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

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 that, and you’ll see the time stamp.

If I feel like I have something to add, I’ll answer questions that already have hundreds of replies. Even if they’re years-old! Breathing new life into old questions is kind of fun. As an asker, I wouldn’t mind a bit.

Crazy! I never knew that – thanks, @augustlan!

Answer the question for your own amusement; with no expectation of reaching the OP. Perhaps no one will ever read your answer. Perhaps someone will come reading along later, and see your answer. Perhaps the OP is still following. Perhaps other folks who answered are still following. You never know.

Someone may read your answer. Several someones may. No one may. You have to be zen about it, I think. I am, anyway. Zen and the art of answering questions. You do it because it’s there, and you want to learn what the question had to teach you. If others benefit from it, that’s great, but the real joy is in exercising your mind.

You’ll notice that I take that notion seriously. I use questions to make my mind go in new directions. To expand it. To have fun. A lot of the stuff I write probably seems pretty stupid to a lot of people as a result. In any case, I’m sure it doesn’t seem like I generally take the conventional path. That’s because I am stupid. I don’t know much. But I use the question to guide my thinking and I do that for me. If anyone else gets something from it, I am deliriously happy, but even if that doesn’t happen, I’m good.

I love it when awesome people answer any of my questions, no matter how old the questions are or how many replies I’ve received. Having old questions answered is especially sweet because it gives me an opportunity to go back in time and see how much I’ve changed and how far I’ve come since then. Maybe others are different.

@augustlan Wow! I am glad you posted that information. I wasn’t aware of that, either. I’ve wondered why there were no dates on answers, but it looks like this place has some buried treasures that can jump out and prove people wrong when they least expect it. That’s neat. :)

It may be the original answers did not meet the poster’s needs and you provide a different perspective. Also, it may not be the poster who reads it. Posters from a long time ago may no longer visit Fluther, but the question could still be followed by continuing members. Long forgotten questions often pop up for me as “Activity for You” and I enjoy reading the answers even if I didn’t ask the original question.

I look at and consider answers to questions whenever I get them.

I answer a question with a lot of answers if I feel I have something to say that has not already been said.

There’s an interesting pattern, I think, to whether your answer will get read or not. (Content aside.)

If you answer a question first, many people will read it. If you answer a question 5th, 6th or 7th (ish) and it’s not a busy time on fluther, once the answers have surpassed 10 or more and fluther has become busy again, not many people will necessarily read your answer. They seem to more likely read the last 5 or so. If it’s a busy time, and a question in its prime, then more people will see your answer as you post it.

If you answer an “old” question though, say a week old at least, your answer may get more reads than if you had answered it at its peak. Your answer reminds people of a good question, and they read it afresh.

The length of your answer also seems to have an effect on whether it will get read. There are a couple of jellies who consistenly write longer answers, and they are well respected, so people will put the effort into reading their answers. Conversely, a newer member, or rather a member with a lower lurve score, may leave longer answers that some jellies may not wish to invest the time in reading – their stripes have not been earnt yet. (Lets face it, we’re all busy!)

It’s interesting… but if your answer is read by and may help even one person, or if by answering it has helped you in any way, then it is worth doing (be it short or long!). This site is made up of you and me and everyone else who contributes.

Lol, and here I go again writing a long answer before my time! ;-) ~

I’m still getting answers to questions I asked 4 years ago and I still look in on old questions I answered that other people have since answered.

As long as it adds something to the conversation, whether it’s helpful or just funny, then I don’t think the asker would mind at all. At least I wouldn’t!

You can also PM the asker of the Question, just to check in to see if they solved their problem, and then give them your answer in a PM.

Example: Hi @Questioner, I wasn’t sure if you got that thingee figured out, since I was so late to the conversation. If you haven’t, you might want to try X, Y or Z. Let me know what you think?

I second @wundayatta‘s recommendation. My favorite lurves hey, I like them all, but I do like some better than others are the ones that I occasionally notice from readers seeing them weeks, months, and even years later and clicking the GA link. I love ‘em. I also like to answer questions from months or years gone by as the “recommended question” link shows them to me.

The OP (original poster) almost always “follows” his questions and will see new action on the thread. Whether he “cares” or not, well… I know I enjoy seeing comments even on several year old questions of mine. That’s why I posted them.

I hardly ever stop following questions and I love seeing old ones come back to life.

They wrote out a question to get answers. I answer questions from years ago, if I think the answer applies.

Personally, I lurve it when someone new answers one of my old questions.