Questions tagged [help]

THIS IS NOT A GENERAL TAG FOR ASKING FOR HELP! Use this tag for questions about how help and information is provided to users.

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-16 votes
1 answer
104 views

When assisting with software navigation, what is the best way to differentiate between a question and a support request? [closed]

All the sites that include questions about software applications in their scope have the same situation frequently seen in Web Applications Stack Exchange; people post a request asking for help ...
Wicket's user avatar
  • 467
3 votes
0 answers
44 views

What are the exact conditions for the /questions/ask/advice ("interstitial") page to show to a user?

Ex. the page on Stack Overflow: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/ask/advice What are the exact conditions for such pages to show to a user? On what sites? With what history/conditions of the user'...
starball's user avatar
  • 8,643
4 votes
2 answers
164 views

Guidance for "me too"ers (answerers / commenters and upvoters)

On Web Applications SE we have a lot of short questions that get lots of views and "a lot" of "me too" or alike answers, comments and upvotes. Regarding me too upvotes, from ...
Rubén's user avatar
  • 11.7k
2 votes
2 answers
123 views

Let's improve the "How do I ask a good question?" page

I did find this question, but I have a bunch of suggestions. Also yes, some of this is from my post over on AU Meta I think the "How do I ask a good question?" Help Center page could use ...
cocomac's user avatar
  • 3,395
2 votes
0 answers
44 views

Click does not work for Stack Exchange pages [duplicate]

I usually use the Mathematics and TeX - LaTeX Stack Exchange sites. From today, the usual mouse-click suddenly started not to work for these sites. For example, I found a useful code in this page, so ...
metric's user avatar
  • 121
-19 votes
1 answer
589 views

Perception of toxicity in newcomers. What can we do about it? [duplicate]

My problem, resumed, is that since I started being actve on Stack Exchange some days ago, I've got already three members behaving rather nastily to me. Probably acting as they thought was totally in ...
Pablo GM's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
142 views

How to see Review Queue help boxes again?

Recently new help boxes for Review Queues were displayed to users. E.g.: The box above is about a specific queue. There is also a main box for queues in general like shown here. After dismissing, ...
αλεχολυτ's user avatar
-5 votes
1 answer
147 views

How can I help? [closed]

I am very new to Stack Overflow, but I want to help on the Mathematics site. The problem is that I'm not particularly smart enough to answer the majority of questions. How should I help? I'm decent at ...
LorenzoTheSnail's user avatar
8 votes
0 answers
47 views

Quick fix to clarify markdown help for comments

I'm pretty ashamed to admit how often I mix up the hyperlink markdown when writing a comment, but I see this error often enough throughout the network that I wonder if a small fix could help alleviate ...
Richard's user avatar
  • 321
6 votes
1 answer
49 views

Edit the Formatting Help Page to include Markdown syntax for Tables

New Feature: Table Support has not yet been documented in the Formatting help page, as a result, many users across the SE network are still displaying tables with images, which are invisible to ...
GNUSupporter 8964民主女神 地下教會's user avatar
11 votes
0 answers
81 views

Markdown help page should include information on how to resize images in a post

In all of the communities, there's a similar Markdown help page. I'm in particular interested in the images section. Very often when writing Q&As, especially from mobile, users take advantage of ...
Gonçalo Peres's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
89 views

Is there inaccurate information in the SO help page on deleted questions?

The help page on deleted questions on (English) stackoverflow states: Questions that have been closed within the past 48 hours cannot be deleted, so as to allow for editing and possible reopening. [...
alani's user avatar
  • 409
120 votes
1 answer
1k views

Remove the suggestion to post a new question from the closed questions post notices

Some user posted a question on IPS twice the past 2 days, and then was rude about the closure of both and the request to edit instead of reposting a slightly recomposed version with the same ...
Tinkeringbell's user avatar
  • 38.2k
10 votes
1 answer
113 views

Can we get the MathJax reference link fixed?

The MathJax reference that is linked in the help box below a new answer is broken. How can that be fixed? Should electronics meta have a tutorial like the math meta tutorial or perhaps link there ...
lcecl's user avatar
  • 111
-8 votes
1 answer
73 views

Help on viewing a seemingly deleted answer on a marked off-topic post? [closed]

I asked a question in the physics stackexchange about the fastest ramp ending velocity for science project and it got one answer before it was marked off-topic for being too similar to a homework ...
k huang's user avatar
  • 103
2 votes
0 answers
39 views

Inconsistency with the Images section in formatting help page

There is some inconsistency with Images section in the formatting help page over Stack Exchange sites. In Stack Overflow help page, there is an old image icon is displaying in the Images section. ...
Arulkumar's user avatar
  • 37.1k
-12 votes
1 answer
175 views

Why should the Help Page provide information on the website only?

