Could ENWorld use a StackExchange site?

[Prestidigitalis]

Preface: This is not spam -- please check who I am before you scream.

Many ENWorld threads turn out to be requests for simple information that has already been provided on numerous previous occasions. It occurred to me recently that a technology I use several times a day could be added to ENWorld to help organize this information. It is called Stack Overflow, and it is an indispensable tool in my work as a self-employed, professional software developer.

SO is implemented using a base technology called StackExchange, which has just been made available to anyone, for free, as a way to easily implement a question-and-answer forum. A list of sites that have been created with SE is here: List of StackExchange sites - StackExchange
Wikipedia has an article on SO and SE at: Stack Overflow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Morrus probably gets about a million emails a day and I don't see a need to add to his woes, so I figured I should just post this here to open the idea up for discussion. My apologies if someone else has already posted on this topic. Thanks.

 

[Nifft]

I love Stack Overflow, but the kind of information discussed here isn't exactly the same as what we talk about over there.

For one thing, answers change. We see a lot of deep rules alterations (via "errata" or "updates") relative to your typical programming language or design pattern.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Morrus]

There's a good FAQ system in vBulletin (which we don't utilize particularly - mainly because it would involve me writing out hundreds of questions and answers).

But repeated questions aren't really a problem for us. It's nice that someone can visit for the first time, ask a question which may well have been asked a hundred times before, and get an answer. It's very welcoming to new folks, where an FAQ says "your question is so boring we decided to make an FAQ about it".

I love that about this site - a newbie can come along and folks will be helpful to him. That's what will make him stick around.

 

[Morrus]

There's a good FAQ system in vBulletin (which we don't utilize particularly - mainly because it would involve me writing out hundreds of questions and answers).

But repeated questions aren't really a problem for us. It's nice that someone can visit for the first time, ask a question which may well have been asked a hundred times before, and get an answer. It's very welcoming to new folks, where an FAQ says "your question is so boring we decided to make an FAQ about it".

I love that about this site - a newbie can come along and folks will be helpful to him. That's what will make him stick around.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

Ah. Well, it's your site, Morrus -- although I seem to remember another dude... EN stands for Eponymous Noah, right? I bet you still have him stuck away in a closet somewhere.

Should I take it then that you feel StackExchange would be in no way helpful to ENWorld? Or is it something that might be considered if someone were willing to do the grunt work for it?

 

[Prestidigitalis]

Oh, one thing I didn't mention -- well, one of several, as I left it to the reader to see what SE was about, if they were interested.

ENWorld regulars may answer questions that have been answered often before, but they don't always answer promptly. It may take hours before a kindly sort replies in the right kind of detail to any given question. SE, by contrast, offers up all relevant posts as determined by search text, so the questioner can get an answer within minutes. In addition, SE provides a rating system, so you can tell how many people agree with a particular answer and/or how the person answering is esteemed.

 

[wedgeski]

As a software engineer, I love SO. As a WoW player, I love its derivatives (epicadvice.com, for example). But, I don't think it's a good fit for ENW. There's something about a new poster getting quality answers in their own thread that is very characteristic of this place.

"EN" stands for Eric Noah, BTW, the founder of the site that became ENWorld, but he hasn't been active in running the place for years AFAIK.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

"Eponymous Noah" was a joke. I remember Eric, though I have never met him.

 

[wedgeski]

"Eponymous Noah" was a joke. I remember Eric, though I have never met him.

Sorry. Enough people have got it wrong over the years that I reflexively corrected you.