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Many times I've found some questions that are just begging to be heavily edited or closed. Most of the time I just flag them for moderators to look at them.

Is there something else we (3000< users) can do? I know the tag is frowned upon, but sometimes the question is just begging for it.

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  • Voted to close as "Not a real question"
    – TJ L
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:20
  • But it is a real question. Just not a clear one.
    – Sampson
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:21
  • @tj111: this is meta. Maybe this is really a feature-request, but I wanted to see if other people had the same inquiry.
    – perbert
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:21
  • 1
    Clear is one of the prime question criteria so if it is egregiously unclear then it is not a real question.
    – EBGreen
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:22
  • I just think it's strange to suggest an unclear question is no question at all.
    – Sampson
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:23
  • 6
    That was a perfectly acceptable question.
    – devinb
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:26
  • I agree, especially considering the tags: Brevity != Apathy.
    – Sampson
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:28
  • Related: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/10078/… Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:32
  • 2
    Also related, but not as much (flag for cleanup): meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3068/spelling-and-grammar-flag
    – Welbog
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:35
  • 2
    "That was a perfectly acceptable question." Too strongly stated. It was (before Shog9 worked it over) a poorly constructed attempt at asking a decent question. If I knew the topic I'd have tried to answer it anyway, because it screams lost beginner, and everyone needs love at a time like that. But phew! Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 17:59

3 Answers 3

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Not really, just flag it. And downvote if it's really necessary. That being said, I disagree with your suggestion that "how do I do x" constitutes a "plz-send-me-the-codes" label.

For this particular question, you should take into consideration the tags: [jQuery] [CSS] Those, with the question "how do I make rounded corners" gives me the impression he is asking "How do I make rounded corners with jQuery and CSS?" Which is a pretty clear question.

We shouldn't equate brevity with apathy.

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  • 1
    Agreed, the question the OP refers to is just written badly, IMO.
    – Treb
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:23
  • Ok, may be I just jumped the shark, with this question. There are "plz-send-me-the-codes" questions here almost everyday.
    – perbert
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:27
  • I don't doubt that they exist, @voyager. But I rarely ever see them. And in all honesty, I don't see much harm in them. We all learn from code-examples. The OP may just want to copy/paste some code, but others like me come across code on SO and learn from it. Think of the big-picture ;)
    – Sampson
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:29
  • Ok, I'll click the [x] of that question's browser tab from now on. Its just that those questions remind me of some ex coworkers and I start to loose hair...
    – perbert
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:38
  • 1
    I don't equate brevity with apathy. I equate leaving out crucial details with apathy.
    – Shog9
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:42
  • @Shog9 - "jQuery, CSS, How do I made rounded corners." Sounds like the crucial details are all present IMHO.
    – Sampson
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 15:48
  • 1
    The problem for me wasn't the question itself, but the commnets left on the most upvoted answer that triggered my spider senses...
    – perbert
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 16:18
  • @Jonathan... read the title. He already has the code for doing what he wants, he just doesn't know how to make it work for some reason. That reason is the meat of the question, and he left it out. The first comment should have been, "what have you tried..."
    – Shog9
    Commented Aug 21, 2009 at 16:37
3

If you really, really want to get someone's attention, you should flag it. Either for moderator attention or as spam. >10k-arbitrary-numbered users can see spam flags, and I certainly consider true please-send-me-the-codes questions to be spam.

Otherwise just downvote it, leave a comment saying it should be closed as "not a real question" and move on.

1

You are free to express your opinion of a question by any means made available to you. For a user below 2k that generally means voting and commenting. However, for particularly egregious behavior, you can flag posts for moderator attention. But essentially, there is nothing more you can at your current rep level than what you are currently doing.

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