What are your criteria for a Great Answer (GA)

Can’t explain it, but I know it when I see it.

Depends on the question.

I appreciate thoughtfulness, humor, open-mindedness, insight from experience, and good research when necessary.

I don’t appreciate long-windedness, poor writing, close-minded viewpoints, or intolerance.

Intelligent and informative.

Very witty.

If I ask a question I give a GA to everyone that responds with a pertinent and thoughtful answer, regardless of whether I agree with them or not. And yes, good humor/wit takes thought.

When answering a question I’ll read the other posts, and GA the ones that do the best job of making the point I intend(ed) to make. Also the ones that make a valid point I had not considered before. If a post makes me rethink my position, it’s a GA.

I am guilty of all sorts of GA’s as the mood fits me. In general, though, if the answer is genuinely good (as in it pertained to the topic at hand, used an appropriate level of humor, and isn’t written as a jab at someone) it will get my vote.

Some days I feel more generous than others.

What I won’t lurve are pointless jokes, insults, or “lurve fest” answers. Lurve fest being those “questions” that seem solely designed to pad everyone’s stats.

Most of the GAs I give fall into one or more of the following categories:

Accurate answer to an objective question
Nailed the answer. But only to the first person in the thread to provide it; I’m not going to GA people who come along later and say the same thing. Also, if it’s a pretty easy question and the accurate answer already has a few GAs, I’m not going to add more just because the answer’s right.

Lovely human being
Displayed grace, compassion, gratitude, forbearance, humility, patience…

Rhetorical skill
A point artfully made

Nice bit of prose
Good wordcraft

Went above and beyond
Did some impressive research, dug deep for an obscure fact, or otherwise really went out of their way.

Made me laugh
But not at someone else’s expense.

Social gesture
Sometimes a GA is just a little friendly nod to someone you’re engaging with on a thread.

Promising new user
I often GA decent comments from a new user just to encourage them to stick around.

Fairness
This is a GA meant to correct imbalances of lurve in a thread. You know, the perfectly good answers that haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve. It sucks to have given a good answer, and then watch as the lurve falls all around you.

@thorninmud And mine fall into all those categories so I guess I should get multiple lurves from you! :-)

^^^(Social gesture GA)

I’m with @thorninmud Excellent coverage of the myriad reasons.

I especially appreciate humor and also as a social gesture along with being informative, well written and witty. I’m easy, if your friendly and can play with me a little you’re in. haha

Most of the time I don’t use it because it’s irrelevant to me, I can agree strongly or laugh loudly at a post while hitting the lurve button never crosses my mind, until later.
Some people attach way too much importance to those, ultimately pointless numbers sitting aside our names.

All that @thorninmud said. I also give a GA to old timers that I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m so excited that they made an appearance that I want to let them know they are missed and lurved.

The word great in great answer would indicate something impressive, or highly appreciated.
I am often easily impressed.

Like @ibstubro, I give GAs to every answer to my questions unless they are too irrelevant.

And answers that get me thinking or teach me something new definitely have GAs.

For me a GA is one that resonates with me either on an emotional level or an experiential one.

Sometimes I’ll give it as a thank you to everyone who answers my question that I asked.

Sometimes I’ll give it if someone either seems to have put a lot of time into their answer, by researching or providing links. Sometimes it’s because the poster makes a point that I would have made, or that I agree with. Sometimes I give it as a “vote” to back up something someone writes. Sometimes someone will write something really witty, so I give it then.

Only one question: Have they pledged their eternal soul to Satan? If the answer is yes, then it is an instant GA.