7
$\begingroup$

I posted the following question on math.stackexchange. Since I was asking for 'good examples' (and not just examples) I anticipated a "too broad" flag before posting. I therefore did my best to specify what kind of answers I was looking for and what I thought qualified as a good answer. Nevertheless, the question got flagged.

Since it wasn't immediately closed, I assume the community thinks it can still be improved. But how? Should I make it mathematically more rigorous what I'm looking for? Should I define what I mean by "non-trivial" more clearly, or why I would prefer some answers over others? I feel like overdoing this would be against the nature of the question. Or is the question just inherently too subjective for this site and should it be closed? But then what (SE) site does it fit on, as it's clearly about mathematics?

$\endgroup$
8
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ I guess this post on meta should be tagged (specific-question). The tag-info says: "Please use this tag when you want to draw attention to a specific question on the main site. ... Do not use if your intention is to discuss/ask about a general issue, and you merely use questions as examples." $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    May 31, 2016 at 21:03
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the comment - I retagged. $\endgroup$
    – Bib-lost
    May 31, 2016 at 21:08
  • $\begingroup$ Current status: question closed, but with 4 votes to reopen. $\endgroup$
    – Gerry Myerson
    Jun 1, 2016 at 0:03
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ For future reference, it's perfectly acceptable to post a meta question first "I want to ask this, but I feel it's too broad. What can I do to focus it?" if you anticipate your question getting closed as too broad (or otherwise). $\endgroup$
    – Asaf Karagila Mod
    Jun 1, 2016 at 5:13
  • $\begingroup$ Status update: question re-opened. $\endgroup$
    – Gerry Myerson
    Jun 1, 2016 at 5:46
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ That's good news, but how should I interpret this ? I didn't vote to reopen because I wanted to improve the question first. Does this mean the question was okay after all? $\endgroup$
    – Bib-lost
    Jun 1, 2016 at 6:10
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ It means a few people thought the question sucked, and a few people thought the question was OK. Nothing more, nothing less. $\endgroup$
    – Gerry Myerson
    Jun 1, 2016 at 13:18
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @GerryMyerson: And the first few people came before the next few people. $\endgroup$
    – user21820
    Jun 7, 2016 at 7:44

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1
$\begingroup$

If you weren't explicitly stating that you wanted "good examples" to your question, and you were getting just answers, then, most likely, your question was too broad. It would make sense to narrow the question down to what you actually want. Hope this helps!

$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .