Question about others responses

[former_member468298]

When someone replies to one of my questions. I am finding that I am replying to myself and not the last person who tried to. The "comment on this answer" does not repost my additional questions from other people who have replied to my post. So I am confused about how to maintain dialog on this site. In contrast I belong to physics forums and there is a simple "post reply" field and I have been able to maintain communication on those posts. So what is this site's equivalent to a simple "post reply" so that I can get additional feedback on my questions?

Thank you

[Steffi_Warnecke]

Hello Ben,

if you accept an answer, please be sure to choose the one that answers your question, not just any reply. 😉 You accepted my "mock answer", but that's not really the solution to your question.

Since accepted answers are highlighted, it could confuse other users who find this thread looking for the same information. So I un-accepted that "answer".

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Regards,

Steffi.

[former_member468298]

Hi Steffi,

But if you go through the entire conversation, the option to accept the answer only came up for the "mock" case. I do not see where I could accepted the answer anywhere else

Thanks

ben

[Steffi_Warnecke]

You can only accept answers, but not comments. That's a flaw, yes, because more often than not a comment holds the solution. So I understand your predicament.

There are two answers here. So if you want to choose one, the first one I gave you (under which we exchanged some comments) would be a better fit. 🙂

Or which comment would you choose? I can convert a comment to an answer, when you think there is one fitting the "accept".

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Regards,

Steffi.

[former_member468298]

Hi Steffi,

How about the start of this reply to me a day or two ago.

That might be the best one to accept

have a good day

Ben

[Steffi_Warnecke]

Hi again, Ben!

I can only convert whole comments, but I did just that with that reply. Now it's an answer, so there you go. 🙂

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Regards,

Steffi.

[Jelena_Perfiljeva]

Well, let me just say that this whole post is a showcase of what is wrong with the answer/comment concept and its implementation on SCN... 😞

[Steffi_Warnecke · Accepted solution]

Hello Ben,

using the "answer" button is normally for the moment when you really have the answer (or part of it) to the question. So if you find the solution to your own question yourself, it's always good community behaviour to come back and update the question with it by using "answer" and then marking it as correct (that's another button underneath each answer).

Other than that it would probably always be comments to answers or to questions (I use those if I need more info to actually give an answer).

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What happens for me sometimes, is that I hit the wrong "Submit" button. See the current example of what I'm looking at:

• there is the blue "Submit" button for this comment I'm writing and
• underneath there is the white button "Comment on this answer", which would delete my text and show a blank window again.
• And even more further down there is the always open window for an answer to the question.

I have accidently pressed the wrong button sometimes or mistook the answer textbox for the comment textbox, thus creating the wrong kind of reply (after some grumbling and retyping my text, because of some believed platform issue).

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Does that help you a bit? 🙂

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Regards,

Steffi.

[former_member468298]

ok thank you

[Steffi_Warnecke]

Another answer just for show. 🙂

.

Regards,

Steffi.

[Steffi_Warnecke]

Hello Ben,

I'm a bit confused. When you use "Comment on this answer" what happens for you? It does not create a comment under the answer? Could you provide an example?

It can get a bit complicated, I know, because you have comments on the question itself (directly under the start post), then there are answers (pretty much the highest hierarchy point created with the big blue button) und then there are comments to those answers (underneath via the button under every answer).

Oh and of course comments to comments (either to the questions comments or answer comments) which you get by using "Reply" on a comment.

I looked at some of your questions and it seems like most of the time you hit "answer" which always means "answer to the question". If you want to reply to an existing answer, there is a "Comment on this answer" underneath it.

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Regards,

Steffi.

[former_member468298]

Hi Steffi thanks for the reply. When I clicked on the "comment on this answer" hyperlink it appeared that I was responding to my own question instead of someone who was trying to help me out. I think I understand what you ar saying, but is there a fictitious example of when I would use the "Your answer" field in a post?

Thanks

Ben

[former_member468298]

So in this statement

"So if you find the solution to your own question yourself, it's always good community behaviour to come back and update the question with it by using "answer" and then marking it as correct (that's another button underneath each answer)."

I do not see on the page where I would mark it as correct under any of the buttons. Maybe I am not understanding what you are saying here.

thanks

[Steffi_Warnecke]

It's under every answer (the highest level so to speak). Since there is only one here in this thread, it's under mine:

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BTW: You commented on my answer, not my comment this time. 😉

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[former_member468298]

Hi Steffi, thanks for your help. I am trying not to over analyze the window stuff but I would like to summarize what I think you are saying to me. See the two scenarios:

To reply to a comment:

Click the white button "Comment on this answer" button which then pops up a box that contains blank text box, a submit button and a cancel button.

Enter the text and click "Submit" and my comment is posted back to the thread for someone else to read.

If I click the cancel button, my comment is not posted.

Alternate way to reply to a comment:

Enter text into the box directly above the "Submit" button without clicking the "Comment on this answer" first.

Click the "Submit" button.

Isn't this the same as clicking the white "Comment on this answer" button, entering the text in the box above the Submit button and clicking on submit to post the reply? It seem there is two ways to post a reply to a comment.

Thanks

Ben

[Steffi_Warnecke]

Ehm... no. 😉

To reply to a comment, you have to hit the "Reply" (text) button underneath that comment. If you look at this comment, then you should see the options "Like Reply Share Alert Moderator Actions" underneath it. So if you want to create a reply to this specific comment, you click "Reply" on it.

.

Everytime you use the "Comment on this answer" button you create a comment to an answer (in this case, mine, because there are no others). Under each answer you should see "Share Accept Alert Moderator Actions" underneath it.

So no "Reply" or "Comment" in that line of options. Buuuut each answer has that white "Comment on this answer" button. This way you create a comment specific for that answer.

I'll create another answer for you, so you can see, how that is aligned in this thread (your whole question). Maybe then it's clearer.

It's confusing, I know, but you'll get the hang of it. 🙂

[former_member468298]

Thanks Steffi for all of your patience with my questions. I look forward to seeing your other answer format.

[former_member468298]

So examples of "commenting on this answer" could be things like:

Agreeing or disagreeing with a statement based on input from everyone, which in this case it just be you. Or other general comments or supportive points to the discussion.

[Steffi_Warnecke]

No worries, Ben! 🙂

I already created another answer. It's on top now, the first one in this thread (for whatever reason, sometimes the sorting is a biiit off here). So that's what an answer without comments looks like.

[Steffi_Warnecke]

Yes, kind of like a smaller discussion thread in your question. Revolving around that answer. If you want to reach everyone involved in the question (when there are several answers etc), that of course you can just create another answer and write everything you want to tell everyone concerned.

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Have you checked this page yet? You'll find it in the top black menu "Community" under "Questions & Answes > About questions and answers". If you scroll down a bit, you'll see the section "Leave Comments and provide Answers, note the difference", where the answer/comment concept is explained, too. Maybe that helps for some more clarification. 🙂

[former_member468298]

Hi Steffi,

I am not sure what you want from me. I do not see any entries in this post as of July 19th for me to refer to.

[VeselinaPeykova]

You have probably received a few new notifications for comments, which actually occurred in the past.

This is happening for everyone today, the team is aware of the problem and is working to resolve it.