The Help Center of Buddhism SE is very resourceful for including a list of resources, which in my experience the only site that make use of this section. Some arguments: Putting content about the ...
Ooker's user avatar
  • 5,899
11 votes
3 answers
388 views

How to inform people to be considerate because OP has mental health disorders

I have been having a lot of trouble on SO lately because I suffer from an array of mental health conditions. I am open about my conditions and don't mind telling people. But I can imagine the backlash ...
Jamie Lindsey's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
184 views

How can I start being a useful member of this community? [duplicate]

I understand that the rules are very strict, and should be as such, so how can I start off successfully and become a useful member of the community? The advice of experienced members would be welcome....
Goran_Ilic_Ilke's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
186 views

If I enter the Stack Overflow site as a new person and I search for "How do I ask a question" that yields no real help in doing so

It might seem obvious to a new person to the Stack Overflow site to simply search for "How do I ask a question?" or "How do I ask a great question?" or "How do I use this site?" yet none of those ...
Mark Schultheiss's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
29 views

Add method of adding paragraphs to formatting page [duplicate]

I just found another post where a user is using single line break to create separate lines / paragraphs. This of course won't do anything in Markdown; two line breaks or a <p> tag are required. ...
Maarten Bodewes's user avatar
-8 votes
1 answer
209 views

A suggestion to help users ask good questions

In regards to the "Stack Overflow Isn’t Very Welcoming. It’s Time for That to Change" article, I have a feature suggestion that would help users write good questions that are less likely to be shut ...
AndyD273's user avatar
  • 201
-14 votes
2 answers
88 views

Where do you go to get an answer about why exactly a question was closed as off-topic? [duplicate]

My question was closed on the English Language & Usage site. Where do I go to argue why it should not have been closed? I heard there is a meta for that. Yet, I could not find it.
Taryn Lambert's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
144 views

Collapse/show more does not work in chat faq when linked to a specific section

If I go to this page: https://chat.stackexchange.com/faq I can see show more under each section. After expanding I can then also choose to collapse the section back. For example, if I look at "...
Martin's user avatar
  • 14.9k
1 vote
1 answer
168 views

MathJax website is Shutting Down? From where we now getting support? [duplicate]

SE network mandates a programing language called MathJax, to format chemistry or math equations. The left click on MathJax processed text shows the following icons: . Fig 1. MathJax processed text ...
Always Confused's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
149 views

Should "Asking help" (in the guidance box on the question form page) be phrased better?

"Asking help" (the phrasing for the link at the bottom of the guidance box that comes up when one is typing a question title on any SE site) is poorly phrased. Better would be: help with asking I ...
aparente001's user avatar
  • 11.3k
3 votes
1 answer
66 views

More emphasis on scope for new users

I've noticed that many new users post questions that fall out of the scope of a particular site and get closed. Often these are very common (such as idea generation on Worldbuilding SE or homework ...
J D Doe's user avatar
  • 49
-8 votes
2 answers
259 views

Looking for a place with all the rules and community guidelines

There doesn't seem to be a place within the stack exchange network for general questions, website support, or an FAQ, and the "rules" (the tour) are extremely vague and unhelpful. Users and mods can ...
Sebastian Hahn's user avatar
-21 votes
3 answers
187 views

Replace obscure word "overt" in help page

This help page uses the word "overt" in the last section title and description. Personally, I have never even heard that word before, and I don't think many of the users did, as it's clearly not that ...
Iulian Onofrei's user avatar
-14 votes
1 answer
813 views

Why/how did I get banned from asking questions on softwareengineering.stackexchange.com? [duplicate]

I am so confused, I have asked like 5 questions on programmers.stackexchange.com / softwareengineering.stackexchange.com, and all of them have upvotes. Yet, I logged in a week ago, and now I can't ask ...
Alexander Mills's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
76 views

Why not explain the reasons for daily reputation limit on the help page?

In What is reputation? How do I earn (and lose) it? is explained as the reputation limit works, but is not explained what is the reason for this daily limit score to exist. My suggestion: I believe ...
Allan Andrade's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
47 views

Add a "before you ask" section to tag wikis

Quite often, I'd like to comment on a question with some "before asking a question about tag you should..." direct link. For example, to point out that the OP should try to use a debugger first. ...
Regis Portalez's user avatar
154 votes
3 answers
9k views

A guide to moderating chat

Chat is an offshoot of the main site, and using it is a privilege users earn early on during their time here. Chat is our place for: Real-time collaboration Meeting fellow members of the ...
328 votes
36 answers
13k views

Toward a philosophy of Chat

TL;DR: The Problem This keeps happening in chat: Surprise at flags on vulgar messages. Language that would invariably get your comments deleted on the main site occasionally gets flagged and deleted ...
Shog9's user avatar
  • 440k
10 votes
0 answers
64 views

When in a specific SE site, could there be an easy way to see that site's manifesto?

