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Marking a topic as "resolved"

LEGEND ,
Jul 17, 2012 Jul 17, 2012

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One of the positive sides of using the "Correct" link on a post is that the topic gets marked with a green bullet; indicating that we don't need to look at it again.

However, doing so inserts the "correct" answer into the original post, even if it does not contain any info how the original problem was resolved.

An example: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1036936

Now I am wondering, what is more important

  • to mark a topic as "resolved", even if it does not contain an actual resolution?
  • to mark a real resolution as the "correct" answer?
  • or leave a topic that is resolved, but without an actual resolution, as unresolved?

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Community Expert ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Pat,

I believe that I remember my having seen threads marked as Answered but with no Correct Answer, at least a while ago, maybe before the latest changes.

I have seen a thread like the one linked to now and again, and assumed that it was another one of the (more frequent kinds of) mismarkings.

Are you sure this is not one of those?

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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I see this like one more effect in the change in the directions and goals of these forums (see http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1037298?tstart=0). I think that now a post is marked as "the" correct answer if it indicates in any way that the OP no longer is experiencing the problem s/he is asking about. Naturally, I disagree with this concept of a "correct" answer.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Pat,

I have puzzled over that too.

Your example is a good one. I have seen similar, where the Reply, asking for information (just as Reply #1 did here), was marked as "Correct."

Once saw a thread in the Premiere Forum, where about 3 Replies gave resolution, just worded in slightly different ways. Any could be logically marked as "Correct," and the other two "Helpful." Reply #4 basically said, "You're too stupid to even use "professional" software, so give up on it... " That was the one, that the OP marked as "Correct!" The three good answers, did not even get "Helpful."

Though Adobe is using the "Correct," "Helpful," and the "Was this helpful Yes No?" to gather data, and some searching forum subscribers would like to know that there was some form of resolution in the thread, I lean to your #3 answer: Leave it as unresolved. Though the OP might have resolved the issue, there is nothing in the thread to help someone coming to it later on. I always try to request that the OP share WHAT the resolution was, whether the answer came from the forums, Adobe Support, a friend in a bar or from another forum. Sometimes they do, but not often enough.

Just my thoughts,

Hunt

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Bill,

I have said several times that I am against the marking of "correct" answers (as well as to any points system). In my opinion, there is no such thing as the correct answer, except perhaps in the case of very trivial questions. You may remember how in the "fair forums" many non-trivial questions originated long interchanges between the most knowledgeable participants, interchanges that  poked in depth in complex matters and were true and elightening lessons on difficult subjects. Which one should be marked as correct? Which one when two or more participants post basically the same answer at the same time? Which one when two or more participants post completely different solutions to the problem in question?

I wouldn't object too much to marking as correct posts that really respond to the original question, provided that the marking is correctly done based on how useful such posts can be for future participants facing the same issues. I do object, and strongly, to the present indiscriminate way that this done, and to the exposition of such posts in a prominent position and with a completely different background, making them stand out as if it was God himself who had spoken. Unfortunately, too frequently they are messages that are not answers to anything.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Claudio,

I am not sure how having the "Correct" and "Helpful" markers would dissuade discussions, irrespective of any "points" at play. I still see many threads with very meaningful discussions, that continue beyond the OP getting some resolution for their immediate problem. Often, a solution will be forthcoming, to get their Project finished, but then discussion goes on, adding useful background information.

As many come to the forums to Search for a resolution to their problem, or answer to their question, knowing that Thread A has an answer, can be helpful to them. With some Searching are reading, they might never need to post at all.

Just my thinking on this,

Hunt

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Bill, knowing that Threaf A has a Correct answer that is indeed correct, and useful for them as well, can certainly be helpful. What we have now isn't.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Many of the MOD's/Hosts are working at correcting that. As it is most often applied, the OP's have not been doing THAT good a job, if they have done any marking, at all.

Many are trying to encourage the OP's to mark their threads, and trying to help the do so "correctly."

It is not perfect, and probably never will be, but many are trying to improve things.

Good luck to us all,

Hunt

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Guest
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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I like the Correct, although it is dissappointing that the OP frequently marks his own post that he has it figured out.  But no solution, and just thanks people for their help.

Perhaps they think they can gain points this way.

The Correct and Helpful marks helps in long threads, especially now that one can only view 15 threads per page, so one can hone in on answers the OP thought were helpful.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Curt,

The original poster is often the less qualified person to judge an answer as "correct", especially in the case of newcomers in a hurry. All they want is results; and if their problem happens to disappear after following advises of the type "press the Esc key five times in rapid succession, and then three more times, while you touch the point of your nose with your left hand idex", they are bound to mark such answers as correct. Imagine the frustration of those who face the same problem later, when they find that the prominently displayed "correct" answer does not work in their cases...

