My question didn't get any comment or answer, so I'm just wondering:
- Is it an appropriate question for this site ?
- How might I improve it to make it more answerable ?
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2$\begingroup$ stats.stackexchange.com/faq#bounty $\endgroup$– whuber ModCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 14:18
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$\begingroup$ @whuber, he doesn't have enough rep to offer a bounty $\endgroup$– MacroCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:04
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$\begingroup$ @Macro That reference is to more than bounties: it is the part of our FAQ that addresses "What if I don’t get a good answer?". Among other things, it links to stats.stackexchange.com/questions/how-to-ask. It's worth a read! (2) Re your second comment (+1): in a nutshell, TL;DR. $\endgroup$– whuber ModCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:10
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1$\begingroup$ @whuber I have to be honest that your response makes me feel depressed. I don't know enough about statistics to really know if my question is good (as per the links you put) or not (is this site only for people who know a lot already ?) and I don't have enough reputation to offer a bounty (which I would gladly offer if I could). I feel a bit unwelcome now. $\endgroup$– Joe KingCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:22
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$\begingroup$ I'm sorry about that impression, Joe: it was unintended. I have reviewed your question several times and although it's a bit long and dense, it's quite clear and well written. The only advice I have right now--apart from the standard material I have referenced--is to be patient. A tough question usually doesn't get an instant answer. Good answers often require an overnight wait or even waiting through a weekend when expert readers may have more time to reply. $\endgroup$– whuber ModCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:27
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1$\begingroup$ @whuber thank you very much. I feel much better now. I am new to SE and I had the impression that questions that are not answered quickly (say within a day) tend not to be answered at all. I'm very happy to be patient and if I can accumulate some more reputation I will make a bounty... $\endgroup$– Joe KingCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:41
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$\begingroup$ @whuber as per Macro's answer I have edited the question significantly. $\endgroup$– Joe KingCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 18:11
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A few things I can see from looking at the question are
Yes, it does look on-topic for the website
it looks very long and dense - is there any way to get across your question without using so much space? I know the most popular questions and answers are clear and not overly verbose
if questions simply must be very long, it's most effective when they have the sections of the question/answer broken up into parts in an effective way. For an example, look at an answer by @whuber, which are often very long but are not off-putting because they are thoughtfully organized. For me personally, I tend to ignore questions or answers that are very long without a clear organizational structure - it's just too daunting when you have to focus just to try and organize, for yourself, what exactly is being asked. There may be great questions/answers hiding in such posts but I'll rarely find out unless the title/topic is very appealing to me, which leads me to another point -
your title is not very informative - I personally don't click on every question I see and I will almost never click on a question with an extremely vague title. Is there some other 1-line way of describing the problem that may draw people in?
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$\begingroup$ Thank you. I could cut the question down to a couple of short sentences for each part: how to partition variance in a logistic mixed model ? And how to compare residual variance over time in a mixed model ? I just fear that people might think I didn't put much effort into solving the problem myself (hence my original question, and the updates...). $\endgroup$– Joe KingCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:16
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$\begingroup$ Also, I thinking of a better title. Thanks again ! $\endgroup$– Joe KingCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:45
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$\begingroup$ No problem - I'm looking forward to it. The type of question you asked is within my (and some other posters I know of) area of expertise, so I do expect that a good answer will come forward. $\endgroup$– MacroCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 15:49
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$\begingroup$ OK, I have shortened the question, removing as much verbosity as I can. I hope it still makes sense ! ? I have also updated the title. Thanks ! $\endgroup$– Joe KingCommented Jun 8, 2012 at 18:11