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Sometimes I click on a thread which looks interesting/familiar to what I am doing but there are a fair few bits that I don't understand.

What is the policy/people's view on me asking my own questions on another person's question (which might deviate from the original question), most likely in the comments box?

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If the question is recent and you only want to ask for a small clarification, try commenting first.

Otherwise, feel free to start a new question. But please try to make your question as self-contained as possible. Summarize the issue in your question and link back to the original question for completeness. This will make things easier for those who want to help, as they won't need to check multiple pages in order to understand the question. Furthermore, if the original question is deleted or changed, your question will continue to make sense.

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    $\begingroup$ On the first paragraph: I'd suggest that this only be done if the clarification is likely to be of general interest, i.e. if you think you're asking about something that others are likely to not understand about the question either. Comments should be about the question, not about your personal understanding of it. If the problem isn't that the question is unclear or missing information but that you personally aren't familiar with some of the terms or concepts used, I think it's preferable to look up the terms or ask a question of your own. Of course that's not a clear-cut distinction. $\endgroup$
    – joriki
    Apr 4, 2013 at 13:00

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