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I usually wait one day before assigning a correct answer to my questions. I think that accepting correct answers too quickly is a mistake because

  • It may demotivate other users to answer
  • A new better answer may come along

Obviously this depends on the questions. There are questions with very simple direct answers.

Yesterday there were a lot of questions asked and a lot of first answers accepted in minutes. Do you also think this is a bad practice?

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I agree that quick answer acceptance is bad. Particularly with Bitcoin vs. say programming, many people have fundamental misunderstandings about it, and it is diffeacult to tell the difference without already knowing the answer.

With programming questions, usually you confirm the correctness of the answer in your own code before marking the answer correct. It's very difficult to do that with Bitcoin answers. I would recommend that one NEVER mark an answer correct unless they have independently confirmed it correct. Or have a priori knowledge when asking.

Even then it does not guarantee that the answer is complete. For example there is a question about Bitcoin address typos that has an approved answer that does not mention the fact that addresses have checksums. People get the correct information that their bitcoins would be destroyed if they sent them to a bad address, but miss the information that such typeos are difficult to make. This leaves a bad and incorrect impression of usability.

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  • I'm not sure if this is a trivial point or not, but one cannot mark an answer as "correct," one merely marks an answer as "accepted."
    – Michael McGowan
    Sep 1, 2011 at 14:20
  • I think it's a trivial point, but it's just an example. The impression a reader guts is that the accepted answer is the "correct" answer. People may not realize that the standards are different between programming q&a and bitcoin q&a.
    – Joshua Kolden
    Sep 1, 2011 at 16:57
  • that isn't true. the answer I approved to the typo question very clearly mentions and links to the checksum. but, TBH I wish the whole concept of marking an answer "accepted" went away, and answers were just ordered by upvotes, period.
    – lemonginger
    Sep 1, 2011 at 21:53
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    Sorry, could have sworn the accepted answer was different before. Consider my comment a hypothetical.
    – Joshua Kolden
    Sep 1, 2011 at 22:31
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I think things that have easy and verifiable answers (Is there a website where I can see XXX) for example, one can mark them closed pretty quick. Otherwise I have been trying to wait until at least 3 answers are posted.

Not sure what to do it situations where two answers are both "correct" but the best answer is those two answers COMBINED....

any thoughts? New to SE/SO...

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    I usually try to choose the one that better answers the question. If the other one provides good additional information I leave a comment pointing there. I also assume that most people won't stop reading at the accepted answer...
    – nmat
    Sep 2, 2011 at 21:27
  • Definitely comment on your choice of answer if it seems controversial or not immediately obvious.
    – Gary
    Sep 3, 2011 at 8:05

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