I can select best answers for questions NOT asked by me!

[Lumia925]

Ok, from a while back, i have an option to select "best answer" for other people's questions in the forum.
Not just that, I also have another option to mark a "Solved" thread as "unsolved" and de-select the best answer.
No idea what clicking on one of those options will do, i never tried those yet, thinking it's an issue with the site.
Is this a temporary issue with the site? Or shall I feel free to select best answers for other people's questions? Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

Once you have been granted 5 Best Answers by other people (you currently have 5), you are given the superpower of being able to select BA's in others' threads.

Do not do this, unless it is a really old, abandoned thread, and it is obvious one way or the other.
Let the OP select the BA.

 

[Lumia925]

Thanks
Good to know

 

[ex_bubblehead]

As AirForce stated, once you achieve 5 best answers of your own you are given the power to choose best answers in threads other than your own.

However, with great power comes great responsibility.

The rules are quite simple:
1. If the thread originator has chosen an answer you leave it alone, period.
2. If you come across an obviously abandoned thread (2 or more months old) with no chosen answer you may choose one.
3. If you come across a thread with an answer that is obviously wrong, or a better one exists, you may change it, unless the answer was chosen by the thread originator, in which case you abide by rule #1.
4. You do not choose an answer in an active thread unless you are the thread originator.
5. Do not use multiple accounts to award best answers to one another. You risk being permanently banned for this.

The moderator team is quite adept at spotting and dealing with abuse of the BA system, so enjoy your new power, but be very careful with it.

 

[Lumia925]

Say there's this thread older than two months, and the person who started it solved it himself.
As the best answer is his own answer, he couldn't select it as best, and the thread's still open, without any new posts for 2 months.
Can I pick his solution as the best answer then? I did this today, and now I'm scared I should have asked first..
This was the first time i used my new superpower, was it okay?

 

[ex_bubblehead]

^
Falls under Rule #2 above.

 

[Lumia925]

Thanks