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I previously asked a question that got a lot of negative votes. I've read about rules on deleting posts, and it seems reasonable that I should delete my question since it is probably not useful to anyone and it will just be auto-deleted after 30 days anyway. Is there any reason to keep it around, or should I just go ahead and scrap it?

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If no one's answered it, go ahead.

That said, try not to make a habit of doing this: even if no one responded, folks still took the time to read and comment on it. Don't waste that. Learn from your mistake, and make your next question better.

Folks who repeatedly ask and delete poor questions may find themselves prevented from asking any more. Everyone makes mistakes - just try not to make the same mistake over and over again.

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    But think of the sweet, sweet rep points you'll gain from deletion!!
    – NoName
    Nov 3, 2017 at 21:43
  • I can't get you rep points back. So no sweet sweet rep points gained from your deletion :)
    – crg
    May 13, 2021 at 21:51
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I've been in such situation with an answer. I deleted it without a doubt and I guess this is how it is supposed to be. Have you ever been in a situation when you were looking for something with Google, and you got pointed to an awful question or an awful answer?

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If you understand why the question was wrong and what you need to do to ensure that it doesn't happen in the future then by all means delete the question. If you don't though, then it's probably best to take the time to communicate with the community (either through comments on that question, or through a post on meta) about what is wrong with the question and how it could be fixed. By not deleting the question you allow more people to give feedback and you allow others to edit the post.

Once you understand why it was deleted, and assuming there is no way of fixing it, then it's likely to be appropriate to delete the question.

If you don't understand why the question was downvoted then you're more likely to make the same mistake(s) in the future, forcing you to post another question that gets downvoted and deleted.

This applies to answers as well, although in the case of answers downvotes apply more to the technical accuracy of a post than the form of the post. If you don't understand why your answer is wrong (which is most likely why it's being downvoted) and just delete it anyway then you're passing up on a valuable learning opportunity.

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I've answered questions before my first cup of coffee and realized that they were so stupid they weren't even helpful. Sometimes downvoted questions and answers can help people to see what not to do. It's not fair to delete every such question or answer. OTOH, sometimes they are not really representative of what you would ask if you were really paying attention - you really do know better. I say go ahead and delete the latter type. If on the other hand the Q/A represents real ignorance let it stand and take the hit. As some teachers say you can't be the only one with this issue.

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