-5

I have run in to this twice today. As I was typing a answer Random closed this and this question.

For the first one, I understand that that one is truly a duplicate (even the poster said so in the post) but the reason it was a duplicate is that the original question was closed (and I think it should not have, at the very most it should have been migrated to SO). Random just pointed to the original question but nothing can be done with the original question as it is closed, he either should have not done the duplicate or should have re-opened the original question.

For the second question the question specifically asks, can I do anything about this without buying a UPS, and random redirects the question where basically all of the answers are "get a UPS" I actually had some good information for him about troubleshooting the power in his house that would not be relevant at all in the "duplicate question".

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  • 3
    "nothing can be done with the original question as it is closed" No, it can be edited by the OP and reopened by a mod.
    – slhck
    Jun 19, 2011 at 20:14
  • @slhck Don't you think the mod should have said that in the second post instead of just closing it and making it look like (to me at least) that he just did a quick search found the same title, and closed it without thinking. Jun 19, 2011 at 20:29
  • Per the FAQ:Questions that are deemed sufficiently off-topic may be closed by the community. Users with 3000 reputation can cast up to 24 close votes per day. When a question reaches 5 close votes, it is marked as closed, and will no longer accept answers. Closed questions may be opened by casting reopen votes in the same manner. However, you can only vote to close or reopen a question once. If I was a brand new user with 1 rep that does not, to me, say "Go edit your question and it may be reopened", it just says, "you may get lucky and it could get reopened" I would not know I could edit. Jun 19, 2011 at 20:30
  • @Scott I guess it was closed as a duplicate because the OP said it was one. The normal way is to go and edit your old question instead of posting a duplicate. You can't blame @Random for that. My problem with the OP is that he engages in insulting behavior instead of just asking why the question was closed. Although I think a comment from @studiohack would have been nice, it's not mandatory.
    – slhck
    Jun 19, 2011 at 20:36
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    Don't be angry at Random on this one he legitimately closed a dupe... Maybe studiohack made a mistake and that needs to be addressed as a separate issue. Either way Random didn't close the original question he simply closed a duplicate, I'm sure anyone 3k+ would have voted to do the same. The intent wasn't to stifle your original question, it was just to remove duplicates. I already voted to reopen your original question... just give the process time. Jun 19, 2011 at 20:45
  • No, it is not legitimately a dupe. It has new info, plus the original closure was in error. I have posted a complaint about studiohack closing the original question as "not a question" (it is!) here: meta.superuser.com/questions/2749/…
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 20:57
  • @Kyle I agree (i even up voted you) However the issue is without telling the OP what he did wrong in the original question and letting him know the correct thing to do is edit it instead of opening a new question he will just keep opening new questions as he does not understand the problem. 99% of the time I close without comment (I have > 3k on SO) but if you are just pointing to another closed question with no explanation on what to do the only thing that will happen is hurt feelings and another question opened. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:00
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    @Carl That's why there's a function called "editing", which allows you to add new info to a question of yours.
    – slhck
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:00
  • What is with the sudden swarm of negative votes on the main question? it went from +2 to -3? Jun 19, 2011 at 21:13
  • BrianErikson, who posted the original question, attempted a repost (this topic), clarifying the question, which was closed as a duplicate. THAT SAYS IF YOU GET IT WRONG THE FIRST TIME, TO BAD - YOU CAN'T EVER FIX IT.
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:17
  • @Scott It's being downvoted because people agree with the moderators' decisions, most likely, and do not see them as a problem for which they need to answer. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:18
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    @Carl There's an edit button. The original question should be edited, and then it can be reopened. Duplicates do not need to be created for any reason. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:18
  • The original question doesn't need edited. Do you not understand it? (It's not my question.)
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:27
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    @Carl Indeed, it does. It's not clear what exactly he wants. It sounds like he wants a script, in which case the question would be closed as off-topic or migrated to stack overflow. Probably closed as off-topic since neither community is here to write scripts for people. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:29
  • He wants EasyTether to reconnect when the connection drops. He wants to know what is available so he can write a script to get EasyTether to reconnect, and to check if there's a connection. It doesn't need clarified.
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:47

2 Answers 2

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So we're dealing with two states here:

Automatically reconnecting to the internet

It was the same question the user already posted. They even pointed out that it was a duplicate. Only now it was with added anger and unnecessary language. Spewing bile doesn't stop a duplicate from being one.

