MVPs shouldn't choose the best response on behalf of the users

[HotCakeX]

When someone creates a topic, only that person should be the one that chooses the best response for his/her topic/question/query/problem. Not other users such as MVPs.

I understand the community moderators and Microsoft employees should have this right and they already do of course, because they are not users, they are the people in charge.

but it causes annoyance to see other people (non-Microsoft employees) do it on the forum, such as MVPs.

it doesn't matter how passionate or how expert they are or think they are. they, just like other users, can post their comments under the topics and share their knowledge and it's appreciated, but shouldn't violate users' rights and choose a best answer/response for their posts. 

I think it's rude and annoying.

[#2]

@HotCakeX 

I'd remove Best response option at all

[#3]

It helps other people that have the same issue to find the answer fast and quick instead of going through all the conversations.

[#4]

That's in ideal world where issues are described correctly and only one of solutions definitely works much better than possible other ones.

[#5]

Well most people coming here have problems, looking for solutions, so after they find it might as well mark it as best response.

[#6]

I'd like to say that is always better to read entire thread, not only initial question and the post marked as Best response. If to simplify, someone has problem articulated as "my computer doesn't work". We don't know what does it mean exactly. For one best answer will be "switch it on", for another - "replace your SCSI cable" or "change this setting in BIOS from one to another". Discussion in thread usually clarifies what and how.

[#7]

So true, i totally agree with that,
i wish all MVPs shared the same thoughts so "those few" wouldn't focus too much on giving every post a best response mark.

[#8]

Hi all,

Thanks for the great exchange here, I have to confess I have deliberately stayed out of this conversation, why? Well I am an expert in online communities and more specifically how to setup and configure the Khoros community platform. That doesn't mean I know everything and its always good to see an open an honest exchange of views.

There maybe a part of this you are not considering though. Specifically:

• Best Responses (Accepted solutions) are used to help rank results in community search. Removing it would potentially make it harder for users to find content that has solutions
• When a post is marked as best response that question / answer set feeds into the global search engines (Bing, Google etc) who support Q&A metadata. Posts without a best response do not get listed in the Q&A results at all.
• In every community I have managed with this feature, OPs have low engagement with marking a post as an accepted solution / best response, which means the above benefits are not realised. The way to combat that is to allow your superusers - MVPs in the Microsoft World -  (knowledgeable users who have a vested interest in getting the correct answers out to customers) to mark posts as accepted solutions / best solutions. Of course in those communities, as with ours, its subject to review by the admin team and so if someone was blatantly misusing the system then users can report that behaviour and we will take what ever action we feel is needed.

Q. Its possible to mark more than one answer as a best solution, although we currently have that featured turned off. Do you feel it would be useful to allow for more than one solution?

Lastly I really like the open exchange of views, and the respect shown in this thread to both points of view and I want to help encourage that exchange to continue. Rest assured all comments are read by our team here.

Let me know your views on the above and your views on my question as well. 

[#9]

@Allen 

Thank you for your response,
I wasn't aware of the SEO related benefits of it.

being able to mark more than 1 post as best response is really an Interesting feature to be honest, though no significant benefits comes to my mind at the moment when I think about it.

But I have an idea about how the experience could be improved. 

so in every topic, lots of people will comment but the OP can only choose one of them as best response, this doesn't mean other comments are useless or not helpful, so what if comments were  prioritized and arranged based on the number of likes they have received?
so like the comment that is chosen as best response sits at top, right below the OP's topic, and the rest of the comments get arranged below that best response, based on the number of likes they have received.

Like this:

Please let me know how it sounds like and whether or not it will be possible to make such change. thank you very much again!

[#10]

@Allen 

Hi Allan,

As @HotCakeX I see that from another side. If Best response is useful from SEO point of view let it'll be, more recognizable this resource the better.

And I'd support the idea to have Kudos or Votes for the each post in addition to Best response. Even better if the latest will be on the second place. When every visitor could give his vote to the comment and that will be more adequate picture. Usual likes are less recognizable, at least from my point of view. I guess you know samples of such approach.

Being an MVP I don't think that MVP:s and MSFT people shall have any privilege here, moderation is another story. The point is not to know the opinion of concrete person from above through Best response, even if the person is assumed as more knowledgeable and experienced, the point is to know if this concrete answer on this concrete question is most suitable for the majority of people who read it.

For ones who cares about ranking perhaps that also will be easier, not necessary to ask every time "Please mark my answer as Bets response".