(I strongly prefer to answer math questions in a public forum like Quora or StackExchange)

Though in this case iarwain1's questions aren't "the type that [...] can get answers by posting on Quora or even specialty forums", at least in their own judgement.

I am actively turned off by any attempt on their part to use flattery, and those are never tempting. It always sounds fake to me. (Also, some of them call me a professor on accident and that's annoying too.)

As another data point, I'm open to (mild, proportional) flattery but am also annoyed when people call me a professor by accident (it compels me to point out I'm not a professor, and demonstrates a lack of the cluefulness Lumifer refers to).