As tempting as it was to make a smart-ass first answer, there is a general rule that you save smart-ass answers or jokes until after the question has been answered for real =)

It all depends on what mood you’re in – but yeah, unless it’s Astrochuck, I get frustrated at having to weed through the rest of the answers to find what I’m looking for.

Yes, it annoys me, because I feel like people are less likely to click on a question they know the answer to if there is a response already.

there is a general rule that you save smart-ass answers or jokes until after the question has been answered for real

@grumpyfish It would be nice if this were actually true.

@FutureMemory – It’s part of the guidelines.

Other important etiquette

* If you want to make a joke in an answer, wait until at least one helpful response has been given.

Yes its really annoying if your asking a serious question – and often it causes other half-wits to join in with more stupidity.

In my opinion , people who have smart-ass first answers to questions are attention-seeking people . So we shouldn’t be giving in to them by being annoyed , because they’ll probably enjoy that attention and continue being a smart-ass (=

I have not yet to see a smart ass first question. All answers are an answer.

Some are just better then others.

no its called move on and read the rest

I like smarty pants people. They are my people and I am their queen.

@MissAnthrope Sorry I didn’t make myself clear. I should have said “even though it’s part of the guidelines, it doesn’t seem to be followed very strictly”.

If the question is too vague to provide an actual answer, I have no problem giving a smart ass first answer.

It seems that more often than not when I ask a question the answer is stupid, ignorant, bigoted, factually wrong, illogical, incoherent or simply incomprehensible. Regardless of whether I ask it whimsically, rhetorically, in writing or in conversation, inside or outside of Fluther (more often outside, to be clear about that). So it seems more or less “normal”; I don’t worry about it too much.

Besides, I like to get in those first-answer on-topic-but-not-quite-all-there quips. Lots of lurve there.

As far as I know, it’s not just a general rule, it’s one the moderators enforce. That’s why you see so many first answers removed.

It is sad.

1. It reduces the chance of the user getting a real response by eliminating the Orphan status.

2. It throws the conversation into chaos.

3. It negates the question.

4. It gives the perception that the question has been addressed.

5. It is done to stoke the ego of the quip writer. A cheap attempt at getting lurve at the expense of another user who has a legit question.

Note: @lilikoi often we will ask users to edit the question to make it less vague. The smart-ass quip is just as destructive as one on a well-worded question. Sometimes so many jokers gang up that a question is not able to be re-posted even after the user has taken the time and effort to clarify it.

It is particularly sad when this is a new user.

I don’t mind funny answers but it is frustrating when I’m asking for information or help on subject and some jerk posts a comment of how he does not like the question or thinks it is stupid !

Often I see these smart ass answers right out of the box because the question appears to be asked just for the sake of asking a question with little of no relevance and lacking the meat and potatoes of a good question. Good solid questions foster good solid discussions and usually are immune to the frisky fun IMHO of course!

I really fucking hate it.

@Cruiser I’d say that’s about 30% accurate. Many, many questions, even serious ones, get jokes for first answers.

Flag them. I guarantee they’ll get removed.

Yes, I find it annoying. Yes, I flag them.

Depends on how much the question actually brings about meaningful discussion.
I feel slightly bad about the smartass first answer I left last night.

No, it doesn’t really annoy me. I’m usually worried about the more serious things in life like death and taxes.~

If @andrew hates it, you know it HAS to be something bad!

I have mixed feelings about this. Sometimes I feel a question “deserves it” by being kind of silly, but if it seems like an honest question I don’t really appreciate the smart-ass remarks. But then, who am I to judge what’s an honest question? Something that might seem silly to me might have been posted in true earnest.

It has happened to me that I posted a question and the first answer I got was some smart-ass remark. It was actually kind of hurtful since it was a rather personal question, and I couldn’t help to feel a bit like my concerns weren’t considered legitimate by my fellow jellies. I later found out the poster meant the comment in jest, but I was glad to see the original post modded, since it meant others were similarly not amused.

Luckily I had been on Fluther for some time before that happened, otherwise I may have been tempted to leave. I’m quite glad I didn’t, though.

