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This question is generating some discussion on on-topic vs. off-topic for certain sorts of Facebook questions. In particular, there is an annotation at the top of this page:

Please ask technical questions at facebook.stackoverflow.com.

It seems to me this particular question has nothing to do with programming. But I admit the note on Facebook is confusing at best since "technical" is extremely broad. Is this question on-topic?

3 Answers 3

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Well, given that I'm the one conversing with the OP on that question (in a manner that I'm not particularly happy with, but I don't like revenge downvotes), it should be clear where I stand. Stack Overflow is a site about programming and software development. Ideally, we should be able to look at honest-to-goodness code. SO does accept questions about software tools, but generally disallows questions about managing hosted services like Facebook, MySpace, or your favorite web hosting site.

That Stack Exchange chose to team up with Facebook (for clearly truckloads of money) and take over their developer forums shouldn't alter this mission. The note on http://forum.developers.facebook.net/ is ambiguous, and, IMO, misleading. I would love to see it changed; it might reduce the number of non-programming-related Facebook questions we see here. Questions about Facebook application development should be handled here; questions about Facebook hosting changes and roadmaps should be handled by Facebook itself.

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But I admit the note on Facebook is confusing at best since "technical" is extremely broad.

Sure. If there's no context for it.

But there is context. That link appears on the top of the developer forums. And is followed by text contrasting "technical" with "general discussion", and pointing out another place for that.

So technical questions specific to Facebook developers are directed to Stack Overflow. That's still pretty broad I guess, but only because Facebook is becoming rather a broad platform for development, with quite a few different technologies involved in that.

It's still a heck of a stretch to think that questions on using Facebook would be included in that.

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I can not find words to tell. Go and look dictionary. What is the difference between technical and programming. Go and look.

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And i am going to report this to Facebook. I hope they reopen their forum because no support here.

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    Please do discuss this with Facebook. Stack Overflow's policies have been in place since before Facebook was linking here and they have not changed. Facebook is being unclear; it is their fault that you have been misled. If you are angry you should direct it at them, not at members here.
    – Jeremy
    Dec 21, 2011 at 23:43
  • Members are the one down-voted not Facebook. Dec 21, 2011 at 23:45
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    They are downvoting because the posts are not in agreement with Stack Overflow's policies. The quote your have posted is from Facebook and not an official or precise representation of those policies.
    – Jeremy
    Dec 21, 2011 at 23:46
  • Stackoverflow the main responsible one here. They have agreed to shut down facebook forum and migrated them here. If they did not make it , i wouldn't be asking here i would be asking there. So this is also stackoverflow responsibility. Apparently stackoverflow did not explain facebook well their policies. Dec 21, 2011 at 23:48
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    Stack Overflow has corrected this point several times and their description of the Facebook partnership has been clear from the beginning. Facebook has continued to confuse their users into thinking that Facebook.StackOverflow was meant as a complete replacement for their previous forums, but this was never intended or agreed upon.
    – Jeremy
    Dec 21, 2011 at 23:51
  • In that case they should have fixed that sentence. Now i got like 20 down-votes totally unfair. Dec 22, 2011 at 0:39
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    Note from the FAQ: We feel the best Stack Overflow questions have a bit of source code in them. Use that as your guidance when deciding where to ask questions. If your question includes source code, Stack Overflow is probably fine. If your question doesn't include source code (or doesn't even make sense to include source code) then ask the question of Facebook administration.
    – sarnold
    Dec 22, 2011 at 1:51
  • There is definitely no help at facebook and it is because of stackoverflow. I asked my question 3 of their help community and 0 answer. I could have asked their forum but it is closed because of stackoverflow yet i can not get any help here too. Dec 23, 2011 at 0:27

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