Leaving a comment on non-answers

Question

I have recently seen a non-answer in the First posts review queue that got me thinking:

In addition to flagging as NAA, should I also leave the new user a comment, explaining that answer posts are for actual answers, and that providing additional info or reactions is best kept to the comment section?

The answer in question: I have to hit enter twice to move to next cell

In the end, I just flagged it as NAA, but I almost feel bad for doing so without providing advice to the user on how to avoid it in the future.

Answer 1

Should I also leave the new user a comment, explaining that answer posts are for actual answers?

You are not obliged to leave comments when flagging, but it is good to leave the user something to help him improve his answer (or question).

If the user is actually asking a new question I would leave the following comment:

This is not an answer to the original question. If you have a new question please ask your own question (referencing this one for context if it helps).

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That providing additional info or reactions is best kept to the comment section?

In this case (and the user has < 50 rep so is unable to comment except on his own questions and their answers) I would add:

This is really a comment and not an answer to the original question. You can always comment on your own posts, and once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post. Please read Why do I need 50 reputation to comment? What can I do instead?

For the example of the answer you are reviewing this is the correct comment to add.

Answer 2

The purpose of the First Posts review queue is to help new users get up to speed by giving them feedback if needed. All the queue does is identify new users' initial posts in an easy to find place to facilitate feedback. It and the Late Answers review queue don't add any extra options relating to closure or deletion because those posts are not in those review queues on the assumption that they have a problem. So in that sense, it is like finding the post anywhere.

In general, there's no obligation to leave comments when flagging or voting on closure or deletion, regardless of where you do it from. So if you come across a post anywhere on the site with serious issues, you can elect to flag it (or vote on closure/deletion if you have sufficient rep), and choose whether to leave a comment as well (flagging doesn't provide any advice to the poster).

However, if you are in the First Posts queue, it kind of defeats the purpose if there are serious issues and you don't leave feedback. You might choose not to leave a comment to the poster when you flag or vote on closure or deletion. But in the First Posts queue, the reason for being there is to provide needed feedback to the new member, which is separate from recommending moderation action for the post.

Answer 3

Once you flag an answer as NAA, it goes to the low-quality queue. Reviewers in this queue are able to leave canned comments about questions posted as answers, comments posted as answers and a few other typical cases in a single click. So if the answer you're reviewing is not an answer at all, just flag it and go to the next one as your precious time is better spent elsewhere.

If the answer you're reviewing does attempt to answer the question (so it can theoretically be improved to stay on the site), it makes sense to spend some time and leave a comment explaining to the user how they can improve it.