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Possible Duplicate:
Should 'Hi', 'thanks,' taglines, and salutations be removed from posts?
Is it correct to edit question to remove verbose introduction?

I have been wondering whether I should remove "personal" introductions in questions such as this one:

I came from PHP and just started playing with Python (and I'm finding it VERY interesting so far), and have some basic questions.

That is the very first sentence.

I can see where the OP is coming from and that he feels it's important to give his perspective on the material he is learning.

However, this doesn't convey any useful information in the the summary, because it is completely consumed by this "noise".

Should I

  • remove such introductions entirely?
  • rework it into the questions further down to the end?
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8
  • In short: yes. For long version, see the duplicate question.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 13:18
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    @ShaWizDowArd. That's not a dupe. Hi and I'm new to Python are very different remarks serving very different functions.
    – TRiG
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 13:22
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    @TRiG this is still noise that is not relevant to the question itself. I don't care what is his background or how many children he has.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 13:29
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    (I had read both of these questions/answers beforehand in their entirety. I don't feel that they address what I wanted to ask about. The only thing that seems relevant to my question is if the preamble adds context to the question, then leave it alone. which goes opposite of what both linked questions propose as the official modus operandi)
    – phant0m
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 14:53
  • You're getting the same answers on both. If it's not a duplicate because you want it to fit some other narrative, that's not the same thing
    – random Mod
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 18:24
  • @phant0m. I agree that the case you're discussing here is qualitatively different to the purported "duplicates". This should be a separate question with a separate answer.
    – TRiG
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 20:39
  • meta.stackexchange.com/questions/131009/…
    – random Mod
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 22:27
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    Same answer on both? You mean, because the answers are similar, it's the same question? The second part I don't understand. I don't want it to fit a narrative, it's simply not the same situation. As for the newest link: I have seen that one as well and read through, but it did not address this situation. Maybe it would be appropriate to add these answers to that post instead. @TRiG: Thanks for understanding me.
    – phant0m
    Commented Aug 6, 2012 at 10:54

3 Answers 3

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If it does not contain any information necessary to answer the question, I would personally remove them. Just as salutations and thanks they are in essence noise.

Usually the question asked already provides a significant amount of information regarding experience level. So even adding that to a question is not strictly necessary.

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11

Yes, you should remove these from the question.

There are those that say that it provides context, and it does but not a context that helps refine the question in any way.

Take the following sample question:

I'm using X

I have the following problem Y

I've tried Z

If one was to add either:

  • I'm new to this technology

or

  • I've been developing in this technology most of my life

How does it change the actual problem in any way? It doesn't.

Because of that it is considered noise and should be removed. This will help refine the content and bring it one step closer to being the canonical question for that topic.

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  • "yes, thank you." as in: "Yes, thank you for removing it."?
    – phant0m
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 13:46
  • @phant0m it was a joke originally but I've given you a proper answer now
    – casperOne Mod
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 13:51
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I think it is valuable information to know someone's frame of reference. If you get that wrong, an answer can get way too simple or too complicated, dispite all good intentions answering.

Maybe reworking is a viable option as I agree the summary page only shows noise.

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  • In general, an answer posted should address future visitors as well, not just the asker. So the answer should be formulated in a way to where it can be understood by most people with the problem. Usually, this is normally covered with the "don't just post a link" rule and "provide examples" guideline. Still, sometimes it does help to know if someone is really new just so it's clear that they might need a little extra help.
    – jmort253
    Commented Aug 5, 2012 at 17:18
  • @jmort253 I absolutely agree with your last sentence. With one of my questions, I was very happy that someone was willing to 'go the extra mile' in explaining the simplest of things for many.
    – jippie
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 21:07

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