Timeline for Can we avoid using the term "Closed" for marginal questions?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
13 events
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| Feb 29, 2012 at 5:09 | comment | added | Ziv | Thanks. I looked around afterwards and saw some similar proposals; it's not just a matter of the phrasing. A very popular proposal was declined. I might be able to make a case applying specifically to 2.0 sites in Beta. Thanks for responding though :) | |
| Feb 29, 2012 at 2:26 | comment | added | Cody Gray | @Ziv: posting an answer with a suggestion of your own is a good way to bump the question up and attract some attention. Additionally, you might consider offering a bounty on this question to attract even more attention. You're right, I'm personally not going to do anything more with your comment than read it. :-) | |
| Feb 28, 2012 at 22:20 | comment | added | Ziv | "Locked for improvement." "Revision requested." "Pending." I don't think a comment on an old question is gonna get much attention, but finding a formulation which makes clear the closing is reversible and dependent on improvement is not difficult, and it'd be a HUGE improvement. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 6:00 | comment | added | Mark Ransom | @Cody, I'm afraid I haven't thought deeply enough about this to have a good alternative wording. I just know that certain words have a loaded emotional impact, and for a good portion of the population "closed" is going to be among them - in this respect I must agree with the OP and disagree with you that the word itself is important. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 5:43 | comment | added | Cody Gray | @MarkRansom: I'm still not sure that I agree with you about this, probably because I tend not to assign connotations to words beyond their actual denotative meanings. But regardless, do you really think that "frozen" or "suspended" avoids this negative connotation and prevents the user from assuming a defensive posture? It still seems to me that the problem is not merely one of word choice, but rather one that stems from a lack of understanding. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 5:40 | comment | added | Mark Ransom | @HedgeMage, I consider it more in the context of "case closed" which means it's never going to get reopened. Even if there's a comment, the initial reaction is going to be to the word "closed" which will automatically generate a defensive posture. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 5:36 | comment | added | HedgeMage Mod | @MarkRansom I disagree: we close doors, drawers, files, books, etc. every day with the intention of re-opening them. Unless it's a very new user AND there was no explanatory comment, I'm not sure how that can be misunderstood. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 5:30 | comment | added | Mark Ransom | @Cody, [closed] carries the connotation that the question is never going to be answered, whether that is true or not. You never get a second chance to create a first impression. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 5:08 | history | edited | Cody Gray | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
picking the right words is hard, coherent writing is even harder
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| Jul 12, 2011 at 5:04 | comment | added | Cody Gray | @Neil: I'm sorry, I just don't see the word "closed" as a slap in the face. I don't think we're all that elitist around here, but maybe I am personally and that's why I don't see it. But even if the word "closed" is a slap in the face, I honestly don't understand why "frozen" or "suspended" would have any different connotation. The point still lies in explaining to the new users that they can edit and reformulate their question in order to comply with our standards, and thus get it re-opened. You always have to follow the rules when joining a new community. That's not necessarily elitist. | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 4:59 | history | edited | Cody Gray | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 1289 characters in body
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| Jul 12, 2011 at 4:55 | comment | added | Goodbye Stack Exchange | This is almost always about questions that have been closed with guidance for improvement. That "closed" in the title is like a slap in the face. It's hard to see that when you've been hanging around with us elitist bastards for any length of time. :) | |
| Jul 12, 2011 at 4:50 | history | answered | Cody Gray | CC BY-SA 3.0 |