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Imagine a game had just an update. Some dedicated discussion server does the research and publishes the hidden and/or not so obvious changes included in that update, e.g. drop rate of XY. Is it then fine to grab these results, create an artificial question "what is the drop rate of XY after the update?" and immediately provide the answer?

There is certainly a non-zero chance that someone would ask that genuinely later, but is this really how it should work? I don't see added value in any way. Is it easier to google the answer here than on reddit or anywhere else where the results were published?

Example: How do I catch a Ditto?

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There is an option when you ask a question that says "Answer your own question, Q&A style!" This allows you to post an answer alongside your question when you ask it.

This is encouraged if you already know the answer. This way, you can inform/help others. It shouldn't be seen as a method of "mining rep." It saves other users the time of asking the question and doing the research to come up with a sufficient answer. I've done it before. My thought process is usually something along the lines of "I've thought of it, other people will probably also wonder the same thing in the future."

As with all questions, you can't accept your own answer until the question has been available for 48 hours, though.

For more information, see this article in the Help Center: Can I answer my own question?

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  • If this is a copy and paste answer from another source it may be best to also quote the source.
    – user101016
    Nov 23, 2016 at 15:30
  • @CamelCase, why would you think that? I didn't get it from anywhere...
    – Vemonus
    Nov 23, 2016 at 15:30
  • I understand that Q&A concept, but I believed it is for things that I discovered and/or are hard to google elsewhere, not for things that I simply googled as anyone else can. Anyway, thanks for explanation.
    – Eulali Cumir
    Nov 23, 2016 at 16:47
  • @EulaliCumir well yeah, things that are hard to google that you think may benefit others but don't have a question to put them on; that's the perfect time to do your own Q&A: writing your own question so that you can share the info you found.
    – Vemonus
    Nov 23, 2016 at 16:48
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    @Vemonus - not your answer, I mean if the OP simply copy and pastes then they should quote the source
    – user101016
    Nov 23, 2016 at 16:52
  • @camelCase ah, yes, definitely
    – Vemonus
    Nov 23, 2016 at 16:57
  • @EulaliCumir Sometimes you even come up with question that users didn't even know they had. An example of that would be : gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/288049/…
    – Karlyr
    Nov 28, 2016 at 15:23
  • @Karlyr That's what I wrote earlier. I totally understand this concept when the user did the research (as in the case you posted) and perhaps the information is not elsewhere. But in this case - try googling "how catch ditto" you will get tens of pages. The user just copied that information to here. That's why I asked.
    – Eulali Cumir
    Nov 29, 2016 at 9:37
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Yes, it is OK

If people find the question and answer helpful they will up-vote and everybody wins. If the question is frivolous and/or poorly written, people like us will be there to down-vote and discourage further frivolity.

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