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I recently posted an "answer" to a self-asked and answered question with basically no votes. I was hoping to ask the poster a specific question about his code, but a moderator deleted it basically saying that it wasn't an answer and I should follow the rules.

This happened to me twice now, except the first time I wasn't deleted, just down-voted into oblivion. How am I supposed to ask questions and participate to earn reputation if I don't have any reputation to ask questions/participate within the guidelines? I came very close to 50 reputation points and then people went through and voted down my discussions with the OP.

This is almost akin to the "you can't get a job without experience" conundrum, and I feel an easy solution would be to lower the amount of reputation points required to comment on posts. It's ridiculous that this community is so hostile to someone who is only trying to contribute instead of just taking without giving back.

EDIT: Thanks, to whomever went through and voted up enough things to get me to 50 reputation points!

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    Try to actually answer and earn some reputation? This one can be improved if you explain why that code would solve the problem.
    – brasofilo
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:25
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    If you want to ask independant (if related) questions, ask a new question. Otherwise wait to get to 50 rep before asking clarifying comments. Note you can always comment on your own questions
    – Richard Tingle
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:25
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    I don't see anything "down-voted into oblivion" in your profile.
    – Bill the Lizard
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:26
  • You appear to be there; enjoy your commenting
    – Richard Tingle
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:28
  • a frustrated exaggeration @BilltheLizard, i was specifically referring to one of my first posts that has since, been deleted by mods
    – Matt Ferguson
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:36
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    Ah, I see. It was only downvoted once, and you get the points back after deletion, so that helped you out a little. It's a moot point now though, since you got to 50 rep. Have fun clarifying questions! :)
    – Bill the Lizard
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:38
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    I think (in addition to the anti bot effect) the reason for not allowing comments initially is to try to wean people off extended discussion that occurs with forums. Allowing comments at all is considered a necessary evil
    – Richard Tingle
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:42
  • "How am I supposed to ask questions if I don't have enough reputation to comment?" 0_o By asking and answering questions...
    – user164207
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:44
  • related: Allow anyone to comment but hide low-rep users' comments until reviewed
    – Tobias Kienzler
    Commented Aug 27, 2013 at 8:37

2 Answers 2

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Post actual answers instead of comments in the answer box. You'll gain the 50 reputation needed to comment anywhere in no time.

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    But sometimes one needs to ask a question (via comment) for clarification before being able to answer effectively.
    – Charles Caldwell
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:27
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    @CharlesCaldwell That's true, and in those cases the 50 rep requirement is annoying. However, 50 rep is extremely easy to get, and the requirement saves us from a ton of spam (comments aren't peer reviewed as questions and answers are). I'd say it's worth the hassle.
    – yannis
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:29
  • exactly that, yes @CharlesCaldwell. My first time answering i was trying to clarify something and people just voted me down so i was even further away from the reputation needed... it's just not constructive, imo.
    – Matt Ferguson
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:30
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    @CharlesCaldwell True, but there are over a million other questions to answer on Stack Overflow. The first 50 rep can come from answering clearer questions (or asking them).
    – Bill the Lizard
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:31
  • @Yannis 'Tis true that it is easy to get 50 rep. Frankly, I don't even remember not being able to comment. It wasn't until later that I noticed the limitation. And yes, it is worth the hassle to frustrate a few new users to fight off the onslaught of spam.
    – Charles Caldwell
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:33
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    @MattFerguson It is frustrating to not be able to comment and I do completely understand your plight. However, I think there are a consent influx of clear and precise questions that don't need clarification that one can answer and gain 50 rep. That's how I got my first 50. Just remember to give equally clear and precise answers and even a late answer will be up voted.
    – Charles Caldwell
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:38
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    agreed, thanks for being polite about it, @CharlesCaldwell
    – Matt Ferguson
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 13:43
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I was the one who deleted your answer here in response to a "not an answer" flag. I often leave the following comment to answers like this:

If you have a new question to ask, please do so as such. If you need to, you can refer to this question in your own. Because this was placed in an answer, no one will be able to respond to you and I'm going to need to remove this to keep things clean.

but forgot to in this case.

Stack Overflow is intentionally structured differently than the forums that most people are used to. The concept of one question followed only by answers is intended to address the common problem of having to dig through pages of responses to find valuable information in a forum thread. As such, follow-on questions don't work well at all when left as answers to questions on Stack Overflow.

In addition to the philosophical opposition to follow-on questions, there are technical issues in how people can respond to you when you ask a question in an answer. They only can comment on your "answer", and the normal voting system doesn't apply. This quickly turns into a mess, as we found out in many non-answers like this.

What you're asking in your follow-on could make for a good standalone question by itself. You could quote the code they used in your new question, referring back to their original question and answer, and explain some of the problems you're having in your case.

I see you left a comment about this, but a comment is only going to be visible to the answerer and anyone who stops by. A new standalone question could get good, fast answers from a variety of people. Also, they'd be able to provide code in their answers, which could be difficult to format right in a reply to your comment.

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  • thanks for the explanation, it feels better to know that mods aren't maliciously going around dropping the ban-hammer. I'll keep that in mind next time!
    – Matt Ferguson
    Commented Jul 12, 2013 at 17:17

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