Earlier today I made a comment on this question, pointing out to the OP that he might want to accept answers and that he could find out how and why in this oft quoted thread.

I see now that this comment and a subsequent comment from another user have been removed. A third comment referring to it is still present.

Is there a particular reason for removal? I only intended to help a reasonably new (in terms of activity) user. I have read through a relevant thread, but don't consider what I said rude, abusive or otherwise unacceptable.

I would just like to know whether or not such comments are no longer appropriate or desired. If they aren't I will stop giving such advice.

share|improve this question
So what I gather from below is that it is 'not okay' to point certain users (that do not follow up on their questions (I don't mean "everyone with low accept rate, I mean after you checked their history)) to pages that explain what is 'expected' of you here? There are a lot of users that might actually benefit from this information, as they are going "the wrong way", and in the end will get no good answer, or worse, get blocked from asking more etc? I think it is actually helpful to point to these things. –  Nanne Aug 2 '12 at 9:05
@Nanne I can actually propose to go one step further. Remove the visible accept rate and have the system automatically inform users. –  Bart Aug 2 '12 at 9:14
Not sure I agree with that, but that is somewhat a different I think: as long as that is still a proposal, this 'no such comments' thing seems like a bit of a random thing. The problem is that even if most users don't mind, you can't "undelete" or "unflag" a comment, so a handfull of active people who just don't like these kind of comments can do whatever they want, and that's kinda sad :( –  Nanne Aug 2 '12 at 9:36
add comment

3 Answers

up vote 24 down vote accepted

Accept rate dunning is not considered appropriate. Some of us routinely flag all such comments, and if enough of us do so, they get removed.

share|improve this answer
I would agree if I personally had anything to gain from the OP accepting some of the answers to his earlier questions, but AFAIK I don't. However, if that is how it is, fair enough. I will comply. :) –  Bart Oct 30 '11 at 17:44
@JonSkeet Thank you for your input, especially with regards to improving the question. It's something I tend to do from time to time anyway and I agree that it most likely is a more constructive approach. –  Bart Oct 30 '11 at 17:54
There is a special rule that makes these comments easier to delete. 1 or 2 "off topic" flags seems to do it. –  Henk Holterman Oct 30 '11 at 18:42
@Henk: A single flag of "obsolete" will immediately delete such comments: meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/104359/… –  Rick Sladkey Oct 30 '11 at 21:15
It sometimes happens that the OP thanks the user but does not accept. That is a case where user education via a comment is needed, and the fact that the comment is self-serving is not a problem. Comment deletion in general does not imply the user has committed an offense, and I don't think the OP of this question should be left with that impression. –  djechlin Jun 12 '13 at 17:04
add comment

All three comments were flagged as offensive. Two were automatically deleted by the system, and so I deleted the third now (since it really didn't make much sense by itself).

Comments are expected to relate to the post itself in some way. If you're gonna comment on the author, be respectful... But be aware that other users may still find them irritating and flag for removal.

share|improve this answer
I don't think they were offensive as such, but (with regards to other answers received above) perhaps not constructive. So fair enough. Thanks for your input and for removing the third comment. –  Bart Oct 30 '11 at 17:57
The other reasons for flagging are, per the comment, "unconstructive" and "spam". "Unconstructive" is probably the applicable reason here. –  Shog9 Oct 30 '11 at 17:59
add comment

It's ok to give some nice advice on accept rate, along with other norms of Stack Overflow, but there's been so many inappropriate comments on accept rate, that they tend to all get flagged.

share|improve this answer
Okay, I understand. No problem, I just wondered why it happened since I was polite and had nothing to gain from the OP accepting answers. –  Bart Oct 30 '11 at 17:46
add comment

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .