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I think I have an idea that just might work:

What we need is something like wiki.stackoverflow.com where all of those type of questions would go.

This would solve all of the complaint problems we have from people who don't like questions that get hundreds of answers.

The criterion for this new site would be:

Any question that doesn't fit the SO guidelines providing:

  • It is still programming related
  • The question cannot easily be answered or
  • The question is highly subjective

We could even implement polls and similar tools.

Just think - every time you see one of those annoying 'What feature do you...' questions. You can tag it [belongs-on-wiki]!

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

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Most of those questions that get hundreds of answers are an integral part of SO in my opinion - the fact that some people don't like them is no reason to abolish them.

I can see no gain in separating those questions to a Wiki area. But even if there are gains I just don't see right now, consider the enormous downsides:

  • Wiki questions would be outside SO's search function's scope

  • The Wiki would be a new site with rep points, signup, user list... What for?

  • A Wiki section would probably turn into a question dump or cemetery before long, because the majority of users is already active on SO, and will see little incentive in being active in the Wiki section - there is no reputation to gain, and activity will be much lower than on SO proper.

What improvement would a split bring that justifies these points, and the added technical and administrative cost of running a fifth site in the trilogy?

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  • I think there would be plenty of rep to gain because then we could allow points for those community wiki posts WITHOUT having it affect SO.
    – uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:02
  • @George okay, good point. But what actual improvement would a separate site bring?
    – Pekka
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:04
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    I have to disagree about the high scoring CW content being "integral". The thing that brings people to SOFU is solutions to (in domain) problems that are vexing them. Everything else is frosting: everyone wants some, but too much is cloying.
    – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:04
  • @dmckee: it is for those things that I am proposing this.
    – uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:05
  • @dmckee I see your point, as I see the OP's, but I really think that SO's question base is in good health. There are 500,000 questions; most of them deal with specific topics; a minuscule portion is CW content, programming related fun, and plain B.S. I think the percentages of those are nowhere near threatening the quality of SO's content in general.
    – Pekka
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:07
  • But there needs to be separation of the CW content so that rep can be awarded for them.
    – uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:10
  • @George Hmmmmm. Actually, I'm with you on that, but I think this needs to be solved inside SO.
    – Pekka
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:30
  • What do you suggest then?
    – uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:54
  • @George I don't know. I've actually been thinking about proposing that what I'm asking for here: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/39351/… be reinstated. It might be a step into that direction.
    – Pekka
    Mar 17, 2010 at 21:05
  • I wish someone would approve your idea... I like it.
    – uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
    Mar 17, 2010 at 21:18
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Meh.

Such a site would just be slashdot v2.0, only without a properly threaded interface.

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  • So? I think there would be enough interest in this to warrant its creation.
    – uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
    Mar 17, 2010 at 20:07
  • OK, can we have a "Belongs-on-Slashdot" closing reason? :)
    – DVK
    Mar 22, 2010 at 1:39

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