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Comments on Etiquette for posting comments
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Etiquette for posting comments
This question featured a quite heated discussion in the comments which led to some of them being removed. This action was discussed here and I have realized that our community lacks a guide about posting comments.
I would like for us to build together a list of topics we can include and avoid respectively, in the comments. These lists should stem from our Code of Conduct.
Can include
- requesting clarifications for the author. Examples: "what was the output of line X?", "can you include the stack trace?", "can you provide a reference for the second paragraph?"
- constructive criticism. Example: "why is foo() called twice?"
- +1 or thank you notes, if they also provide a little bit of information. Example: +1. This also worked with version X of the framework Y.
Should be avoided
- +1 or -1 with no explanation
- snarky comments. Example: "Codidact is not your personal assistant"
- references to overall author activity in the community. If you feel a user's activity is an issue, please use flagging instead of comments.
- providing full answers in the comments (they should be added as answers)
- secondary discussions or debates on controversial points (please ask a question on meta).
SO loosely used as a reference
Please provide your suggestions about what is OK and not OK to include in the comments.
Once we have reached a fairly stable answer for this, I will include it in the help topics and use it as a reference for moderation.
Regarding "snark" - it is very hard and subjective to define. Our overall code of conduct says "be nice", but where do y …
3y ago
Proposal: > Can Include > Helpful feedback I'd refrain from restricting the topic of feedback, because there ar …
3y ago
> Should be avoided > > secondary discussions or debates on controversial points (please ask a question on meta). …
3y ago
Proposal: > Can Include > A link to a chat room related to the question or answer. Even if tangentially. I've al …
3y ago
Before posting this on the help pages, I will compile the feedback in a separate answer. Generally speaking, comments …
3y ago
Post
Proposal:
Can Include
- A link to a chat room related to the question or answer. Even if tangentially.
I've always found SO to be too dry. Sure, pleasantries are as helpful in a question or answer as finding them in each page of an encyclopedia.
But some times you find someone with a common interest. Maybe they have an e-mail in their profile, maybe you can meet them in chat. Maybe not and you have no way of indicating such mutual interest.
Would allowing a single link in a comment to a discord chat room indicating the wish for further exchanges be too disruptive? Meaning that if someone has posted a link then nobody can post any further link, a meeting place already exists. If this is allowed and actually used it might become later a feature integrated in the site, with a button for auto-creation of chat rooms by normal users. They'd be an opportunity to help building community rather than the purgatory that is formed with "comments are not for lengthly discussions, moved to (soon to be frozen) chat room".
I am not very proficient with Discord, so I don't know if the chat room creator becomes the moderator and that might cause "first dibs" issues. This might need to be further fleshed out.
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