OP question follow up encouragement idea suggestion

[NoFlyBackFarm]

either trophy points

or even better "best answers" number to be displayed similar to posts/likes/trophies under avatar

I like the 'best answers' idea!

 

[Shadrach]

Do they respond to the PM?
I find that most times if you ask in the thread for an update the OP usually comes back to give one.
Sometimes they simply forget because it isn't an "emergency" any more.

I haven't done it often but yes, I get a reply. Most people here are polite enough to respond.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Great discussion!

Yes, it's very challenging to get everyone to come back with updates on their situation.

Ideally we'd have a system that would:

1. Allow people to choose a setting when creating a thread to designate that it is something that they are looking for answers on versus just providing information or wanting a general discussion
2. After a certain amount of time, the system automatically sends an email to the original poster asking them to come back to the thread and mark it as resolved, and or Mark a specific post as the best answer
3. Support a robust best answer system that allows the tracking and viewing of individual best answers

This would be a very complicated system to set up, and it's hard to know if it would even be used, or if most people would just ignore it.

 

[chickens really]

Well in my opinion I think things are good as they are. Some people come on and never return. I'm not sure emails would be welcomed if they are happy with the information they received previously..
I vote to let them return on their own...

 

[007Sean]

Great discussion!

Yes, it's very challenging to get everyone to come back with updates on their situation.

Ideally we'd have a system that would:

1. Allow people to choose a setting when creating a thread to designate that it is something that they are looking for answers on versus just providing information or wanting a general discussion
2. After a certain amount of time, the system automatically sends an email to the original poster asking them to come back to the thread and mark it as resolved, and or Mark a specific post as the best answer
3. Support a robust best answer system that allows the tracking and viewing of individual best answers

This would be a very complicated system to set up, and it's hard to know if it would even be used, or if most people would just ignore it.

I like your last statement, kinda how I think about, too!

 

[007Sean]

To me and this is just my opinion but why should there be 'trophy points' or a 'best answer' award? Seems to me that would be someone looking for notoriety for 'self' and not really caring about what they posted is helpful or not...seems sorta narcissistic.
There's already a award system in place for giving the 'best answer' or the most helpful information...it's the BYC Educator badge.
If someone truly cares about helping someone, they shouldn't care about whether or not they get a trophy point for their answer(s).

There's already alot of competition for how many posts someone makes and some peeps are taking advantage of that by simply posting a 'smiley face' or a couple of emojis and getting points for it, especially in the New Members Introduction section. And of late, it's gone viral.
I think that a 'recognition award' for best answer would foster a similar results in other threads were the OP is looking for answers.
I understand that you would like to know if your answer helped or not but I think that should be left up to the OP whether or not they want to post a follow up. As @Texas Kiki said the emergency is over and most peeps have moved on...if it has truly helped most of the time, you will see a follow up, where the OP has thanked the person for their answer.
That's my

 

[CanadaEh]

To me and this is just my opinion but why should there be 'trophy points' or a 'best answer' award? Seems to me that would be someone looking for notoriety for 'self' and not really caring about what they posted is helpful or not...seems sorta narcissistic.
There's already a award system in place for giving the 'best answer' or the most helpful information...it's the BYC Educator badge.
If someone truly cares about helping someone, they shouldn't care about wether or not they get a trophy point for their answer(s).

There's already alot of competition for how many posts someone makes and some peeps are taking advantage of that by simply posting a 'smiley face' or a couple of emojis and getting points for it, especially in the New Members Introduction section. And of late, it's gone viral.
I think that a 'recognition award' for best answer would foster a similar results in other threads were the OP is looking for answers.
I understand that you would like to know if your answer helped or not but I think that should be left up to the OP wether or not they want to post a follow up. As @Texas Kiki said the emergency is over and most peeps have moved on...if it has truly helped most of the time, you will see a follow up, where the OP has thanked the person for their answer.
That's my View attachment 1595479

The main theme of the suggestion was how much more valuable/educational content of every question thread would be if it was always concluded by follow up from OP on whatever the original question/issue was. The "best answer" and "trophy points" for follow up was just the possible tools to promote that, and not any other self serving purpose.

