How could I have asked this question without biasing the answers?

1 Answer

Answer :

There are closed (yes/no) questions, open questions and leading questions. Closed and leading questions are safe because you can control and predict the reactions and outcomes. Open questions are risky because you can’t possibly predict or control all responses you’ll get. So it’s a matter of risk management, are you prepared for the risk that the open question comes with? And this particular question would have been very risky! I for one don’t blame the moderators for not wanting to run that risk. Unfortunately that means you didn’t get the honest reactions you wanted.

Related questions

Description : What question(s) have you asked here that generated or resulted in the best answers and comments, or discussion in your opinion?

Last Answer : answer:I asked this I rather liked the discussion it generated. I hope I’ll be able to come up with more like that.

Description : Should we post follow-up answers to questions we asked in the past?

Last Answer : Yeah, I wonder if that kid ever showed up, the one apparently lost in the frizzer!!

Description : Would you participate on a Q&A site that required you to make a substantive answer to a question before you could see the other user's answers?

Last Answer : I like the basic concept, but would prefer to eliminate the whole modded-substantive-answer part. How about you just can’t see the other answers until you’ve answered. You could still have mods to enforce basic rules and writing standards, similar to ask-public.

Description : What was the last question you asked that you could have Googled?

Last Answer : If I ask here, I never Google again.

Description : Would you skip a question that has too many answers?

Last Answer : No. I’ll often wait until everyone has had their say and then give a detailed answer often taking the string in a related, but broader area. To do this too early in a thread can either kill it or take it in a direction unintended by the OP and is considered rude.

Description : Boring question #30: what question is there to ask that will get tons of non-answers only debates?

Last Answer : self-explanatory

Description : Can I answer a question that has a lot of answers and will the questioner care?

Last Answer : answer:There is actually a time stamp, but it's cleverly hidden. If you hover your mouse just to the right of the flag as' thingy right below the question, you'll see a red paragraph mark. Hover over ... ! Breathing new life into old questions is kind of fun. As an asker, I wouldn't mind a bit.

Description : When you read questions on Fluther, do you find yourself popping off quick sarcastic answers in your mind before really thinking the question through?

Last Answer : No. I don’t go into questions like that.

Description : Why is it that, a reasonable question will get zero, or maybe one, great question award, but the answers will get multiple great answer awards?

Last Answer : Fluddies. Fluther buddies hi-fiving each other.

Description : Why do some people fixate on why a question is asked?

Last Answer : Hmmm. I dunno. Why do you ask the question? What are your intentions? I hope this doesn’t poison your thoughts.

Description : Have you ever gone to ask a question, only to find that question has already been asked....by you?

Last Answer : I usually get a feeling if i’ve asked the same question already & either go with it, if it was asked ages ago, or drop it like a hot potato if it was recently.

Description : What sort of question promoting good discourse can be asked that actually tickles the mind and exercises one’s Gray matter?

Last Answer : What is art and what is trite?

Description : Do you find you're always the last one to answer a question that's been asked only a few hours ago?

Last Answer : Sometimes. I don’t think it’s a big deal though. Just jump on in anytime!

Description : Have you ever asked a question for yourself to answer?

Last Answer : I’ve never posted a question just for the sake of me answering it. I’ve posted questions that were things I wanted to get others insight as well as discuss my own views on the given topic, debate the possibilities with others, and hopefully by the end have a broader understanding of said topic.

Description : When was the last time you asked a pointless question?

Last Answer : Why do you want to know exactly?

Description : No one has asked a question in at least an hour, so I'm asking ... what question would you ask if you didn't think it would get modded for one reason or another?

Last Answer : the Mods are good at letting people ask just about any real question, as long as we use semi-proper wording and correct spelling.

Description : What is the strangest interview question you have ever been asked?

Last Answer : “Have you ever hidden drugs in your anus?” is a contender.

Description : Have you ever asked a question that got you erroneously maligned?

Last Answer : Don’t think so…

Description : If I asked “Alaska?” as a fluther question, and offered no supporting details, what would you answer?

Last Answer : Baked or fried?

Description : Who wants to answer the question that Irish schoolchildren asked the Queen?

Last Answer : I guess my bicycle is just metal-colored. I do not have many pink things, just a shirt here and there and all my other brushes are black. And, of course.

Description : If your question (asked late at night) was then pushed to editing for something like four hours (because one does have to sleep), is it okay to repost it so that it is not now buried in older questions?

Last Answer : Ask Auggie.

Description : Have you ever asked the same question here twice?

Last Answer : Once that I know of, asking for movie suggestions. I will probably ask this question from time to time when I cant find anything good i want to watch.

Description : What is the most awkward question your children (or someone else) have asked you?

Last Answer : By an elderly Uncle: “What colour panties are you wearing?” He’s in a home, but still….

Description : Is there anyway to find out if my question has already been asked?

Last Answer : There is a search feature at the top right of the page that you can use. I always forget myself and ask questions before searching. Whoops.

Description : What's the dumbest question you've ever been asked?

Last Answer : we were at popeyes and we ordered and then after about a 5 minute a stall a strange voice said "ummm.. Uhh so.. Yall wanted who now?" lol

Description : Have you ever looked back on your questions and answers and thought, I can’t believe I wrote that?

Last Answer : Sometimes!