The original was probably closed because it was basically a "give me teh codez" type question. Yes, they wrote a lot of words, but it looks like that's what it boils down to.

Using a computer under an unstable power supply

So basically they're using dirty power or in an area that is unstable. Other questions have addressed this:

Maybe they're not sure if a UPS is a necessary have but others think it's a good investment for a home machine and may actually be needed. It can even damage your system if you're not careful.

And just because some people say, "Use a(n) UPS," doesn't mean a UPS is the only answer.

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  • BrianErikson, who posted the original question, attempted a repost (this topic), clarifying the question, which was closed as a duplicate. THAT SAYS IF YOU GET IT WRONG THE FIRST TIME, TO BAD - YOU CAN'T EVER FIX IT.
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:17
  • Thank you for responding to the topic. I now understand your decisions. I should have not questioned the second topic, i was just annoyed at you for closing as I was typing but I was wrong to do that. I just ask that next time you close pointing to another closed question leave a comment first, that way the OP just doesn't get angry at you and just open a 3rd question. If you don't try to educate new users will just keep making the same mistakes over and over. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:21
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    @Carl Calm down. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:21
  • The moderator left no comment that he could use the edit feature and it might be re-opened. Saying it's not a real question makes it sound like spam.
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:49
7

If you edit your original question, it may be reopened. I understand that having your first question closed can be a confusing experience for a new user, so let me explain the proper procedure.

First of all, if you think your question is valid, you can try contacting the moderator either by posting on Meta or on asking in Chat (if you have enough reputation). We have a specific Ask a Moderator chat room. Alternatively, you can edit your question by clicking the edit link right under it, and adding more details to flesh out the question and improve it.

Moderators are people, too. We can make mistakes. If the original question was closed in error, then that is something that is reasonable to discuss.

What is not OK is reposting your question several times. I know this may not seem intuitive at first, but now you know. If you need to add more info, edit your original question, don't repost it. Random was absolutely correct to close the repeated questions as duplicates - the asker even said in those questions that they were duplicates with more information. To add information, edit, don't repost.

Finally - and this applies to all of you - please try to be more considerate. Moderation is not an easy job. We have to wade through tons of spam, low-quality posts, and other problems every day. When you call moderators names, mock them, and insult them, you're drastically lowering the chances that we will take kindly to your requests for reconsideration on your questions. Respect is required in this community, and users who are disrespectful may find themselves asked to take a break for a while.

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  • You? The guy who posted the question didn't post this complaint - so you aren't talking to him. In that post - he says he can't post here because he needs a reputation of 5, and he's new.
    – Carl
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:22
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    @Carl I know, I'm using "you" in the generic sense, if you'd like, I can edit my question to say "one may edit their original question" and so forth. The same advice still applies.
    – nhinkle
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:23
  • @nhinkle May I request that the advice of using Ask A Moderator be added to the FAQ? This thread is the first time I have ever heard of it and I have been using SO for years. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:27
  • @ScottChamberlain the chat feature is about a year old. Ask a Moderator is something we created on Super User; I don't know if it's standard across the network. We could look into having it added to the FAQ.
    – nhinkle
    Jun 19, 2011 at 21:30
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    Ah, I see, I am just starting to dip my toes out of the SO pool and explore the other sites. I think it is a great idea. If you are editing the FAQ, I think clarifying that you can edit your closed question would be helpful. Right now it is a little ambiguous what you should do when your question is closed. Currently it reads like you should just sit and twiddle your thumbs till enough people vote to reopen it. Just adding a line at the end like "Editing your post for increased clarity will increase your chances of getting your post re-opened" would be great. Jun 19, 2011 at 21:32
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    @ScottChamberlain thanks for the feedback. You're always welcome to propose improvements by posting here on meta, using the feature-request tag. The FAQ is currently being adapted across the Stack Exchange network, so we'll take this into consideration.
    – nhinkle
    Jun 19, 2011 at 22:41
  • @nhinkle - I agree with Scott's recommendation that it should be more obvious that post editing is encouraged, and I agree with his language. I do certainly it's potentially non-obvious to a newer user.
    – Shinrai
    Jun 22, 2011 at 16:43
  • @Shinrai see meta.superuser.com/questions/2760/…
    – nhinkle
    Jun 22, 2011 at 16:58
  • @nhinkle - Upvoted already, didn't have much constructive to add. ;)
    – Shinrai
    Jun 22, 2011 at 17:12

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