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LEGEND ,
Jul 18, 2012 Jul 18, 2012

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Thank you for all the replies.  I would like to add that it was I who marked the topic linked in my original post as resolved, which directly resulted into my question if that was actually a useful thing to do.

A further question should be asked: who should benefit from topics marked as resolved

  • the forum regulars ("helpers"), who would see a topic as resolved, and therefore won't need to look at it again?
  • the forum visitors, who are looking for a resolution for a problem of their own?

In the best case, both should benefit, but that is not possible with the options we currently have.

For both types of forum users, topics marked as resolved is not 100% ideal.

  • for forum regulars, how many times have we seen a topic that was resolved for the original poster, then a new poster comes and adds "I have the same problem; please help"?  In these cases we have to look at the topic again, anyway.
  • for forum visitors who are looking for a solution, topics that are marked as resolved, but do not contain any actual resolution are less than useless.

In this light I think it is best to only mark a post as "Correct" if it actually contains the solution for the initial problem.  Anything else does not serve any useful purpose.

Any additional thoughts and comments are welcome.

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Guest
Jul 19, 2012 Jul 19, 2012

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"many times have we seen a topic that was resolved for the original poster, then a new poster comes and adds "I have the same problem; please help"?  I these cases we have to look at the topic again, anyway."  MANY TIMES we see this, so this is not really a useful statement that we can now ignore "correct or resolved".

Even if a topic is marked CORRECT, or RESOLVED,  I have seen many times where a solution for one does not work for the next person.  Have to chalk this up to different hardware and software combinations on computers.

As I wrote many moons ago I think correct or resolved are too specific a category.  I thought the posts should be labeled "Worked For Me" when the OP finds a thread that solved his problem.  Claudio should like this as it is not THE correct answer, but one that solved OP's problem.

To make it shorter maybe just use WORKED and HELPFUL. 

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Guest
Jul 19, 2012 Jul 19, 2012

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In my post above I was thinking mostly of solving operating problems.  There is also the issue of editing procedures, and there the CORRECT is even more IN-correct.  There are many ways to achieve similar results, which can result in many CORRECT answers, as Claudio observes.  What is correct for one may not be correct for another as the technique may be too advancved for their knowledge level, or they may not need the higher quality output that the complicated proceedure requires.

So, marking the post "works for me" or "works" signifies that they can achieve a result that is satisfactory to them.

P.S.  Normally I would have added an edit to my post #11, but for those wacos that use e-mail they would not get the added info in this post.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 19, 2012 Jul 19, 2012

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Curt Y wrote:

P.S.  Normally I would have added an edit to my post #11, but for those wacos that use e-mail they would not get the added info in this post.

Yes, I think it is good practice to post additional information separately.  Many people - especially forum newcomers - only read the email notifications.

I have often wondered if it is even worthwhile to correct typos in posts that I had already submitted...

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Advocate ,
Jul 20, 2012 Jul 20, 2012

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Pat Willener wrote:

A further question should be asked: who should benefit from topics marked as resolved

  • the forum regulars ("helpers"), who would see a topic as resolved, and therefore won't need to look at it again?
  • the forum visitors, who are looking for a resolution for a problem of their own?

Let's not forget the Point system to recognize the most valuable contributors to the forum (5 points for a helpful answer, 10 points for a correct answer).

I know that many users (even some who are recognized as top contributors ) don't like the point system, but I like to see people who have helped me and others get credit for their help. I've started marking all posts that are helpful to me as "helpful".

Recently I posted a question and the first reply had some very useful tips though it didn't give me exactly what I wanted. I did mark it as helpful but later found that answer marked as a correct answer and the thread was marked with a green bullet.  Could a moderator have done that?  If so, I didn't feel that he had done me a service by doing so.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 20, 2012 Jul 20, 2012

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Staff and moderators will sometimes allocate a correct tag to a thread if they feel it has been answered and the original poster hasn't chosen a correct response, but we have no way of telling who did that for your particular post. It's important to remember that when you post a technical question you're not the only one who has an opinion on what constitutes "correct". Now the forums are a part of the product help ecosystem, clarifying the 'correctness' of certain replies is important for the benefit of other Adobe customers.

acresofgreen wrote:

Recently I posted a question and the first reply had some very useful tips though it didn't give me exactly what I wanted. I did mark it as helpful but later found that answer marked as a correct answer and the thread was marked with a green bullet.  Could a moderator have done that?  If so, I didn't feel that he had done me a service by doing so.

