Should one answer one's own question?

Question

And if one does, is it bad form to then select one's own answer as the preferred one?

Here's the particular case I have in mind: http://ubuntu.stackexchange.com/questions/754/how-do-i-add-a-program-that-must-be-run-from-within-its-own-directory-to-the-pane

Answer 1

Every question should receive the best possible answer. For example, I asked this question and received this helpful but brief answer. When I figure it out, I'm going to answer my own question with a brief walkthrough, explaining the steps I took to sync the pictures, and accept my own answer. I think that if you can give a better answer than the ones you received, you should.

Answer 2

It is not the primary purpose to ask questions that one can answer themselves. At these beginning stages it may be done in order to create a proper SEO such that people find this site when looking for answers, but I don't think it is really necessary.

However, it might very well be, that someone ask a question they do not know the answer for. If after appropriate time nobody could give an answer, and the questioner has found a solution by themselves through further research, then it is ok to also share this answer, and appropriately to indicate the correct answer as the accepted answer.

This is particularly true if others have up voted this question which usually means that they would also like to see an answer for it.

Answer 3

And if one does, is it bad form to then select one's own answer as the preferred one?

Not bad form at all.

The way you choose the accepted answer is your own personal choice. You also don't need to choose any if you don't want to, and you can submit and choose your own answer if you want.

I would suggest only choosing your own answer as the accepted answer if none of the other answers have helped you with the problem, not even a little bit. But that is just my suggestion, and it is really up to you what you do.

The only exception to this is that you shouldn't use self-answers as a way of spamming this site :)

Edit: as others have pointed out, let's clarify something: answering your own question is for when you didn't know the answer at the start but you subsequently figure out an answer later. If you knew the answer all along, you probably shouldn't have asked the question. But then, opinions will vary on whether asking and answering it anyway will overall be a net benefit to the site.