-3

Here is the question:

Can I use webex to show app from a remote desktop connection?

I followed up with an answer that was DELETED by a moderator. I can't figure out why a USEFUL post would be deleted.

I noticed it today because someone was asking about the status/result and I was confused because I was sure I posted about it. Sure enough, I had, but for some reason an overzealous moderator felt the need to delete it without giving a reason...

Why was this deleted?

EDIT

It seems the moderators are sticking with the decision and even going so far as closing the question.

Note - that from the FAQ an answer may be deleted

Answers that do not fundamentally answer the question may be removed. This includes answers that are …

* commentary on the question or other answers
* asking another, different question
* “thanks!” or “me too!” responses
* exact duplicates of other answers
* barely more than a link to an external site
* not even a partial answer to the actual question

Clearly my answer was not one of those. It actually answered the question.

As for the original question being too local or only about software - well, that is totally inconsistent with the use of SU in general. The closing of the question contradicts the FAQ itself.

It doesn't really matter to me any more as I already know the answer - but another user apparently wanted to find out the answer - thus the reason for me asking this question.

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
7

Just a few thoughts.

I don't think it's necessary to delete the now newly posted answer again. We probably have plenty of other more serious issues to worry about. The flag was valid, maybe the user who flagged it did not know that you answered your own question.

And you are right. When you ask a yes/no question, you expect a yes/no answer. "Does it work?" – "Yes.". We have a lot of those, and while they are not perfectly great answers, they answer the OP's problem (e.g. "I need to do this, is it possible?").

If it's a self-answer, you should have probably accepted it to keep it there.

I like the suggestion:

Rather update the question with your "answered" information and leave it open

… if it weren't for the question being closed now. Then you could have probably rephrased it to: "I tried this, and it works, but it's slow … can I make it faster?" or "Why is it slow?".

1
  • 1
    Thanks. It is nice to see someone with a rational/objective point of view.
    – tim
    Commented Oct 14, 2011 at 1:12
6

Because it was too short and hit the bad quality content filter. Your definition of useful differs slightly from Super Users' perspective of useful.

Answers, even self answers, are expected to be of a technical nature and high quality. Rather update the question with your "answered" information and leave it open until someone actually does come along with a real answer.

PS: Over zealous moderators are only following the moderator flags. We very rarely if ever act on a whim without the system or the community alerting us to intervene.

9
  • 2
    Indeed, it was flagged as 'not an answer' by a respectable user. I agreed and followed his suggestion.
    – Ivo Flipse Mod
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 15:05
  • 1
    Additionally, if you look at the post history, the self-answer was never marked as accepted. If the self-answer had been accepted, it would have been more likely to be retained.
    – nhinkle Mod
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 15:27
  • That's ridiculous. It clearly answers the original question post. I am not sure what "technical" content it needs. The question was if something would work. No one else was able to answer it. I answered it based on actual testing and experience. There is no "Technical" component - it just worked. Basically you are all saying "someone flagged it so we just did what they said." So why not let anyone just delete it. Moderators are supposed to actually THINK - not just blindly do as other users suggest. Again - it clearly answers the question. period.
    – tim
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 15:41
  • 1
    @tim Thanks for pointing that out. After reading the question again, I realized, and actually thought about it, your not asking to solve a computer related problem, your asking if something can be done with the software, which would have been better asked from WebEx support. I have therefore closed the question as too localized. Period.
    – BinaryMisfit Mod
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 17:19
  • Awesome. You guys are the best. Thanks so much. Great job. I will now go sift through all the questions on this site and vote to close the ones that are software related rather than hardware/computer questions. Keep up the good work.
    – tim
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 18:23
  • 1
    @Diago - by the way - your own FAQ states that software questions ARE on-topic. " * computer hardware * computer software " - from superuser.com/faq#questions
    – tim
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 18:25
  • 1
    @Diago - This is ridiculous - you are hurting the site with your actions. Any of the other software questions can be appropriate for other venues/support. I don't think this is what Jeff had in mind. Are you sure you are behaving appropriately as a moderator here? The fact that another user wanted a follow-up shows it is not too local and also shows that the moderator who deleted it was in the wrong. All this wasted time and nonsense all because someone deleted a perfectly good post...
    – tim
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 18:32
  • 2
    @tim Please explain when the answer to your question is simply Yes or No, how it is solving a computer problem. Your answer simply is, Yes you can do this but it's slow. That's not solving a problem, nor is it explaining to solve a problem. The site has a level of quality, and your answer, didn't meet that standard. It was flagged by the community as such, and you never ticked it as the accepted answer. I do not think I am hurting the site, the question was more then 4 months old and only received 551 views with no answers. To me that is the definition of too localized.
    – BinaryMisfit Mod
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 19:07
  • 3
    @Diago - The question implied a yes or no answer. So the only appropriate answer is "yes" or "no". DO you really think the question and answer are so low quality or is perhaps your objectivity a little questionable? If you can honestly say that this question is so bad and useless that it should be deleted and the ONLY answer that resolves it remain deleted then go ahead. But given that some other user followed up (which is why I discovered this) and asked the status I think you are wrong. The question has 3 upvotes. It might even have more than that. I don't see the issue.
    – tim
    Commented Oct 13, 2011 at 19:13

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .