<blockquote>
  <p>If a user asks an on-topic, answerable question, will that user get an answer?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Most likely yes (currently ~60% of all questions are answered).</p>

<p>The question graph is biased because the unanswered question series assumes these are 'on-topic and answerable questions' which they are not. There are thousands of questions among that total which are duplicate, unclear, off topic, too broad, etc (i.e. questions that should already be closed).</p>

<p>I think there could be a rank of actions to be taken which consequently would make the next action in the rank easier to achieve.</p>

<p><strong>1. Quickly/immediately closing questions is fundamental.</strong></p>

<p>Let's set up the asking quality bar at an average high level. Let's use the SE system to our favour, not have it as an obstacle. One of the greatest advantages of SE in comparison to other types of 'forums' is that we don't need to answer the same and same types of questions again and again.</p>

<p>We need more users with the <a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/close-questions">close vote privilege</a>. Moreover, +3k rep users should not defer to immediately close questions which are duplicates, off-topic, unclear, broad, opinion-based. Even if the question is 'clear' to you, but someone requested clarifications in comments, if you judge the request is valid, then also vote to close it. Help the person who is seeking information to answer the question.</p>

<p>Let the following do their job:</p>

<ul>
<li>close reason notice messages;</li>
<li>feedback in comments; </li>
<li>the <a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/tour">tour</a> and <a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/help">help center</a> pages; and </li>
<li><p>the many <a href="/questions/tagged/faq" class="post-tag moderator-tag" title="show questions tagged &#39;faq&#39;" rel="tag">faq</a> posts we have on Meta CV; <br>   </p>

<p>It is important we don't treat new users differently regarding this aspect. Everybody (who speaks English), if they want to, can improve their question with all the guidance currently available in the Stack Exchange network. A new [Ask Question Wizard] which will facilitate even more the task of asking is coming.</p>

<p>We don't need to be impolite to (new) users to carry on closing questions firmly. We need to give <strong>priority</strong> to build a high quality repository Q/A (which interests to coletivity) over the single user experience.<br></p></li>
</ul>

<p><strong>2. Vote.</strong> </p>

<p>Currently, we have <a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/search?q=is%3Aanswer+score%3A0">~23k answers</a> with zero score (most of them has zero votes). We don't need more specialists to vote on many of these. Let's vote for them!! </p>

<p>Compare how such types of answers increased from a previous related post: <a href="https://stats.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1940/criterion-for-unanswered-question-should-it-change/1941#1941">Criterion for &quot;Unanswered&quot; question - should it change?</a>.</p>

<p><strong>3. Help attract new answerers.</strong></p>

<p>Alright, I would then agree with <a href="https://stats.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5325/we-have-a-very-large-widening-gap-between-questions-and-answers-how-do-we-fix/5329#5329">Xavier</a> and <a href="https://stats.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5325/we-have-a-very-large-widening-gap-between-questions-and-answers-how-do-we-fix/5326#5326">Sycorax</a>.</p>

<hr>

<p>About advices (like the one below) to convert comments to answers and make them community wiki:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>If someone answers a question in a comment, copy the comment in to a community wiki answer. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Please, dO convert the comment into an answer, <strong>but do not make it community wiki</strong>. Give the proper <strong>credit</strong> to the commentator in the answer, but don't make it community wiki just because of that. Many reasons to do so:</p>

<ul>
<li>You are already doing the community a favour by answering the question. <strong>Answers should always be provided as answers</strong> (agree with this or not, it is how it works). If you take the time to expand an answer based on a comment (or even copy it from a comment), and that information is useful, you should share the credits for it. The community will benefit from more users having privileges which are based on reputation (voting, casting close/reopen privilege, accessing moderators tools, etc). Give the proper credit to the commentator in the answer, but do not make it CW.</li>
<li>If you make it CW you are inviting anyone to edit/own that answer as well. Not always this is wanted, because it might happen someone will add content you don't agree, and by making it CW it is more difficult to make your own point to prevail.</li>
<li>That is not how community wiki is supposed to work. <a href="https://stackoverflow.blog/2011/08/19/the-future-of-community-wiki/">It is not a quick fix</a>. </li>
</ul>

<p>I won't blame users who answer in comments (despite I don't encourage this). I've read some people arguing sometimes they don't have the time to write a full answer, so they make comments to help OP (fair point). In other situations, the answer is simple and people don't want to have in their answer history a simple answer (so, they just comment to help OP).</p>

<p>Because such users decided to comment, instead of posting an answer they don't have the right to complain if someone else decides later to convert their comment into answers and earn reputation from it. If someone gets upset with this, the solution is very easy, post the comment as an answer next time or just don't comment. I doubt most users would be upset about this, though.</p>

<p>Remember that converting a comment to an answer is not a zero cost activity. You need to read everything, post and format the answer, and sometimes expand it. The casual reputation is deserved.</p>
