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Where do I ask opinion based questions on Stack Exchange? Why can't we have a stack-exchange that works like Quora? There has been a lot of research based on people's opinion. I think it is really not bad to have a SE on Opinions.

If there is already one please let me know

P.S This question is different from this , this and this please don't mark as duplicate by linking to those questions!!

P.S.S : My question is completely different that this. The question sounds same but the description and the answers are totally different. I have anyway received a reasonbly good answer. So it doesn't matter

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    Thats totally a different question!!!
    – Trect
    Apr 21, 2017 at 20:45
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    @DheerajMPai: For better or for worse, that's the usual master dupe for all the dozens or hundreds of previous such suggestions. Your question might be a slightly better match for one of those instead, but ain't nobody got time for that.
    – Nathan Tuggy
    Apr 21, 2017 at 21:15
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    If any Stackexchange ever becomes like Quora I would delete all my account immediately. You are forced to have an account at Quora to even view an answer, and most of the time, the answer is garbage.
    – Ramhound
    Apr 21, 2017 at 21:52
  • @Dheeraj M Pai - Interesting that your question was downvoted whilst the "duplicate" question cited, that was upvoted, was not even a question !
    – kerry
    Jun 16, 2019 at 16:54

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Stack Exchange works because it's based on facts.
The moment you allow opinions, you open the floodgates.

Let's look at the history. It started with Stack Overflow. Stack Overflow was created in answer to Experts Exchange, but it also wanted to solve the problems with forums.
If you asked a programming question on a forum, there was a risk of the discussion turning into a Linux-vs-Windows debate. Or Emacs-vs-Vi / Java-vs-C# / etc. It would become a heated discussion, and you still wouldn't have an answer to your actual problem.

To prevent this on Stack Overflow, Stack Overflow went for a format where everything had to be verifiable and based on facts. It developed a special close reason for opinion-based questions because these resulted in, well, opinions. People would gain reputation points for having a popular opinion ("emacs is better") rather than having actual knowledge.

And that is another part of the answer - we have a privilege system that is based on points. The privileges must be given only to those who will yield them with knowledge - not to those who just have popular opinions.

There has been a lot of research based on people's opinion.

Great! If this is actual scientific research, it may confirm people's opinions, or contradict them. In both cases we have facts.
If it is just "research" where somebody searched the web for arguments in favor of their opinion... all other social media already have that. We don't need it here.

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    I mean, we do have Software Recommendations which is fairly opinion based...
    – Stevoisiak
    Apr 21, 2017 at 21:32
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    @StevenVascellaro but it has insane rules for its questions. That makes it work.
    – rene
    Apr 21, 2017 at 21:42

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