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Adobe Employee ,
Jul 20, 2012 Jul 20, 2012

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Dave, you hit the nail on the head.

I don't know who marked the response in question as correct, but it was most likely a moderator who may or may not be an Adobe employee.

The rationale for people other than the original poster marking something as Correct is so that it's easier to spot. That way the help extends beyond the OP to anyone with a similar question.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 20, 2012 Jul 20, 2012

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TerriStoneCHL wrote:

...


The rationale for people other than the original poster marking something as Correct is so that it's easier to spot. That way the help extends beyond the OP to anyone with a similar question.

Provided that it really responds to the original question, and that the marking is correctly done based on how useful such posts can be for future participants facing the same issues.

And I think that any moderator who feels s/he must change the rating already given to a response, should also post a message identifying her/himself and explaining very briefly her/his reasons. I was taught to always face the consequences of my acts, and therefore cannot understand all the secrecy surrunding moderators and their actions in these forums.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 21, 2012 Jul 21, 2012

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Claudio, sorry of you feel it's done in your back. But sometimes, it is useful to mark thread answered, for users browsing/searching for an answer.

Nothing sneaky here.

I'll try to post whenever I attribute points, but it takes time, and changes the s/n ratio.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 21, 2012 Jul 21, 2012

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Pierre,

I apologize for my ignorance, but what is s/n ratio?

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Community Expert ,
Jul 21, 2012 Jul 21, 2012

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Jacob, signal to noise ratio. Sorry for the slang.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 22, 2012 Jul 22, 2012

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Ah, Pierre, I know the term, even the abbreviation, but I never thought about rating posts. How do you rate them?

I may be doomed.

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LEGEND ,
Jul 21, 2012 Jul 21, 2012

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PECourtejoie wrote:

Claudio, sorry of you feel it's done in your back. But sometimes, it is useful to mark thread answered, for users browsing/searching for an answer.

Nothing sneaky here.

I'll try to post whenever I attribute points, but it takes time, and changes the s/n ratio.

Pierre, it seems I cannot manage to pass my message. I don't object strongly to any moderator marking an answer as Correct after a reasonable time -say, a couple of days- without anyone marking it, with the provisions of my previous message. What I do object is to moderators changing the grade already given to an answer by someone else. As I understand things, moderators have no easy way of knowing who marked the answer, so it could well happen that one moderator changes the status given to the same answer by another moderator, which is absurd.

As to the points, I find them irrelevant and therefore couldn't care less about who awards them.

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Explorer ,
Sep 10, 2012 Sep 10, 2012

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TerriStoneCHL (Post #16) wrote:

Dave, you hit the nail on the head.

I don't know who marked the response in question as correct, but it was most likely a moderator who may or may not be an Adobe employee.

The rationale for people other than the original poster marking something as Correct is so that it's easier to spot. That way the help extends beyond the OP to anyone with a similar question.

Another good reason for 'true-markings correctness' be more important than OP's ownership.

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Explorer ,
Sep 10, 2012 Sep 10, 2012

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Dave Merchant (Post #15) wrote:

Staff and moderators will sometimes allocate a correct tag to a thread if they feel it has been answered and the original poster hasn't chosen a correct response,

...but we have no way of telling who did that for your particular post.

It's important to remember that when you post a technical question you're not the only one who has an opinion on what constitutes "correct".

Now the forums are a part of the product help ecosystem, clarifying the 'correctness' of certain replies is important for the benefit of other Adobe customers.

Note: My bolding and underlining, RickCP.

So as I understand it (and agree):

- The OP shall always be in control ('ownership' as well-defined by Jacob) of their own threads,

- As 'What constitutes Correct' is a matter of opinions, any user (not only the OP or Mod who marked the reply) would expect other users to differ... BUT most important focus should be:

- Correctness of replies should be prioritized for the benefit of ALL forums users.

What a dilemma...

I would've thought per this thread that there was a consensus for marking a thread as 'resolved' (green-bubbled) whenever there was a reply that pointed to a 'true-final recognized resolution' of main problem being addressed, and that any other type (partial solutions, 'worked for me', etc..) should only be considered to be marked as helpful.

IMHO, in order to achieve this we would first need to know 'who marked' (tool that we don't have at present) a given reply, and then a place - maybe an special new thread (as we have to report spam) - where to ask/request for 'moderation' on that specific marked reply/thread - obviously providing your concerned reasons.

Just thoughts

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