I recently asked this question and got an answer shortly after.
In its first version, the answer didn’t satisfy me at all and was in fact a good exemplar of an answer that hardly is an answer at all: It stated something without giving background, explanation or references and didn’t address the interesting (main) part of my question. Well, I downvoted it and felt pretty sure about it. After a while, the answerer edited his answer to provide references. But then it turned out that he didn’t seem to answer my question at all: He tried to answer another question related to mine, which I linked for this reason. So I feel, he didn’t even get my question. Maybe he didn’t even read it thoroughly.
And I think it’s okay. After all, it was a helpful response, the reference to Duden also covers parts of my question. But it just is no answer to my question. In my opinion, it’s a good comment.
But why do people upvote it as an answer? Am I too picky here? Citing the priveleges descriptions for up-votes and down-votes:
- Whenever you encounter a question or answer that you feel is especially useful, vote it up!
- Use your downvotes whenever you encounter an egregiously sloppy, no-effort-expended post, or an answer that is clearly and perhaps dangerously incorrect.