is already at least one helpful vote?
So how about changing things around and rename "Like" to "Helpful" ? That way someone can't find his own post helpful and we don't have the silliness of likes going on.
I believe yes as this would help out other users than OP in case they're looking for an alternative answer. And with a post being marked as helpful would be an easy to look alternative answer.