A fairly common requirement is to be alerted to changes/updates on a web site. There was recently a question from someone whose job was submitting proposals, and the client due dates were updated on the client's web site. They wanted to ensure that these changes weren't missed. They also followed certain forums and wanted to be alerted to new posts. They were looking for some form of alert (email, desktop message, etc.), when there was a change to a specified web site. Personally, I loved this question and would look forward to as many answers as possible.
The question got an answer or two and then was tagged as a duplicate of another question with 5 answers. Great, 5 answers. I clicked on the link and found that the question and its answers had been deleted. I flagged the problem ("duplicate" of a non-existent question). The flag got marked as helpful. Fantastic, now I might get to see the other answers. Instead, this question was also deleted. (link: https://superuser.com/questions/856317/how-can-i-be-alerted-to-updates-or-changes-on-a-specific-website)
I'm trying to understand why this subject is apparently off-topic.
- It isn't a request for online services, although that might be one logical source for a solution.
- I would think something browser-based could be a solution. It might be as simple as an existing browser add-in or feature setting.
- It isn't a shopping request, although software recommendations would not precluded.
- The solution could be a script.
- There might be numerous different possible solutions, although for this type of question, the more the better. That doesn't make it overly broad; the question, itself, is quite focused.
It seems to be within the definition of a hardware/software question, and not substantively different from questions routinely handled here. It's a common, real-life problem involving a computer-based task and the solution is likely to be software-based. What makes this collection of questions off-topic?
