I have posted several answers on Super User where my answers are the only ones posted for the questions, and they have never been accepted, nor have they been voted on. What should I do to ensure that I am receiving reputation for my answers?
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1There are only two answers of yours that haven't been up voted, accepted, and have no competition. One of those is on a migrated question where the user asking it has no account to vote or accept with on Super User (hence no link to a profile).– Daniel Beck ModCommented May 21, 2013 at 15:31
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1Well, I just upvoted one, so it was three before.– Journeyman Geek ModCommented May 21, 2013 at 15:47
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Are these questions asked by new users (with very low reputation)? Some of them don't know how the site ought to work, some just don't care. If this is happening with questions from people with a few K rep then it seems strange; such users would normally close all questions in order to keep their acceptance rate up.– MawgCommented May 24, 2013 at 2:55
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1"What should you do when you're not receiving any reputation for your answers?" You write about it on meta ;) You may try and share your knowledge by linking to it from other sites your on (Facebook, your blog). This might get you more upvotes. Continuously improving answers also makes sure that they regurarly appear on the front page and get more views and likes.– user 99572 is fineCommented May 28, 2013 at 7:50
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@Mawg I don't think acceptance rate is even monitored/visible anymore, is it?– MattDMoCommented May 30, 2013 at 20:33
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@JourneymanGeek that suggests "Post a question about it on meta" is another valid solution. ;)– robCommented May 30, 2013 at 20:43
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oh, yes, or mention it on chat if you're a regular. Complaining on meta each and every time a user lacks rep gain for effort is not sustainable however– Journeyman Geek ModCommented May 31, 2013 at 0:01
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Honestly, I really wasn't trying to complain. I sincerely wanted to know what options I had to make sure I get reputation (be it positive, or negative) on my answers.– Drew ChapinCommented May 31, 2013 at 2:08
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@druciferre: not saying you specifically, its a good question, but I was meaning in general. I upvoted your answer cause it was good, not cause you're a squeeky wheel ;p.– Journeyman Geek ModCommented May 31, 2013 at 14:51
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2 Answers
I would say post better answers, but I honestly can't find any answers that I'd take offense with. I just guess you answered questions which are low visibility, and where the user hasn't bothered to test the answers.
answered May 21, 2013 at 15:22
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11I think this really drives the point well. Just because you haven't gotten any upvotes doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your answer, nor does it mean that people disagree - that's what we have downvotes for. Lastly, you might have the greatest answer ever seen on Super User, but if the question isn't very popular (and thus seen by less people), it might be out of your control. Commented May 21, 2013 at 22:06
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@Journeyman Geek, Is there anything that I can do to draw more attention to questions I've answered that have low visibility? Commented May 22, 2013 at 9:51
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6Not really. Picking interesting questions to start with might work. I've personally not cared much about that, I go with stuff that interests me and let rep take care of itself.– Journeyman Geek ModCommented May 22, 2013 at 9:53
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@druciferre It could be that the question could use some reworking to make it something more people would read. I periodically go through bountied questions and clean them up, because if they're bountied for "not enough attention" it could be that their previous shape wasn't interesting. I rephrase the title to a question, and then clean up the body so the question is more clear/precise. This will often get more people to notice the question, since it engages the mind, as opposed to a title that isn't any kind of question. Commented May 23, 2013 at 11:56
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2@druciferre as Journeyman suggested just post on the topics you see interested for you, as we don't care too much about reputation its just as like a fun when you have knowledge and you want to spare it with others. When I started using SU I didn't get too many up-votes but after sometime I have enough reputation here and posted many answer's which have 20+ up-votes.– avirkCommented May 24, 2013 at 9:17
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Although it is nice to be recognized, its not a contest. Although brownies would be nice...– KeltariCommented May 26, 2013 at 3:31
If no answer has been accepted for a question that you answered, then poke the person who posted the question. It will help other users of the site if the person ends up accepting the solution that worked (even if it ends up not being your answer that is accepted).
Occasionally I review some of my old answers to see if they are still good answers and to find out how the person ultimately solved the problem. Sometimes I've learned something new that helps me improve my answer. Sometimes the question has been edited or clarified so my answer is not as good as I had originally hoped.
Other times it seems the person just forgot to accept an answer. In those cases, I post a comment on the question asking what they did in the end and if my solution worked for them. It might be the case that your answer solved their problem but they forgot to come back and accept it.
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Accept rate is a thing of the past if I'm not mistaken.– Oliver Salzburg ModCommented May 31, 2013 at 8:55
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Thanks for the correction...I didn't realize it had been eliminated.– robCommented Jun 3, 2013 at 19:59