A recently posted answer is really just spam with an answer to the question built around it. If you removed the link, the answer would be fine. But should we be editing these answers, or should we be treating them like any other type of spam?
Stack Overflow has discussed this before, and they are in favour of deleting them.
Should we be editing these questions, or deleting them?
I think these answers should be deleted, along with the user. They might provide an answer to the question, but they're still spam.
Although I think most of these types of users will just post the one answer and then move on, if they decide stick away and keep posting answers like this it becomes a lot of work to constantly edit out the spam. And, frankly, I don't think we should be. We're just allowing them to engage in behaviour prohibited by the site rules.
Additionally if these questions then receive up votes it could lead to these users receiving enough reputation to be able to leave comments, which are harder for users to deal with.
If the post "looks like" a real answer but the subject experts know it's not, I favor deletion (and deleting/suspending the user). Though kudos to the clever spammer I suppose :P
If it is a valid, accurate answer, we should:
Delete or suspend the user, so the problem stops.
Edit the post so that the useful content remains.
In place of #2 I would also be OK with creating a new post with the despammed content, although that seems like a relatively pointless diversion.
There's no reason to completely eliminate a useful answer. Doing so wouldn't be any better at ending the problem.
As I noted in the comments on Wipqozn's answer, I don't think either case is likely to occur very often at all. My concern is with the idea that deleting useful content is OK, since that extends to many more posts than just this class. If we as a community don't allow that then I am happy.
