How do you get people to recommend you on WikiAnswers?

Answer 1

The Only Real Way to Get Users to Recommend you

Some hints from our trusted contributors:

• Recommendations are given by any contributor to any other contributor, and they are generally given as a "reward" for a helpful answer, or as a way to tell other contributors that a given contributor posts answers that can be relied on. And you can only give one trust point to any single user.

  How do you get them? Good question: The best way to get them is to post really good answers to questions. And you increase your chances of getting a "Recommend" if you post to a really "good" or really "popular" question. (You may have noticed at the bottom of a question you can see [recommend question] there, which allows a contributor to "Recommend the Question" itself because it is such a good one.) If you answer those, you increase your chances of getting a recommendation.

  But there's a catch: A question that has received several "Recommends" is going to have an answer. And that answer represents the collective work of those who have posted to it before. Here's the thing. If what is up is correct and is essentially "complete" as an answer, any edit you make ('cause you came "late" to the question) will be only a minor edit. There is a box to the right of the editing window that says "Minor edit" beside it. It is against policy here to make a "minor change" to an answer without checking the "Minor edit" box.

  Let's explain by use of an example: A contributor comes to a question that has been answered correctly and completely. The contributor changes the spelling of one word and then fails to check the "Minor edit" box. That contributor then posts his work (that single spelling change). His name now appears as the "Last edited by" person. Yes, he edited the post, but his edit was not "substantial" in that he only made a spelling change. Unless he actually "put in a good portion of work" to add to an answer, he should check the "Minor edit" box. That way he doesn't "take credit" for an answer that he didn't contribute substantially to. Make sense?

  Try to pick "good" questions and be the first to answer them, and answer them in a correct and complete way to try to get a "Recommend." That's probably the best way to go about it. Oh, and the more questions you answer, the more likely you are to get a Recommend. Just don't post 1-word answers, but post a complete sentence that has correct spelling, punctuation, etc. Make sense? Why would you want to take credit for something you did not do? Fair play is important.

  Some people have the foolish notion that if they are very careful about what questions they answer and post superb answers, they end up with a high percentage of Recommends compared to their contributions. How silly is that? Someone with 100 answers and 30 Recommends is doing something right. Sure they are. But why don't they do more? They're "coasting" here. If they are any good, why haven't they answered 1,000 questions? Or 10,000? Some people have a lot of Recommends, and it may be because they post good answers. But it may also be true that it is because they post a lotof answers that they get more Recommends. It's a probability.

  A good attitude is important. Be here for the right reasons, and the Recommends will start to appear. And what happens is going to happen. If you are here for Recommends, go for it. But they won't fall out of the sky like snowflakes. Think about Recommends. What are they? How do I get them (and in a fair way)? Why do I want them? Why am I here? You may conclude that you are here for other reasons than just Recommends, and if you get some, fine, and if not, that's okay, too.

• Recommendations come when people see that you have made a valuable contribution. Normally, it is a result of reading a well-worded answer and recommending you. Answers that provide the right amount of information, correct grammar and spelling help attract votes.
• There is really only one way to get users to recommend you: Submit a great deal of good material. This means material that you have a reasonably good grasp of. Write answers clearly and in standard language.

  Offer clear and useful edits to material already written. Don't blank (erase) the material of others unless you are certain that it is wrong, or it is obviously a form of vandalism. You can always leave material that is doubtful for others to consider and to edit.

  Take "Last edit" of answers only when you have made what you consider a substantive improvement to the answer. Obviously, a substantive contribution will serve to answer the question or directly support the answer, and not just be an impressive filler. The fixing of spelling and grammar errors is considered minor editing.

  This isn't the kind of site where one actively campaigns to increase one's trust points. Submitting good material is the only way.