I actually have a question that is burning inside me but it can probably be considered open-ended and opinion based. I have seen other questions closed for being "discussion questions," or "subjective" where should I ask those type of questions so my question doesn't get closed? Or, if there is not an appropriate stackexchange site, where is a good forum that I can ask that sort of question that has the maturity and popularity of the stackexchange sites so that I can get a quality response?
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2What's the question? Programmers does welcome subjective questions, but there are some constraints on that. Your question here is unfortunately impossible to answer without knowing what you have in mind.– Adam Lear StaffModMar 28, 2011 at 15:45
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@Anna Lear I asked programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/62916/… which is now closed. One comment says wording was bad, so I'm trying to think of how to rephrase it to get the responses I'm looking for and potentially not have it closed.– AdamMar 28, 2011 at 16:03
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2 Answers
As Anna says, being subjective alone is not the problem.
Starting with just the title, it was:
Why is there so much hate for .NET in the world?
The two primary problems with this:
It makes the presumption that there is "so much hate". That won't sit well with some people since I'm not sure everyone agrees with that.
Hate is a personal thing. It makes the question not seem answerable beyond each person's opinion. Subjective is one thing, personal preference is another.
I would post the question as:
What reasons do some programmers have for disliking .NET?
I have X experience in .NET and I find it good for [example A] and [example B]. However I have encountered [people such as managers or developers] that have a strong dislike for .NET, shunning its use or even speaking derogatorily of [competitors, vendors, etc.] using .NET. Much of this negativity goes unexplained. Is this perception that many dislike .NET correct, and if so, why does the hatred exist?
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2+1 Thank you for your very valuable feedback. I wrote and re-wrote that question at least 5 times before I finally asked it and you have actually helped me understand why it was closed now.– AdamMar 28, 2011 at 17:27
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1@Adam If you want to edit your question to update the wording based on Renesis's suggestions, you can flag it for moderator attention and we can consider re-opening it. Reference this meta question in your flag. (But I make no promises. :)) Mar 28, 2011 at 17:33
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excellent answer, but even with your revisions, I am not sure I would support this question @adam .. perhaps the answer is "it belongs outside our network" Mar 29, 2011 at 0:28
The best approach to asking subjective questions is to ask the question objectively.
If you've ever noticed how "interrogator" type personalities try to manipulate a person, you may have observed that they ask questions, but the question contains a hint of what they actually believe the answer to their question to be.
- You're not wearing that, are you?
It's a question, but it's very obvious what the question asker thinks. This question would be closed as subjective and argumentative.
- Are you going to wear your yellow tie or are you going to wear something else?
To make your subjective questions more constructive, make sure that, when you read your question, it's not obvious what you think about the subject. The goal is to encourage others to tell you what they think without the answer feeling defensive or argumentative.