People don't follow up because they think nobody would be interested to read it. They put great time in describing the situation, they receive many great answers, and you never know what happened next...

 

[alexa009]

I agree with @007Sean, Giving out awards for best answers may promote members to compete, not caring about the member's issues or in any means trying to support them in a problematic tragedy. Even if its really caring if members are new in the, "New Member Introductions". Although, followup encouragement is a good idea, it is not exactly necessary since a good amount of members do follow up.

 

[Shadrach]

To me and this is just my opinion but why should there be 'trophy points' or a 'best answer' award? Seems to me that would be someone looking for notoriety for 'self' and not really caring about what they posted is helpful or not...seems sorta narcissistic.
There's already a award system in place for giving the 'best answer' or the most helpful information...it's the BYC Educator badge.
If someone truly cares about helping someone, they shouldn't care about wether or not they get a trophy point for their answer(s).

There's already alot of competition for how many posts someone makes and some peeps are taking advantage of that by simply posting a 'smiley face' or a couple of emojis and getting points for it, especially in the New Members Introduction section. And of late, it's gone viral.
I think that a 'recognition award' for best answer would foster a similar results in other threads were the OP is looking for answers.
I understand that you would like to know if your answer helped or not but I think that should be left up to the OP wether or not they want to post a follow up. As @Texas Kiki said the emergency is over and most peeps have moved on...if it has truly helped most of the time, you will see a follow up, where the OP has thanked the person for their answer.
That's my View attachment 1595479

On just about any other site I would agree with you.
BYC is already competition based as you point out. Badges for this, points for that, I can’t see one more promoting further one liners, or flashy GIFs. I think the tide is already out on this and such a system already has its problems; in often its not the response you give that matters, it’s how many badges you have.
It took me a while to get used to this site. I remember when I first came here and the response I got to my introduction. It really didn’t matter at the time whether it was the same response everyone else got when they joined, I just felt welcome and for new members, I think this is important. Some posters could be a little more imaginative but....
BYC is a click site for most. After a while you get to see the one liner post accumulators and get to know who does and doesn’t know what they are talking about.
I don’t own, or run the site, but like the style, or not, it would be hard to deny its success. Any site needs throughput to stay alive. Many, as has been written, will just post for a solution to a problem and not be heard from again.
Having some system that encourages the OP to at least mention which advice solved the problem may if correctly managed, encourage people to think about their response before their fingers hit the keyboard. It may also encourage people to return to the site at a later date. This could only be a good thing imo. Whether the poster who ‘solved’ the problem, or gave the ‘best’ answer should be rewarded I grant may not be a straightforward matter.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I see the value of the suggestion. I am new here, but I genuinely want to know the follow up in many situations, not just for educational reasons, but because I really care about these topics. I really, really enjoy this site for many reasons. I don't know anyone in "real life" who has chickens - not one! Here, I get practical advice and (dare I say it) a sense of community. I'm on here all the time. Every day. Seriously.

I honestly care about Ruby the pullet and the person whose chick got coccidosis and how that person's latest hatch is going and which feeder works best for that guy. But if no one follows up on such threads, the sense of community kind of dissipates. BYC becomes more like the comment sections you see on news feeds. No thank you...

I'm a teacher by trade. When you want a student to exhibit a positive behavior, you reward him/her. That's all this suggestion is: positive reinforcement. I imagine setting up such a system would be difficult and impractical, but I refuse to believe that everyone is trophy hunting. To accept that would be to undermine what BYC had become for me. It's a good and valid suggestion. And it's creative.

That being said, I like to think that those of us who actually care about the BYC community will update our threads (if we remember ) and craft thoughtful posts. Trophy hunters or those who just have a quick question will leave the occasional emoji and come and go. I imagine I will be able to sort through who belongs in which category pretty easily.

Thanks, y'all. Just my opinion.