Overall I think good, serious answers outweigh the occasional snippet of hurtful sarcasm. Once a question has been answered to a respectable degree I think joke posts are fine.

I actuallu had to restrain myself yesterday or two days ago for a really stupid (IMO) question. I couldn’t wait for a couple answers to be put in so I could say something vitriolic. I think it was the “conquer boredom” Q.

I can definitely appreciate why smart-assed answers would bother a person who was genuinely looking for help, so it makes sense to allow as many decent answers as possible, for the author’s benefit.

At the same time, some of those answers are not without a kernel of truth. That is why I take a hands-off approach to smartasses. They play an important role in a community.

Flagging answers is tattling, grown-up style, so it isn’t my thing. I can handle my own issues, thank you! I might help out a drowning person if I see a community isn’t managing itself in a particular instance, however.

@Phillis I politely disagree.
Flagging is the respectful and mature thing to do.
Why publicly degrade someone and destroy the question in the process? What does that accomplish that is in any way positive?

@Dog No problem with disagreeing from this side, Dog. I don’t think in terms public degrading, so that doesn’t enter my mind. Flagging just isn’t for me. I prefer handling a person one on one, rather than turning them in. If it can’t be resolved, then sure…..mods are a great way to go! But I feel it’s important to give the person a fair chance, first.

@phillis I am confused. Fair chance at what?
With the exception of @andrew the mod staff does not flog people. We help people re-phrase questions so they can get the best responses. We are the live help. We step in and stop users from being verbally abusive to one another and help keep questions on topic. We welcome new users and remove trolls. There is a check and balance system so that no Mod acts without the entire moderation staff knowing what has been said or done and I have yet to see any mod be mean or punitive.

So I am guessing that you PM people privately and suggest helpful things? If so that is great.

A fair chance to work an issue out between us before calling in the big guns, so to speak :)

Yes! I do, especially when they rave on and on putting in random facts that are “completely relevant” to your questions to show how smart they are.

One thing we can do is not GA them. I think I am as much annoyed by all the lurve they get as by the original wisecrack.

In fact, I feel this way about pointless attention-seeking wisecracks whether they are first responses or not. Which doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good pun or joke. Making a good joke does not amount to the same thing as being a smartass.

“Why publicly degrade someone”

We are anonymous, how do you degrade Anonymity?

No. I usually laugh at them.

No, no…I get what she’s saying, even though I take a different route than she. Just because you’re anonymous to others doesn’t mean you can’t feel pain. There’s a human behind that anonymity.

^ Exactly. Thanks @phillis

I don’t like them first, or any other time.

We know that is not a good response,but I feel like why people GA that bullshit. Just ignore people who act like that. You might need to send that person a warning so he/she won’t interrupt you question next time.

I only find it annoying if the question seemed genuine and was posted in a respectful manner. I don’t always agree with what someone has asked but if I feel the person was genuine and not trying to be disrespectful than I will either answer or ignore.
If the question seems to be routed in extreme stupidity, or extreme hatred than you may get a smart ass answer from me or just ignored.
I’ll of course give a smart ass answer if I feel the question was meant to be funny.

HELL YEAH! The first question I ever posted on here and the first comment I got was a smartass comment.

No i think its not a problem.
Its like the smart ppl don’t get smarter if they read&answers things they know about. But the ppl who doesn’t know much about it gets better. Fluther is all about sharing knowledge and helping a hand. I don’t even bother to answer questions anymore because most of the smart guys already did . I just read there answers and make them mine in my brain. Its useful!
*Sigh i need some water to keep my self flutherious XD

It doesn’t annoy me if it’s funny. In my opinion a good laugh trumps a good answer anytime, although a good answer will come in a strong second.

Holy smokes, I am annoyed when people cannot adhere to the gist of the original question, much less make a joke of it or some wisecrack remark, it matters little if it was the first answer, the 11th, 17th, or 120th one.

I hate when I get the “who cares?” answer. Or similarly “why does this bother you so much?” If you don’t care, look somewhere else. Don’t be a lurvewhore.