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The dialog for closing questions as being off topic lists the following reasons:

  • Questions about specific programming problems encountered while writing code are off-topic, but can be asked on Stack Overflow.
  • Questions about the use of general computer hardware or software are off-topic, but can be asked on Super User.
  • Questions seeking career advice or help with office politics are off-topic here unless they're specific to the programming profession. If people in other professions face similar problems, ask about it on The Workplace Stack Exchange.
  • This question belongs on another site in the Stack Exchange network
  • Other (add a comment explaining what is wrong)

Confusingly enough, if you want to migrate a question to StackOverflow, you must not choose the first option. Instead, you must select the 4th option ("This question belongs on another site in the StackExchange network"), because that will show you the candidates for migrating a question to.

I find that, especially the first option is phrased misleadingly for both readers and close-voters. There is an automatic migration path between Programmers and SO that is used regularly, but that option does not trigger a migration, nor does it indicate why migration is not possible.

I request to make it clear (at least in the 'Closing -> Off Topic' dialog and until the Programmes community has decided on their own off-topic reasons) that the first three listed options do not trigger a migration.

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2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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We've just updated our custom off topic close reasons, picking the top three from the relevant Meta discussion. None of them mentions another SE site, so they shouldn't be confused with migration votes anymore.

It's not a perfect solution to the problem, we may need to add a mention to another site in the future, but I think it's good enough for now.

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  • It is certainly good enough for me. If we need to mention a site in the future, we can think about how to phrase it that it doesn't look like a migration when that time comes.
    – Bart van Ingen Schenau
    Commented Jul 8, 2013 at 6:15
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Well made point. I suggest those 3 off-topic reasons get a different set of default-temporary reasons than the ones we have right now. I was presuming those were there to cause migrations but you're right, they don't request migration, they just close the question.

That's way confusing. Surely Judge Drizos can put his foot down coming up with 3 random but somewhat useful temporary off-topic choices.

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  • If I could come up with any "off topic" reasons, I would have already posted them in the relevant Meta discussion by now.
    – yannis Mod
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 17:13
  • @YannisRizos You could just stuff in the close reasons we used to have, just as a hold over to stop people from attempting to ask for a migration and asking for a closure instead
    – Jimmy Hoffa
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 17:43
  • @YannisRizos or do you mean to say you're not allowed to do so? I thought Judge Drizos is the law...
    – Jimmy Hoffa
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 17:44
  • I can edit them right now, but I can't come up with good alternatives, not even temporary ones. Any suggestions?
    – yannis Mod
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 18:47
  • @YannisRizos "Resource requests are off topic, please view the [Help Center](help)", "What you should do next is not something which will help an audience at large, please view the [Help Center](help)", "This question is not on topic, please view the [Help Center](help) to understand what the scope of this site is.",
    – Jimmy Hoffa
    Commented Jun 27, 2013 at 19:00

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