Does the wording of a question determine whether you answer it or not?

I think that’s an “everybody” thing.

No, I don’t care who asks the question or how the thing is scripted, if I feel like answering I will, simple as.

I have learned not to usually answer Qs that I find distastefully worded, because I tend to wade in with a ‘tude and the whole thing goes to hell pretty fast. Same with some users that I don’t much like.

If it’s poorly worded I’ll still answer it, as long as I can tell what’s being asked and I want to answer it.

Questions often are not really what the actual question is about. The real question is often in the details. I’ll skip over a question if it holds no interest, but not if it is poorly worded. It is just a matter of asking for clarification. The point of the site is to help out, right?

I shy away from details more than a paragraph long. I have the attention span of a gnat.

If I understand the general gist of what the title is asking then I’ll answer it. I’ll even answer the ones that don’t make much sense at all depending on my mood.

As long as I can make sense of it, and it appeals or I feel I can add something, I will answer. I agree with @chyna though. Opening a question and finding a wall of text is much more likely to put me off reading and consequently, answering it.

I have been known to merely skim a wall of text, then answer in a nonsensical fashion because I didn’t read the whole thing. Then I feel like a nincompoop.

@Pied_Pfeffer The point of the site is to help out, right? I wish that point hadn’t been forgotten. I refuse to ask questions anymore because some feel the site is just for debate. Not everyone is here to help, unfortunately. :/

I do agree with @Pied_Pfeffer. The details can really help a poorly worded question.

I have a hard time with questions that don’t make sense (usually they aren’t specific enough or the question could mean two very different things) and then say, As written.

Sometimes I won’t answer questions that are written poorly (grammatically) or with very bad, multiple spelling erros, or if the question itself (not necessarily the details of the question inside) is so long and rambling that I can’t make sense of it.

Also, I tend not to answer questions that were written in such a way in which certain words are left out or the wrong tense is used, suggesting to me that the writer’s first language is not English. Because I don’t want to misinterpret what the OP is asking. Sometimes I’ll check back in with those questions to see if the other Jellies seem to know what the person is talking about.

I tend to shy away from questions that seem to state an incorrect set of “facts” in the details section, or that seem as though the OP is revealing or admitting that they’ve done or are about to do something dangerous or very serious, but the question is veiled as something innocuous like “What should I do today, while I’m waiting?” and then you find out in the details section, or by further posts from the OP that something sinister is afoot. And to top it off, they put Don’t Judge Me in the question or details.

Everybody on Fluther is making some type of judgement, one way or another, based upon their own life experience. No one would be able to answer a question if they didn’t have some type of thought or feeling or pre-conceived knowlege about a subject. Otherwise, everyone’s answer would be “I don’t know.”

I try to help or answer where I can. If I can’t figure out what the asker is asking, I usually say so.

@Pied_Pfeffer said it better.

But I usually scroll and read the details. I don’t read all details if it’s to early in the morning or to late in the night.

Practically as a rule, I avoid relationship questions that open with a Great Wall-O-Text.

@Nullo I think I’m one of the few people who actually enjoy reading those walls of text. Well maybe enjoy is not the correct term. I guess I read them because I know that a lot of people (especially two of my close friends) simply cannot say anything without adding all of the minute details (some of which can be crucial to the situation). And other people, many young people, simply cannot say what they need to say in a paired down or succint manner. But they usually do have some sort of relationship problem, or health related problem so I try to get through them. If the spelling or grammar is horrendous, sometimes it tries my patience.

Sometimes I just take a deep breath and dive in, othertimes I’ll read part of the question and then revisit it the next day, when I’m feeling a little more spry.

Yes, it does sometimes.

First off, regarding walls of text, depending on what the conversation is I will read them, but I usually skim over them. As for the original question, If a question is badly written, to the point that it looks like something from yahoo answers, then I will totally ignore it. If it’s a tad confusing I will say why, and if it could be two scenarios I will answer both.

Nah. Unless it’s obviously spam or something like that, I have no real guidelines to go by when I decide to answer something.

Yes. Poor wording is often a deterrent, though other times I’m the person asking for clarification.
Another big deterrent is when it’s a political question, and the wording comes off as more of a rant than a question. Then I feel like even if I disagree, they’re just going to yell at me and make me out to be one of “those horrible people” they were ranting about in the first place. I don’t mind people having opinions on the matter when they ask the question, but if they can’t keep them out of the details and wait a couple posts so as to create a safe environment for everyone, I don’t feel particularly obliged to answer their question.

The wall of text I’ll skim. If it’s a relationship question, I usually avoid it either way; there’s just only so many times I can answer “Look, I can’t read your partner’s mind any more than you can, so go ask them. Communication is healthy” before getting rather mean. But if it seems pertinent to the question, and necessary, then I’ll skim thoroughly, and probably answer.

If I can understand what they’re asking and I’m interested in the topic, I usually answer. I’m a sucker for relationship questions.