Remove “Generally Applicable” Part of “Too Localized” Rationale for Closing Questions [closed]

Question

Update 2

It seems that there is still confusion regarding the issue so this is as plainly and clearly as I can state it:

Closing a question—ie, a request for help with resolving a problem—solely on the grounds that it does not also benefit—some arbitrary idea of what is—sufficiently copious people other than the asker is indecorous and should be removed as part of the too localized rationale.

(Yes, that is plain and clear.)

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Update

I need to make a clarification. The too localized tag currently reads as follows:

Too localized: This question would only be relevant to a small geographic area, a specific moment in time, or an extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet.

The problem I am describing is due to the fact that it encompasses too many, unrelated issues. Sure, time-sensitive questions (eg ones that expire or don’t make sense after some point) would make sense to be closed—though it does not mean that they should no longer be answered anyway if they can (eg how many people downloaded the beta version of Foobar 2.0? or how much memory did that obsolete, no-longer produced system have? or how did people work around with this compiler bug that most people no longer have to worry about because they have bought the latest version, but some of us cannot afford and still have to deal with?)

The geographic area part makes no sense. What exactly constitutes “small”? Who decides? What happens if those decision-makers move to a small town? Will they change their minds since it now affects them?

Here’s a question that could appear on ServerFault that highlights this issue: Has anyone managed to configure IPv6 with their local ISP here connection? (Possibly hypothetical, but still valid and pertinent.)

Or another one that could appear on SuperUser: How many others in state are finding that Acme netbooks are shipping with pirated copies of the OS?. (This may not apply in North America, but in a lot of other countries, it is a valid question that could easily comes up.)

How about this question that could appear on StackOverflow: I’m still waiting for my copy of Acme C++ 2.0 that I bought online. I’ve heard Europeans have gotten theirs. Has anyone in Canada? (Granted the on-topic-ness of this one is questionable-ish.)

What exactly is “too small”? What does it matter anyway?

The not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet[sic]. part is exceptionally inappropriate. As I demonstrate below, it should not matter. Why would it matter if someone’s problem does not apply to everybody else in the world? They are here to ask for help! How would you like it if you went to the doctor only to have him turn you away because your disease is too rare and finding a cure for it would not sufficiently benefit the world at large? You went there for help.

I suggest the removal of the affects too few people reason for closing questions. If someone wants help, then either help them if you can, move along and ignore the question if you can’t, or else clearly and flat out tell them that you won’t answer their question because there’s nothing in it for you or others; don’t hide behind the esoteric sounding too localized tag.

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Original

I’ve seen lots of issues raised with the too localized reason for closing a question. Personally I think one part of it in particular is absurd and frankly kind of offensive. I put forth here two arguments for its removal, one moral and one logical.

1. One of the (too many, unrelated) parts encompassed in the too localized reason for closing a question, is that a question is not of interest to enough people (not necessarily no others than the asker, but rather not enough, whatever that means). This makes no sense because the purpose of these StackExchange sites is so that people can get help to solve their problems, not a place where generic technology information can be found—though that is a logical extension of the main purpose—that’s what reference sites, manuals, Wikis, etc. are for. Therefore, it seems quite insulting that a person who has a problem with something comes here and asks for help, only to be turned away because their problem is not amusing or applicable enough to lots of others.

   It is offensive that people would only help someone if there is something in it for themselves or others, rather than help that person in need.

2. Another problem with that part of the too localized tag is that the StackExchange sites have clearly identified their purpose as being a place where people can come and ask definite, singularly answerable questions, and try to eschew discussion questions (“this is not a forum, this is not a forum…”). If someone has a problem with something relatively unique to their situation, it is all the more answerable. However if they must find a way to generalize the problem so that it applies to lots of others, then it becomes less answerable and more of a discussion question.

   Take for example questions of the forms Should I…?, How can I…?, etc. An asker would describe their circumstances and ask if or how to do or accomplish a task under that scenario. This is usually a pretty easy question to definitively answer. However generalizing the question to Should one… under each of the following circumstances, or How to… in each of these configurations, becomes much more of a discussion question.

I hope I have laid out sufficient evidence that the the general applicability part of the too localized reason for closing a question has no place on these sites (though it may have in some sorts of SE type sites).

I (no longer :P) welcome counter-arguments and examples of why it actually would be useful/required, but I for one still cannot fathom a rational reason to keep it—okay, I do welcome them if they really are reasonable and fitting.

Answer 1

I think the reason is pretty clear:

This question would only be relevant to a small geographic area, a specific moment in time, or an extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet.

So let's consider each one.

1. Small geographic area

   Are there any user group meetings in Peoria, IL?

2. Specific moment in time

   When will Visual Studio 2010 be released?

3. Extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet

   We use this in-house tool WELBOG.EXE to generate faxes from XML via regular expressions. What does the -LASERS option do?

Answer 2

This question seems to be speaking in general terms about hypothetical questions that were or would be closed as "too localized" that would still be valuable to a certain audience.

What's conspicuously missing is specific examples, so let me add a few of mine:

1. When will MSDN Academic Alliance subscribers get VS2010
2. Unselect Databound Combobox Winforms .NET
3. Is the codeplex site having problems today?
4. 我想知道googole app market 为什么不允许中国大陆的人注册？？
5. why am i getting error in this switch statement written in c

The first is clearly not relevant anymore; VS 2010 is already out. There is no conceivable reason why further answers should be allowed on this.

The second was basically "user error." Author solved his own problem which turned out to be something completely unrelated to the original question (and basically irrelevant to anyone else).

The third question is the quintessential example of "too localized." Even if the same problem happens in the future, the question is still utterly useless because it's a different occurrence.. The last thing we need on Stack Overflow, or any other Stack Exchange site, is people whining that their favourite site is offline, and none of the other close reasons make sense (it's a real question, it's not subjective, it's on topic and not a dupe).

Fourth question I hope is self-explanatory. "Too Localized" is the perfect reason for closing questions written entirely in foreign languages.

And fifth, for those who can't see it (it's deleted), was some nonsense written in C, later retagged as beginner. The question was basically only relevant to this particular user who clearly didn't understand C syntax, and its content is completely un-searchable.

If you think that questions are being incorrectly/unfairly closed as "too localized" or that it is "insulting" or "offensive", then let's see some examples. As far as I can tell, it's the least offensive reason of all. And it's very hard to get a question closed as Too Localized; I definitely don't think it's being abused.

Last but not least, closing a question does not necessarily make a statement that the question was not welcome; sometimes that's the case, but not always. S&A and Not A Real Question do, in a certain sense, say "your question sucks / doesn't belong here." But on the other hand, Exact Duplicate and Too Localized don't say that at all, they suggest that the problem was not with the question itself but merely with the context in which it was asked.

Summary: "Too Localized" is not "at Odds" with the "Fundamental Premise" of SE sites. I will concede that Too Broad is a much bigger problem most of the time, but there are still some very specific cases where a question really is too localized to be of any value to the community, as opposed to just the original author, and the concept of community value seems to be very prominent in the SO/SE philosophy.

Answer 3

Ha! I was right all along. I’m not the only one who had a problem with this. And now it’s gone:

Answer 4

I don't think this will ever happen: those in power will never go for it.. Too Localized is what the establishment uses to close all questions they don't like, or don't think is a "legitimate" issue. Taking away Too Localized would be like taking away uncle Sam's ability to cut tax deals with big oil companies through a flat tax.

The proof is in the pudding: even questions about Too localized are closed for being Too localized https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/49080