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I was posting a question about enhancing Python os.walk and the built-in censor didn't like my title "python enhanced os.walk" with a box saying something about using proper grammar.

However, "sources for python enhanced os.walk" made it through. What's the difference?

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    possible duplicate of Should questions include "tags" in their titles?
    – Travis J
    Dec 16, 2013 at 15:26
  • 4
    Make your title be a complete sentence; specifically, a question. As it is, your title is not a complete sentence, nor is it a question. What is your question?
    – Servy
    Dec 16, 2013 at 15:29
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    Like this title here! "Help please" is not descriptive nor helpful ;)
    – brasofilo
    Dec 16, 2013 at 15:44
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    If you got a box telling you to use proper grammar, why didn't you try using proper grammar? Yes, you managed to get around the filter, but why not do things properly? The filter's there for a reason.
    – TRiG
    Dec 16, 2013 at 16:15
  • So titles must include a verb?
    – RFlack
    Dec 16, 2013 at 20:26
  • Could someone please give me the link to the help page that specifies correct grammar. I have not been able to find it.
    – RFlack
    Dec 17, 2013 at 4:55

2 Answers 2

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The reason you hit that automated messaged is a result of the consensus for titles being that they should not start with tag names.

Note that the system automatically prefixes the title with the most common tag (unless it's already in the title somewhere) to help search engines find it more easily. -Won't

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  • Ahah! That makes sense. However I'm pretty sure that's not what the red box said, iirc it was talking about grammar. And thanks for the tip. I didn't realise that the dominant tag was prefixed to the title. Is the dominant tag always the one listed first? Just want to be sure how I can tell which tag will be prefixed.
    – RFlack
    Dec 16, 2013 at 20:33
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The system will automatically place the most important tag in front of your question for better optimization, directly into the <title> attribute.

So, if you type

Python, how to move the turtle in PyLogo?

You'd get

Python - Python, how to move the turtle in PyLogo

... in the title.

There are philosophical as well as technical reasons that we try to help people avoid that, the other being that it's rather redundant to put tags in titles since we have, well, tags. That begins to feel more natural as you get used to the system.

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  • Actually now Im confused! Looking at the list of recent questions, Im not sure that I do see any of the tags actually prefixed to the question. Or is that done somewhere else?
    – RFlack
    Dec 16, 2013 at 21:03
  • @RFlack: It is only in the (HTML) title, so it will only show up on individual pages and (more importantly) in search engine results.
    – This_is_NOT_a_forum
    Jan 27, 2021 at 8:57
  • What determines the most important tag?
    – This_is_NOT_a_forum
    Jan 27, 2021 at 8:58

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