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Possible Duplicate:
Can users with less reputation be allowed to chat?

Is it possible to implement a feature so that people with less reputation can have access to higher reputation features by invitation?

For example, there is this guy I'm helping, he has 6 rep, so he can't use the chat, and the comments are getting longer and longer on the main page. The solution would be to use the chat feature, but he can't since his rep does not allow him to. So if only by invitation, it would be helpful to temporarily give him access to chat.

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    Very related: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/90969/… . There are a lot of similar questions linked on that one.
    – Mat
    Nov 27, 2011 at 8:50
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    Only for chat is liable - I don't want to see 1 rep users starting to close and delete questions because higher rep member gave the this ability.
    – Shadow Wizard Is Sad And Angry
    Nov 27, 2011 at 11:37
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    I made the question open enough, to make it extensible in case anything else is needed, so it could be easily added. Although for now chat is probably the only that makes sense the most, maybe there is a case scenario where passing others privileges might be sensible.
    – RedComet
    Nov 27, 2011 at 14:11
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    As a general rule I have to vote against this. As a specific chat-related suggestion, I'd have to vote to close it as a duplicate, but would be in favor of it.
    – tvanfosson
    Nov 27, 2011 at 16:06
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    The user can simply ask a nice question or answer a nice question to earn reputation so that they will be able to talk in chat rooms.
    – Gigili
    Nov 27, 2011 at 18:15
  • Telling people: I can help you ONLY after you EARNED enough points, seems hostile at best.
    – RedComet
    Nov 27, 2011 at 20:28
  • @RedComet: You need to instruct them to include those details in there question, or when it is a different problem they need to create a new question. Discussion in chat is not necessary, and only a result of a lack of detail in the question...
    – Tamara Wijsman
    Nov 27, 2011 at 20:32
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    @TomWijsman: The problem is that the devil is in the details, sometimes people have certain quirks on their problem, like perhaps their version of some library is the same as yours but compiled with different flags, their system might be 32 bit while you are 64, a shell script commands fails in the middle of execution and returns non zero so things get disrupted, etc. Sometimes is not as easy as question -> answer. We could just say RTFM and get over with it, but that is not nice...
    – RedComet
    Nov 27, 2011 at 21:07
  • @RedComet: All these are details that can be added to the question. This network is about learning, so pointing out how the user can use the manual to get to a solution to his problem is a completely valid answer. Giving the solution outright is being too nice, it just solves the work rather than teaching him how to solve his work. I'd choose to go for that quality, so we can learn to be better programmers...
    – Tamara Wijsman
    Nov 27, 2011 at 22:28
  • Well, true at certain intermediate level. With beginners is like saying "house wood 2 floors build: here is the book, now get out of my face". People at less than 20 rep are obviosly just starting and are over eager
    – RedComet
    Nov 27, 2011 at 23:05

1 Answer 1

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Only 20 reputation is required to be able to talk in the chat.

In the case were there are no downvotes, it only takes one of these combinations:

  • Two answer upvotes
  • Four question upvotes.
  • One answer upvote and two question upvotes.
  • One accepted answer and any kind of upvote.
  • Winning a bounty.

If you vote the question of the user up, you limit this further; it only taken one of these combinations:

  • One answer upvote and one question upvote.
  • Three question upvotes.
  • One accepted answer.
  • Winning a bounty.

It's not really hard to get these votes, hence it is really not necessary to get temporary privileges.

To further outline this, comments should be replicated into both the answer and question when more details about the problem arise, and new problems should be put in another question. That way the comment thread can be cleaned by a simple flag and everyone can help to solve the problem. Personally helping the user outside the Q&A system hides useful information away from other readers...

Discussion in a chat is merely the result of a lack of detail in the question. Users need to update their questions to outline further details that were the result of answers, so that the question actually develops in the Q&A itself than in hidden away in the comments or on the chat. It benefits everyone...

Quality > Quantity.

Will there be an "invitation per SO question" feature for the chat? comes close as to another solution to your problem, where no privileges to the chat are given but only to a chat that's related to the question. It is and I see your question as a duplicate of that feature request...

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