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Search options not deleted user 22047

This tag is for general questions about questions that have been closed because they are off-topic or otherwise do not meet the criteria defined in the FAQ.

6 votes

How can we encourage new users to edit their closed posts?

I guess, or hope, we all agree that it is better to be nice not nasty and that we want users to feel welcome rather than the opposite. Existing policy already allows detailed and friendly comment from …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
13 votes

Should we remove the "datasets" close reason from the list?

I like the idea of splitting. I don't know the exact history here, but it shouldn't determine the best set of reasons to use henceforth. The EITHER/OR structure of that reason has long seemed awkward …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
6 votes

What to do with a question which is a duplicate of a question on Math SE

This applies to examples of duplicates that are cross-postings by one individual. That is not the case with the original example, but quite often occurs. If I notice this I usually (should) refer th …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
24 votes
Accepted

What's the point of putting unclear questions on hold?

This is misleading in so far as it implies that closing is always and only done by a moderator. On the contrary, closing as unclear is often done by non-moderators without any moderator intervening. T …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
19 votes

How can we discourage downvoting when inappropriate?

EDIT: Here is a summary added also in reaction to various comments (some now deleted). Downvoting is not constructive (and not intended to be). It should, mostly, express a view that a post is not u …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
17 votes

Top $k$ List of Reasons to Close a Question Immediately

How do I interpret this output? This kind of question consists of copying and pasting some output from your software and then asking us how to interpret the output. (In really bad cases, the output i …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
16 votes

Top $k$ List of Reasons to Close a Question Immediately

Can anybody help me? The kind of question here often starts "I am an X working on Y" with perhaps a little more detail, and then ends with an open request for help. Why is this a bad question? Isn' …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
27 votes

Top $k$ List of Reasons to Close a Question Immediately

"I am working on my dissertation..." Why is this a negative point? It may seem entirely natural as a lead-in, but it's a bad start. We think statistically (what else did you expect?). A large fract …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
12 votes
Accepted

Does unanimity of reasons to close matter?

I agree that this is common. I don't find it especially troubling on the whole. If a question is unacceptable on any ground, it doesn't belong. If you throw something out, it is secondary why you do …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
16 votes

Are we closing questions too fast?

Some excellent and thoughtful comments in existing answers from long-standing members still leave a little scope for additional remarks, from the Dark Side if you will. Some respected colleagues her …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
15 votes

I think we need to talk about the SO/CV interface again

I often, but not always, vote to close many such questions. Why? There is no axiom that all questions have a place somewhere on SE. Questions on the routine use of some language don't belong here an …
Nick Cox's user avatar
  • 59.5k
11 votes

Are questions on statistical language valid and do we need statistical-language tag?

I've argued the other way in the thread cited, both by commenting against this point of view and by answering the question. But we can agree that questions such as these do seem to straddle a border …
Nick Cox's user avatar
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