in which cases should we flag "not an answer" answers?
"it does not answer the question" … actually entitles you to flag anything that logically does not answer what the OP asked for.
Simple cases
This could be, in the most obvious cases:
- comments that don't really solve the problem but are off-topic(“reminds me of the time when my foo controller broke down as well …”)
- a follow-up orto another answer if it's not a standalone answer of its own
- a clarification question that should have been posted as a comment
- "I have the same problem!"
- answers that exactly repeat what has already been said in other (possibly upvoted/accepted) answers
- random gibberish or otherwise unsalvageable posts
- spam
Redundant answers
Furthermore, you can flag:
- "don't do that!", unless the answer mentions why exactly this is a better solution. See also How to Answer:
What, specifically, is the question asking for? Make sure your answer provides that – or a viable alternative. The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”
"use this alternative", if the OP specifically has ruled out this exact alternative beforehand (as confirmed by the discussion here).
If the answer mentions why the alternative is a better solution and how it overcomes what the OP thought of as impossible, then it should stay though."try this", if the OP specifically has already tried this (for example, as indicated in the original question or a follow-up comment).
If you flag, make sure the answer was posted at a point in time where this was already known, otherwise then the person answering can't be blamed for not knowing (although short "try this" answers could be converted as comments if they're egregiously short).
Answers that don't logically answer the problem stated
Now, finally:
- answers that state the obvious / repeat the situation of the OP, unless they explain the backgrounds and why it happens.
Recent Example:
Q: "Sometimes I need to hold my power button for a few seconds to boot my device. Why?"
A: "Holding the power button for a few seconds force-reboots your device".
In these cases, if you're unsure, let the OP handle it. If the OP is not satisfied with an answer, they'll most likely drop a comment, just as the user did in the example above. Since the OP is trusted with knowing what answer helped them best (because they can choose to mark it as accepted or not), they should also have the final say in what answers their question and what not.
How should we flag eligible answers? What do we put as the close reason to be clear?
Be as specific as possible. Mention if the OP has ruled out the answer too, this helps. Link to relevant meta posts. If unsure, raise it on chat.
What do we do when the answer is ineligbile for flagging, but isn't a good answer?
Downvote, comment.
