I appreciate Reg's insight on the appropriateness of his answer. I (usually) hate it when I ask a technical question and get 20 Questions from someone who would rather question my intents or knowledge than just answer the question.
But Reg makes clear why people might do this; most often they are probably trying to be helpful at a level above mere practicality. They care about the person asking the question, not just the question itself. They are involved because there's a community.
Healthy communities offer reciprocal benefits, which draws people in. If you remove that, what is left to motivate participation?
Some people get off on public displays of cleverness, but if people are given to feel they and their free contributions are simply fodder for someone else's business they are not likely to stick around.
Sites like Quora have to decide if losing the participation of someone of Reg's caliber is worth it to maintain some strict protocol.
But Reg makes clear why people might do this; most often they are probably trying to be helpful at a level above mere practicality. They care about the person asking the question, not just the question itself. They are involved because there's a community.
Healthy communities offer reciprocal benefits, which draws people in. If you remove that, what is left to motivate participation?
Some people get off on public displays of cleverness, but if people are given to feel they and their free contributions are simply fodder for someone else's business they are not likely to stick around.
Sites like Quora have to decide if losing the participation of someone of Reg's caliber is worth it to maintain some strict protocol.