How do you determine wether you mark a question or answer as "great" or not?

i dont know

I leave it up to impulse….....a question that makes me go “ha!” and go googling, and an answer that makes me laugh or go “hmm….good point” get marked as Great.

Unique questions that are good conversation starters and not that typical how do you fix my computer or jailbreak my iphone?

I mark it as great when I think it adds value to a question (for answers) or makes you think (for questions).

Clarity, literacy, unpredictability, original humor, and answers that impart information, helpful hints, directions out of a labyrinth (viz: IRS questions) and the sense that we are a community and not a private club, frat house, beer hall or locker room.

Srmorgan, Cwlbur, johnpowell (most of the time), Tali, sndfreQ come to mind as people whose questions and answers I always admire (and understand on the first reading.)

I am omitting some people..sorry, but I don’‘t know who has left the bldg.

For example, I have gotten enormous assistance with autism issues, about which I knew nothing, and cat ownership, about which I also knew nothing…altho I have noticed that my new cat trained me in less than 24 hrs

For a question i look for something that has a particular interest for me. I don’t hand them out very often. Answers are kind of along the same lines. But also if the answer seems very well thought out or really addresses the person asking.

feet??

Humor for sure. And when I agree with someone’s point. I tend to mark great answers more on questions I ask, because I feel like a douche, especially if its one of my more arcane questions.

@delirium feet?

lol, was wondering why everyone was asking about the feet…just noticed now…wow..i normally don’t check the topics section…

ice: check the topics.

@ delirium Feet – I wanted a particular person to get the question and I know that is in their description (podiatry and all that) so I put that in.

Bri L; why not write to a particular person in a comment? Remember the collective and keep it holy. It’s an interesting question, though; can people give themselves points. Sometimes the most ludicrous answers get points., *whether or not it warrants it.

@ gailcalled – how do I do that again?

I am finding it hilarious that anyone would ask me a tech question, but here goes.

1) http://www.fluther.com/users/username <gailcalled>

2) If someone has answered a question somewhere, click on the avatar or the username.(Try me as a sample.)

3) type username in the white space to right of “contacts,“in orange horizontal menu bar; assuming that you are not on an iPhone but a computer.

Questions I feel compelled to answer, enlighten me, or generate quality community interaction.

Answers with a quality insight to the question.
Answers that show this community is human without significantly degrading the question, and original humor.
Link to a similar topic
http://www.fluther.com/disc/6218/do-you-take-the-time-to-leave-positive-feedback-for-answersquestions/

@ gailcalled – thanks. hey, we all, at any given time, can know more about something than someone else in the room.

Did my tech support work? What a miracle .

I give great answer points when I agree with the answer give, got a laugh from it, or have learned something from it. I also do it to share some fluther lovin from time to time. I’m kind of surprised that I am the first in this thread to admit that. Sometimes it’s just because I am stalking someone…ha ha!!

@ scamp YES! I have achieved my 15min.

ha ha! Now come down out of that tree!!

correct spelling of “whether” might influence me a tad.

@ gailcalled – you know I knew it was wrong and I tried and tried and it wasn’t right so i thought, at the very least it would be interesting to see what it provoked. Funny, I never, in the 4 options I came up with, put an “h” after the “w”. I am a terrible speller.

Wow! By your credentials I see you are just the person to help me. Thanks! Of course now I am all hyper aware.

I have trouble with that word too. it never looks right to me. I have to use my spell checker to be sure.

You are an honest man not to blame it on the iPhone.:-) And English is an odd language, as we have all agreed. I have spellcheck on Safari which makes it easy, but just now I had to look up the correct spelling for “ketchup” in a real dictionary, which I have surgically attached to me.

Weather is rain, snow, sun – whether is the other choice. Gotta run and live today away from here.