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Suppose there is an answer that has votes, but it was not marked as the answer. And from what I understand of the question, it is missing like a "second part".

What would be better?

  • Edit the question and add that second unrelated part?

  • Or create a new answer? Basically I would have the first part duplicated, which feels wrong.

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1  
Good question. This is one of the things in SO where I really am not sure what is the good thing to do. – Mark Garcia Mar 21 '13 at 6:15
up vote 8 down vote accepted

It depends. You can:

  • Create a new answer. Reference the existing one. "Expanding on Bob's answer, you should also remember to frib the noodle after sending at least three trilobytes."
  • Copy the existing answer into yours, but make it clear where the earlier content came from. Blockquote formatting (with a referencing header or footer: "copied from Bob's answer") helps here.
  • Is a part of the original answer actually missing - is it incomplete, as opposed to just imperfect? You can leave a comment on it, requesting expansion. If they don't respond, then try one of the above.

Be very careful before editing another user's answers. You should stay away from large changes that might change the meaning of the answer. And since you don't yet have 2k reputation on Stack Overflow, you'll be suggesting an edit, rather than editing directly - suggested edits making substantive changes are often rejected.

Good on you for wanting to fix things up!

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1  
Well the answer was Like part A and for me it was missing a second part, not related. – Dzyann Mar 21 '13 at 2:46
1  
Well I see that the general consensus is that is better to create a new answer following your suggestions. Thanks! I still feel a bit bad I get your point about editing someone else's answer. – Dzyann Mar 21 '13 at 17:01

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