What is the question/answer etiquette?

I definitely think an official ettiquette should be established. Building on Germs and oblix's responses (and collecting them into a list), my suggested rules are as follows:

1) If bạn know the answer to the question, don't ask. This should be fairly clear already, but các câu trả lời are for các câu hỏi bạn NEED ANSWERING, not ones that bạn already know and want to câu hỏi kiểm tra others. In fact, believe it hoặc not, we already have a place where bạn can do that! It's called the "quiz" section.

2) If you're asking an opinion, make a pick instead. I've already seen some opinion related "Answers" questions. I'm not talking about, "What's the best way to make mac and cheese" kind of opinions (those can be "Answers" questions), I'm talking, "Did bạn know that the actress who plays Sharon appears in two episodes after her character's death?" These are not "Answers" các câu hỏi because there is no câu hỏi being asked. All a người hâm mộ can do is say, "Yeah, I noticed," hoặc "No, I didn't." This is probably better served as a pick question, when there aren't multiple các câu trả lời hoặc explanations that can be employed.

3) If bạn don't know the answer, don't answer the question. Responding just to say, "Oooh, I was wondering that, too!" hoặc "Oh, I don't know, but I hope bạn figure it out" are not helpful to the asker, hoặc anyone else for that matter. Either add your own answer to the question, hoặc add on to what someone has previously said.

4) If it's been said, don't be a broken record. If a câu hỏi has been sufficiently answered, and bạn agree with that answer, instead of answering again, VOTE FOR THAT AS THE BEST ANSWER. Makes sense, doesn't it? bạn agree, and it probably is the best answer. Don't be a glory whore and repeat what someone's already said.

5) If bạn think someone has it wrong, correct them. Just because a câu hỏi has been answered several times doesn't mean it's necessarily been CORRECTLY answered. Feel free to add on to other people's các câu trả lời (like I'm adding on to germs and oblix's right now) hoặc to correct someone whose answered incorrectly. It's OK to politely say, "Actually, the film was released in June, not October." People won't beat bạn with a stick.

And if anyone wants to add to these rules, bởi all means do so.

EDIT: At germs' urging, I link.

First of all, there needs to be a term to distinguish the các câu hỏi bạn ask as part of the các câu trả lời feature from all the other các câu hỏi we can ask on the site. Talking it over with others, the best I've seen so far is Answer Requests (AR).

As for using the feature, there are a few ground rules, in two parts.

Asking a question:

* Ask các câu hỏi that have multiple correct answers.
* Ask các câu hỏi which will have các câu trả lời that are at least partially based on fact hoặc process, rather than opinion.
* Ask các câu hỏi for which bạn don't already know the answer.
* Ask các câu hỏi that require các câu trả lời of at least a couple of sentences. Simple các câu hỏi with "yes/no" answers, hoặc các câu trả lời of a person's name, are a waste of the feature.
* Ask các câu hỏi that haven't been asked already.
* The câu hỏi should be general. Keep the specifics in the "additional info" field. Other people who have similar các câu hỏi will be looking to read the các câu trả lời to your requests, and that will be a lot thêm useful with a câu hỏi like "Which dentists are good in Birmingham?" rather than "I have a lot of cavities and I'm in a lot of pain. My last dentist was terrible with root canals, and I may have got a crown I didn't actually need. I live in Birmingham. Can bạn suggest a good dentist?"

Providing an answer:
* Answer the question.
* Do not respond to other answers. If bạn want to respond to other answers, use the bình luận feature. bởi now users should have noticed that các câu trả lời get shuffled around nearly each time the page is loaded, so there is no "thread" of conversation to follow. If bạn respond to another's answer in your answer, bạn will look like an idiot.
* Do not answer a câu hỏi if bạn do not have an answer.
* Do not answer a câu hỏi if your answer is not substantially different from an already-posted answer.
* Try to answer completely and thoroughly.
* Provide an answer in that location; do not only post a link to something bạn wrote elsewhere (or, worse, something someone else wrote). People looking for các câu trả lời don't want to and shouldn't have to look in still other places for their information.
* If bạn don't answer, vote for the "best answer".
* Answer in complete sentences and proper spelling/grammar. Nothing diminishes the perceived quality of an answer like using sentence fragments filled with chat speak.
* Answer in the same language used in the Answer Request.

Edited to accommodate the fact that we now CAN bình luận on answers.

i think the etiquette still needs to be established. i wrote in the "suggestions" diễn đàn already because it seems pointless to me to answer các câu hỏi a number of times if the answer is something like "it was season 2". the person who đã đăng the câu hỏi should be able to mark a câu hỏi as answered and then its like a closed pick, still viewable but bạn cant vote anymore.
i think "i dont know" responses should be reported and removed.
also i think the "Answers" shouldnt be used for quizzes- just because youre bored and want to ask something :S

No,because people just think the same and people sometimes it's too hard and they can't answer it.

well i dont know..

my answer is, i think that it's dumb for people with the response 'i don't know' because i'm fairly sure các câu trả lời will help towards huy chương and best các câu trả lời will too.

so etiquettes hmm , No un-useful responses?
(which so i think i'm breaking my own etiquettes in this reply rely)