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Another site, Code Golf Stack Exchange, says it's frowned upon to post a question and then your answer, and they said it's best to post it after a few days. Does this site have the same "rule"?

Or is it allowed to just post a question and answer that was already drafted beforehand.

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  • Are you talking about instantly answering your own question? If so, why would you want to do that? Most 'rules' on this SE have less to with etiquette and more about preserving or safeguarding the usefulness of the site. May 15, 2022 at 11:45
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    There have been users in the past, and not too long ago either, who used two accounts to do what you are suggesting. One throwaway account to set up the question while the main account posts an answer. Don't fall into that trap, I don't care if Stack Exchange does say it's "legal" to have a dozen accounts as long as they do not interact with each other. The temptation to upvote oneself must be maddening, especially if you know your answer is right. I've seen a good handful of users who got suspended because of voting irregularities, which would also include serial downvoting and upvoting.
    – Mari-Lou A
    May 15, 2022 at 16:16
  • @Mari-LouA Just have to add.. The SE prohibition against sock accounts interacting includes answering, commenting, editing, etc. as well as voting. At least that's how I understood the policy. It's also incredibly dishonest.
    – ColleenV
    May 23, 2022 at 17:18
  • @ColleenV like I said, if the multiple accounts do not interact with each other it's allowed. But how do moderators know if these multiple accounts upvote a comment made by someone's main account? How do they know the two different accounts that downvote a answer do not belong to the same user? Four accounts on the same site, each with a different date of membership, each with a different username, and email address. Maybe two accounts have the association bonus... Me? I would prohibit multiple accounts, full stop. The sock puppets that do get discovered are the greedy and vengeful ones.
    – Mari-Lou A
    May 23, 2022 at 17:29
  • @Mari-LouA Detecting sock accounts someone is trying to hide is hard. It is easy (for mods) to detect interactions between accounts if you suspect someone is breaking the rules and know the same person is running both accounts. Not allowing upstanding users to have a "work" account and a "personal" account doesn't do anything to prevent bad behavior. Most users here really do respect and try to abide by the rules. Sometimes enthusiasm overwhelms their judgment though.
    – ColleenV
    May 23, 2022 at 17:36

3 Answers 3

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Code Golf is a rather unique site in the network (together with Puzzling) which isn't traditional Q&A, but rather ... puzzles. If you create a puzzle, it's ... strange ... to publish a/the solution straight away; the main point of a puzzle is to let others solve it, right?

On other sites in the network, there is no such rule and self-answers are encouraged. That said, typical questions here are asked by users learning English as a second language, while answers are given by native speakers or advanced English speakers. That makes it difficult (but not impossible) to create a question with the right level/tone and answer to it. We don't have that many Self-Learner badges for that reason, I guess.

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To add to Glorfindel's excellent answer, one situation where an immediate self-answer would be appropriate is where you had a question about learning English, couldn't find the answer on ELL, figured it out on your own, and now want to share your findings for the benefit of others.

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One Law.SE, the site on which I am most active, it is fairly common to post a question and a suggested answer together, so that they post at the same instant. I have done this quite a few times, and had both question and answer upvoted. It is a way to share knowledge via an SE site. On ELL I think that would be less common, since the typical learner is asking but not answering questions here. It could be used by a learner who was confused on a point, and then has found what seems to be a good answer.

It could also be done by a poster who notices a side issue that has come up in a question, or more particularly in several different questions, and wished to give a response to such an issue. Such a poster might put the question in the assumed voice of a hypothetical learner.

But if a poster has an answer to his or her own question ready, I see no reason to delay posting it.

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    But what happens if the answer posted by the user is actually wrong?
    – DialFrost
    May 16, 2022 at 0:07
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    @DialFrost One may downvote the answer, post a comment explaining how it is wrong, and/or supply a better answer, just as with any incorrect answer. May 16, 2022 at 0:56

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