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So, let's say I ask a question about some actual issue. And I get answers, and maybe already accept one of them.

Then the situation gets resolved whatever way in reality.

How should I tell what happened?

  • Edit the question and add extra section telling what happened.
  • Add an answer telling what happened.
  • Add it as a comment, under the Q or the accepted A.
  • Don't bother, this is strictly a QA site.

"Add answer" is obvious choice if the resolution is clearly an answer too, but let's say the resolution does not bring in anything not already covered in existing answers, in this case. Let's say this resolution would be just "interesting to know" kind of extra content.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I've closed this as a duplicate. Does the linked question match yours? \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Sep 4, 2019 at 18:56
  • \$\begingroup\$ @V2Blast Yeah, seems to be the same question. \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 5, 2019 at 10:48
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Though I don't agree with the conclusion in the upvoted, accepted answer, which I read to be "If you telling what happened in your case is not suitable as an answer, it has no value as content here." \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 5, 2019 at 10:50
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ “I don’t like the answers to the other question,” is not an acceptable reason to post duplicates; please do not do that. If you disagree with the consensus in the other discussion, posting a new answer proposing alternative solutions, and allowing others to vote on whether or not they agree with you, is the correct way to handle things. Yes, if it is “not suitable as an answer,” then “it has no value,” but conversely, if it has value, it is suitable as an answer. Go ahead and make it one. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Sep 5, 2019 at 15:03
  • \$\begingroup\$ @KRyan It was not the reason to post this question. I had not found that question before posting. \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 6, 2019 at 6:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ @KRyan Also, I think every question stemming from real life situation would benefit from "this is how it went" story. It would add tremendous value to the question and to the site. Accepting an answer does not mean "I did this", and it is not supposed to mean "I did this". Comments are not for information of value. The actual story of what happened might differ from what the question is phrased to ask, or the answer might be too short to meet the quality threshold of the site, and in questions with a lot of answer, gets lost in the other actual answers. \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 6, 2019 at 6:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ @KRyan So it boils down to, whether you think having these stories of "what happened then" is of value in itself, or if only measure of value is, if it is a good answer or not, and it being a real story in the context of the question is no consideration. \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 6, 2019 at 6:44
  • \$\begingroup\$ I may write the above comments as an answer to the linked dupe later, let's see. \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 6, 2019 at 6:45
  • \$\begingroup\$ Also, of course adding the story as answer is the preferred option, if it would make a good answer (as is stated in this question). This is specifically about case where adding it as answer is dubious for one reason or another. \$\endgroup\$
    – WakiNadiVellir
    Sep 6, 2019 at 6:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ I look forward to that answer, but I think my response is likely to be “no, that should still be an answer.” In the linked question, what happened was that the gaming group feel apart and the issue’s resolution became moot—and as I said the, that is still an answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Sep 6, 2019 at 12:46

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Edit an update onto the end of your question to let viewers know how it went

In cases like these I think it's acceptable to add edit an addendum onto your original question that describes which approach you used and how it went, if it's based on suggestions you received as answers rather than an independent solution you could post as an answer itself. Comments are also acceptable, but by nature less permanent and subject to a more restrictive character limit, if you wanted to provide any detail. You should make sure you keep the after-the-fact update a distinctly separate section from the original question though, so as not to make for confusing reading later.

However you do it, the information on what you ended up doing and how that went is useful for anyone with a similar problem who finds the question later, and of course it always nice for answerers to know when they've helped!

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    \$\begingroup\$ No no no no please do not do this, please do not ever do this. \$\endgroup\$
    – KRyan
    Sep 5, 2019 at 15:02
  • \$\begingroup\$ To clarify, KRyan expands on their reasoning in their answer to the original question this one is a duplicate of: "Assuming that this update is offering something new and useful, “how I did it” is an answer. That is, quite frequently, exactly the sort of answer we expect from everyone else who answers the question. [...] If the recap is not providing anything new or useful—say, the user just went with one of the answers—then I think a comment on the question is the most appropriate place for it, if it appears at all". \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Sep 6, 2019 at 4:24

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