July 27, 2012 at 6:26 am
Is the answer different if you use QOTD mobile?
July 27, 2012 at 6:33 am
"your answer will never be wrong if you read the related subject first" is not my experience!
I might miss out on gaining a point getting it wrong but I never feel like I've lost since I learn something new!
July 27, 2012 at 6:38 am
Frankly I am quite disappointed with this "correct" answer. While I agree many people might use Books OnLine or experiment in SSMS before answering, that minimizes the value of the points used by this site to define each member's "expertise". Maybe I am an idealist who should be looking for another site for insights and sharing my experiences.
It is somewhat like the forum responder who says "I haven't tried this but..." If you haven't tried something you might not be qualified to answer.
July 27, 2012 at 6:41 am
D.Oc (7/27/2012)
in my case it should go like this:"This is an opportunity to learn new/different thing and your answer will never be wrong if you Google it and read the related subject first."
+1
Actually, I think all the answers are correct from time to time. While I picked the "correct" answer, I really don't think the nearly 25% that selected "judge your skills" are wrong - when I see a question that I think I know from experience, I don't look up the topic because I'd like to see if I am right. If I'm wrong I research it, if I'm right I feel kinda good about myself.
And if I don't have a freaking clue, I Google it. Just like the rest of the world does 😉
July 27, 2012 at 6:42 am
Well the editors certainly like this question based on the 5 points. Based on what I've seen here over the years, I have to say the "correct" answer is anything but correct. People have been sharing here on a regular basis that they read the subject and still got the answer wrong. Sometimes because of an oversight on their part or sometimes because the author designated an incorrect answer as correct. Sound familiar? :Whistling:
"... your answer will never be wrong if you read the related subject first." This has hardly been the case here over the years.
I got the question right so this is not sour grapes, just an honest observation.
Thanks to the author for making the effort!
July 27, 2012 at 6:43 am
If you didn't get the question correct simply post 5 comments in the discussion 🙂
July 27, 2012 at 6:59 am
Thanks for posting this question. I would consider it a more subjective question since it could be used to judge your skills, a best guess taken and then read related material, or read related material and then answer the question. However, it still gets the point across that the QotD isn't for getting points or belittling others.
Personally, if I may or may not read material first depending on the question and how much time I have to read up on it. iBar, out of curiosity, why didn't you consider judging skill the right answer?
July 27, 2012 at 7:03 am
There have been many interesting posts and I will have to agree everyone has a valid opinion (by definition). I must be in the minority since I consider the QOD to be a test of my knowledge and suggestions regarding what I should learn. My comments are not sour grapes, just my personal opinion. I typically won't answer a question unless I have some idea of the subject. If I don't have a clue I might Google it, but that is for my education, not to answer the question and just to get points. That is about as useful as waiting for the next daily email and going back to answer yesterday's question. I am also too busy with work and life to sit on the web site and contstantly post comments just to have a higher user level.
Again, just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own.
July 27, 2012 at 7:06 am
iBar
And as per moderator understanding and the points assigned to this question by SSC clearly means that this really worth it and this is what they also understand from their SSC QOTD discussion experience.
Have you ever read this posting by Steve Jones?
Inside The Question of the Day By Steve Jones, 2008/04/08
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SQLServerCentral/62764/
Here are a few quotes from the article. Part bolded by myself
The Question of the Day is just what it's titled: a daily question about some aspect of databases or SQL Server. It's designed to be a learning mechanism with a bit of fun and competition built into it.
There are times I am moving through things quickly and something will slip through.
We don't try to trick you, but there are questions that have wrong answers.
As side notes:
a. I guessed what you thought the correct answer would be and in that regard I guessed correctly. Did I learn anything .. to be blunt not really.
b. As of today I have had accepted and either published or scheduled to be published a total of 72 QODs. Each of which I attempted to aim to allow people to judge their skills, to illustrate those areas in which they would benefit in learning more.
July 27, 2012 at 7:13 am
KarenM (7/27/2012)
"your answer will never be wrong if you read the related subject first" is not my experience!I might miss out on gaining a point getting it wrong but I never feel like I've lost since I learn something new!
+ 1
I couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes they're easy and fall under subject matter that I know and sometimes it's things I've never even used. I don't feel as though I'm truly ever "wrong" (although it does suck not getting point(s)), but I can learn something and dig deeper into the subject matter. I've learned a few things from QotD that I use to this very day.
QotD for me is usually like a morning cup of coffee. Check the articles. Check the forums and then check the QotD. It gets me thinking in the early morning hours and helps to get the brain juices flowing to start my day. It's just that extra bump to get me motivated to do good things today. 😀
July 27, 2012 at 7:16 am
If the given 'correct' answer is actually correct (and emphatically so given that it's 5 points) then I'll have to stop answering the QotDs since my motivation is clearly wrong.
July 27, 2012 at 7:17 am
Good, back-to-basics question.
😀
July 27, 2012 at 7:18 am
There are five possible answers to this "question".
Answer 1 "This is a way to judge your skills." This definitely could be correct...for me it is.
Answer 2 "This is a way to tease..." This could also be correct for some who have a bullying mentality...for me it is not correct.
Answer 3 " This is an easy and quick way to earn points..." This could possibly be correct but since only the top few are listed by name it seems unlikely for most...for me it is not correct.
Answer 4 "This is an opportunity to guess..." This seems okay at first but then it ends with "If wrong ONLY then you will read..." Sometimes that might be the case and sometimes not. This answer therefore can not be correct due to the absolute.
Answer 5 "This is an opportunity to learn..." Again this seems okay at first but then it ends with "...your answer will NEVER be wrong if you read the related subject first." That is definitely not the case as can be seen from the numerous record setting discussions about many different questions.
This means that Answer 1 has to be the correct answer.
July 27, 2012 at 7:21 am
Toreador - just answer them for your own benefit and consider some are incorrect (unfortunately), some are silly (like holidays), and occassionaly some are useless.
Ok, maybe now I have vented enough on this subject.
July 27, 2012 at 7:22 am
And with that said: QotD is a learning tool for me, for the most part. I take any question* as a chance for me to do some research and try and learn something new.
While I'm here; thanks to everyone that submits a QotD 🙂
* Not all questions though. Some are too convoluted for me to spend the time on them. But that's the great thing about QotD; if one day a question is no good for you, you only have to wait until the morrow for another one.
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