Description : Why do people think they are going to get answers to personal issues from any social media?

Last Answer : They might have experienced the same problem, and want to share what worked for them.

Description : How does this site compare to Yahoo Answers, Amazon Askville, Answerbag, etc.?

Last Answer : We have a fairly active community (though not at this time of day). Since I’m the community manager here, I might sound biased, but it’s a fantastic community, too! Helpful, thoughtful, and smart.

Description : Do you get amused when you see lots of old answers of yours get GAs?

Last Answer : Wow, @incendiary_dan , I was just wondering about that yesterday or was it Thursday? when I saw a bunch of old answers of mine getting GAs! I was rather flattered, then it occurred to me ... going through old threads and GAing everybody! Still, fun, though, and I enjoy revisiting those threads.

Description : What three questions do you wish you knew the answers to?

Last Answer : What happens when you die? Is uranus really that big? What will santa bring me this xmas?

Description : How much planning do you put into questions and answers here?

Last Answer : answer:I surf Fluther like I surf through life; If we had a plan, we'd be screwed! . The way I see it, doing anything other than stream of consciousness is dishonest, and I am too honest to abide ... you read is what I think, fucks, shits,, and all. The only real planning I do is spell-checking.

Description : Do you know of any questions with no real answers?

Last Answer : answer:I’ll start… Do stairs go up or down? How come you never hear father-in-law jokes? If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Description : Are answers enough?

Last Answer : Sweet holy moly, sometimes the answer has to come from you yourself. If you ask if you should pursue a certain career choice, people can tell you the pros and cons as they see it but in the end you ... are the one who can at least make the choice even if the answers you seek is not there precisely.

Description : Can questions/answers not be edited after a certain point?

Last Answer : I think you have about ten minutes to edit a question or answer. You can change a question once it has been answered, and you can edit an answer when you’ve been given a ‘great answer’.

Description : "NF" Suffix on answers to "General" questions?

Last Answer : I think it is unnecessary. If you are not following a question or not makes no difference to me. If I want a response and don’t get one, I’ll PM you.

Description : Are you annoyed with people who have smartass first-answers to questions?

Last Answer : 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 =)

Description : Do the responses to your questions and/or your answers ever upset you?

Last Answer : answer:Somebody made a reference to me yesterday and I cried all day long. But, other than that, I try and get something out of everything that’s said. It doesn’t hurt to see something from a different view point.

Description : What do you really think about the new Yahoo! Answers home page design?

Last Answer : it does not answer the burning question of How babby formed?.

Description : How long should questions, details, (Oxford comma) and answers be?

Last Answer : I don’t mind if a question or answer is long as long as it’s readable. Breaks and paragraphs are nice and readable. When someone just writes on and on in one big block then I give up.

Description : Are you annoyed when answers given in a topic seems like no one read the details?

Last Answer : AY Laddie! And no.

Description : Are people who make flippant answers point mining, and if so what for?

Last Answer : My sense is that A) some people don't really care to help, they want to use the site for their own personal (and other peoples') entertainment B) don't know a legitimate answer, so simply ... yes, I typically think that unless a legitimate answer (or 10 have been given), jokes are disrespectful.

Description : How do you feel about jellies who ask numerous amounts of questions, but never once acknowledge anybody who answers them or give you a GA?

Last Answer : People have heard this before, so it bears repeating When someone annoys me it takes 42 muscles in my face to frown, BUT, it only takes 4 muscles to extend my arm and bitch-slap that that thoughtless AH ... really bother me, my family and pets lurve me all the time. That's all the lurve I need!

Description : If you were guaranteed honest answers to three specific questions, of whom would you ask them and which three questions would you ask?

Last Answer : Always be careful of asking questions which require a truthful answer. The kindly ones are notorious for answering (truly) with answers that cause more harm than good. Heck, the Scottish Play was at least ⅔ trouble caused by the Erinyes’s answers.

Description : How much revenue does Yahoo Answers generate for Yahoo?

Last Answer : It seems like this is a question better asked of Yahoo, no?

Description : Do you think that USA's secrets agencies really hide answers to humanity's secrets?

Last Answer : Most of them seem to be immature in attitude, irresponsible and thoughtless and as such they are probably run by teenagers, and so what they hide best is more than likely the usual teenage cover-up requirements, acne, skin blemishes, and in this day and age, paunches.

Description : Does it bother you when people profit from your questions and answers?

Last Answer : Yes, bendrew wrote a blog about some of the issues they’ve been dealing with.

Description : Can you think of questions that call for creative answers?

Last Answer : I used to work for chacha.com I gave factual answers and would be a smartass with smartass questions.

Description : What kind of impact do the ask-public answers have on people?

Last Answer : Depends on the person asking I suppose. If they are gullible and malleable enough to do whatever is told to them then it could have a negative impact. The asker needs to have the wisdom to ... take everything with a grain of salt from their shaker knowing that only they know the whole story.

Description : What are your answers to James Lipton's famous questions?

Last Answer : 1. What is your favorite word? cacophony 2. What is your least favorite word? cunt 3. What turns you on? librarians 4. What turns you off? frat boys 5. What's your favorite curse word? fuck 6. ... would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? The keg is next to the hookers.

Description : Have you ever used Microsoft Answers?

Last Answer : MSA Shill?