One that is well thought out, appropriate and grammatically correct, including the spelling. Please double check your user name…

I agree with the statement above. It also depends on who is reading the answer. What’s great to them may not be so to another.

You do. You say to yourself, “Self, I think this is a great answer.” Then you click on the great answer link. That’s all it is. No more and no less. And people think this for both great and trivial reasons.

One that is thoughtful and well expressed. Also anything that makes me smile or laugh.

One that precisely answers the question or one that illuminates the Asker’s thinking. Something particularly witty (not in General though).

An answer that makes me think, an answer that makes me laugh or smile, an answer that is correct, an answer that I agree with, an answer that is good quality, or an answer that just kicks ass.

It depends on the question. A great answer can be one that is helpful, one that makes me laugh, one that I agree with, one that makes me think, or a combination of those qualities.

To me a great answer is one that is 100% correct, but also has some degree of deeper knowledge than maybe anyone else had thought of, or has some added info that none of us even considered.

Or it might be an answer that is correct, but so simple and to the point that none of us longer-winded folks (like myself) could have could have ever said so succinctly.

Or it might be correct, but it may also have a double meaning in which the asker of the Q may or may not get. Sometimes these types of answers can be very witty/funny or even a bit sarcastic, but they are always 100% correct, with a little or a lot of humor thrown in for good measure.

Or it might be a correct answer that due to the expertise of the answerer, was so perfect and so smart that he/she was the only one qualified to answer that particular Q. And it gets me to thinking, “Hmmm, wish I was that smart.”

Or another example would be a very well thought out compassionate answer that actually helps the person asking the Q, even if the asker’s Q was not well written, and therefore subject to some ribbing or teasing from the collective. Some badly written Q’s are just idiots or trolls looking for attention, but some badly written Q’s are just regular folks that might be having a hard time wording a question or forming his/her thoughts because they are in pain or don’t speak English well or have some other problem that makes writing difficult. The best answers are able to figure out what is really going on.

This.

^^^ Not!

@Dutchess_III Not yet.

^^^ Sorry….nyet!

@rebbel There you go!
P.S. You’re welcome. ;)

If it makes me laugh or teaches me something. Then again I’m not really picky, but I sometimes forget to give the GA even if I think it deserves it. The degree of importance varies from user to user.

An answer that gets a GA is considered to be a great answer by at least one person.

I’m not a grammer nazi like many others are on here but the response should at least be intelligible, or I will not give the answer any lurve. I will usually lurve answers that I agree with more than anything else though.

I’m not a Grammar Nazi either, but I still wish the OP would check the spelling of his/her username…

@Dutchess_III Yo Highness, stick to your own lines :P
A great answer is anything that you personally think is great material as an answer.

A “great answer” for me, is any answer that I like.

I’m just playing off my FIRST line @MilkyWay!

@Dutchess_III I’m with you on that one.

One that express your opinion and is relevant to the question. That holds true whether I agree with it or not.

GQ by the way ;-)

Anything by Wunday or Gail is automatically a GA.

(COUGH) Favouratism^ (COUGH)

Give it up, @MilkyWay. You love me, too! ;-)

If I’m glad to have read it, it’s worthy of a GA.

@Dutchess_III I’m just playing off my FIRST line @MilkyWay!
In other words, you’re repeating yourself. :)

@Wundy I’m not sayin nothin.

One with digits affixed besides.

@FutureMemory, yes, because nobody is hereing me!!

Here, @Dutchess_III. Here, girl!

There! I “hered” you.

All too often it means “in line with the questioner’s or reader’s bias”. Most often, in fact, that’s what it means.

@wundayatta I was STILL playing off my first line, which also happens to be the first post! Ya sea?

@Dutchess_III I here you loud and clear!