A significant part of traffic on any SE site consists of people (often newbies) asking questions which are outside the scope of the site, which are then closed for being "off-topic". Unfortunately, it ...
Daniel Griscom's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
37 views

How to delete Area 51 account? [duplicate]

I logged into Area 51, and now I can't find any way to delete my account. Is it only me, or does this happen with everyone?
user avatar
21 votes
4 answers
260 views

Make “how to tag” actually helpful for new users

When you ask a new question (or edit one whithout having the edit privilege) and edit the tag field, a help box with the following appears on the right: How to Tag A tag is a keyword or label that ...
Wrzlprmft's user avatar
  • 27.4k
-27 votes
3 answers
305 views

Why is SE so disingenuous about its purpose?

The comment to an ELU meta-question states the aim of StackExchange is not just to offer help to the person asking the immediate question, but to build a high quality repository of good questions and ...
pazzo's user avatar
  • 107
1 vote
1 answer
34 views

Is a suggested edit thrown out of the Queue when it is ignored/skipped? [duplicate]

What happens when a suggested edit is ignored/skipped? Is it thrown out of the queue and how much time does it take to get out of the suggested edit Queue?
starkeen's user avatar
  • 489
1 vote
1 answer
63 views

Is the 'how should I format' sidebar guidance as relevant as it could be?

This is the current how to format sidebar: Could this be updated in any way? For example, I think the html link suggestion should go.
Tim's user avatar
  • 21.2k
3 votes
2 answers
116 views

Portuguese Stack Overflow help page had mixed English and Portuguese

I went to the Portuguese Stack Overflow help page, and saw this: There are various pieces of English that should be translated into Portuguese. I don't speak Portuguese, so I don't know what it ...
ʇolɐǝz ǝɥʇ qoq's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
114 views

Correcting editing-help#code

Here, in the Preformatted Text section, the sentence : Indent four spaces to create an block of preformatted text Should be Indent four spaces to create a block of preformatted text
Yohann V.'s user avatar
  • 151
6 votes
0 answers
33 views

Update the syntax highlighting help with current meta links

The syntax highlighting help links to Changes to syntax highlighting, a locked thread focused on presenting a new feature and not of general interest today. It also links “one of the supported ...
Gilles 'SO- stop being evil''s user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
52 views

Numbered userid - How to find my Stack Exchange account

I've been using the Stack Exchange Android app to ask and answer questions since I got my new mobile phone. The app created a profile for me named "user2021", as you can see. I have no idea how to log ...
IanF1's user avatar
  • 295
10 votes
1 answer
120 views

Provide more in-line guidance to suggested edit reviewers

In relation with What guidance should be given when edits are rejected?, it occurs to me that we aren't providing much guidance to reviewers regarding when they should approve edits. “Approve edits ...
Gilles 'SO- stop being evil''s user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
74 views

Documenting the "search by asking"

In mSO it was recently pointed out that the suggested duplicates and related sometimes provide way better results than the normal search. It was previously discussed in meta, too, but there were no ...
Davidmh's user avatar
  • 233
1 vote
0 answers
40 views

iOS app should direct users to helpful status when the site is totally down

There is already a request to have read-only mode shown to users of the iOS app when the site is read-only. I'd like to also request that the app actually direct users to the canonical / official ...
bmike's user avatar
  • 8,317
4 votes
1 answer
140 views

SEDE FAQ - small discrepancy - update day

According to this https://data.stackexchange.com/help, SEDE is updated every Monday morning around 3:00 UTC. However, it is showing that it was last updated around Sunday morning around 3:00 UTC. And ...
CRABOLO's user avatar
  • 13.5k
-9 votes
1 answer
162 views

Better way for new users to contact moderators

Well, the previous question on a better way to contact moderators, An @Moderators ping got a big vote of no confidence. But we've been trying to address the perception among new users that our site (...
mxyzplk's user avatar
  • 5,388
2 votes
0 answers
42 views

What can we do to increase awareness of Community Wiki mode?

I don't think I'm atypical of newer SE users in that, while I have seen incidental mention of "Community Wiki", I had to come here to find out what it actually meant (beyond the basic concept of wiki, ...
keshlam's user avatar
  • 560