On-topic migration to a more specific SE site declined

Question

The tour page mentions the following about this site:

Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. [...] With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about computer software or hardware.

That's very broad.

With this in mind, TeX - LaTeX could be considered a sub-site of Super User for the most part as it deals with computer software (from the TeX - LaTeX tour page:

TeX - LaTeX is a question and answer site for users of TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt, and related typesetting systems, people who love to create well-structured and beautifully typeset documents. [...] With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question related to TeX.

However, I don't see much value in diluting questions about TeX - LaTeX amidst all the other computer software/hardware content. People are far more likely to search, question and answer on TeX - LaTeX than here, except for the odd case.

To that end I've flagged the occasional tex/latex-tagged question for moderator attention, suggesting a migration over to TeX - LaTeX. This has received mixed reviews as of late. The following three questions were declined migration:

1. Installing LaTeX package

2. LaTeX creates some long lines (longer than 'linewidth')

3. How can I change the background color of a cell in LyX?

4. How to add a dot for section/subsection numbering in TeX

What's the problem with migrating this type of content over to a different site on the SE network that focuses specifically on these type of questions? Alternatively, if there are questions that are well-suited for a more focused SE Q&A, should such migration be encouraged in order to provide a less-diluted library of content?

Answer 1

There's a few aspects to migration

1. It is on topic here. So, there's no real reason to move it

2. as a result we'd usually move quality questions that are on topic elsewhere but clearly off topic here. Unless the person asking the question flags it for migration with a reasonable reason

3. The OP asking for it is a 'soft' prerequisite, since it would be nice if the op could work out if their question is answered. If an OP flags for migration its more likely but not granted that it will be migrated. (Additionally, if a mod from the destination site asks for a question to be moved, its definately going to be migrated)

4. If its a beta site it may not be migrated for other reasons - the site in question isn't but its worth mentioning. Beta sites are generally expected to get their own traffic.

In short, migration of questions isn't something that is always going to happen, and the balance of probability for a flagged question being migrated is going to lean towards it not being migrated.

As an aside, flagging isn't the preferred way to put questions on hold, if they were put on hold, and migration to the site was the preferred option, and there was enough people doing it, you wouldn't need to worry about mod approval.

Answer 2

Here's the way this has been explained to me by a diamond moderator in the past (my recollection may not be 100% true, so any misrepresentations are a mistake).

Basically, questions that were asked on SuperUser, which are on-topic for SuperUser, should not be migrated to other sites solely by virtue of the fact that they are also on-topic elsewhere, even if that other site is more specific. There has to be another reason.

Now, if the question is sitting on SuperUser and not getting any attention -- like if it's been here 5 or 6 days and no one has (usefully) commented or answered -- then migrating is more likely to be approved. Keep in mind that we also try not to migrate poor content to other sites, and sometimes when we're in doubt, we'll ask a moderator of the other site if they want it. If they say no, we're unlikely to debate it further with them; we'll either close it on SuperUser or leave it open, but we won't migrate it if they ask us not to. We want to be a good role model for the rest of SE, and not force our unwanted questions upon other sites.

TL;DR: We should not be migrating questions to other sites if any of the following are true:

• The question is low quality (not answerable, too broad, X-Y problem, etc.)
• Moderators from the other site (diamond or even 10k users), who we've asked about the question, have told us they don't want it migrated
• The question is medium- to high-quality, unambiguously on-topic for Super User (irrespective of the topicality on other sites), and is getting feedback from the community, or has an active bounty
• The OP of the question specifically meant to ask it on Super User
• The question is extremely old and the OP hasn't visited the network in a long time (at least several weeks for both time measurements) -- because the OP will be unlikely to revisit the question on the site it's migrated to and accept an answer

The question should be migrated to other sites if and only if all of the following are true:

• The question is high-quality, or you are willing to edit it to make it high quality (in fact it is good practice to edit away any problems at all that you see in the original question before migrating, or clarify things that the OP left out by asking them in comments)
• The question has received very little attention from our community (few views/answers/questions) and/or the quality of the comments and answers has been low, and the OP is unsatisfied with the responses so far; OR the question is unambiguously off-topic for Super User
• If you have any doubt whatsoever as to whether it's topical on the proposed destination site, you have asked a veteran user of that site (e.g. in chat) whether it's OK to migrate
• If the OP is responding to comments or participating in chat, the OP agrees that they want it migrated
• The question would likely be closed or become a tumbleweed (neglected question) if it remained on Super User