Given the amount of questions that start with "I am very new to (x) and how do I do this...", questions that lead in to the inevitable "Ok that is working but now...", it seems like it would be beneficial to improve the perception of the site by providing an easy link that answerers can use to link to that explains why people stop giving additional answers and what steps the asker can use to get additional help in the future.

Something similar to the list of https://stackoverflow.com/questions/how-to-ask


Welcome to StackOverflow.com. Someone has linked here to give you a heads up that your initial question was answered, probably due to a syntax error, and now more questions keep coming out of the original. They probably wanted to help you become a member of the community but felt that the question needs to be marked as answered and a new question opened or that you should take a look at the docs or something without being rude. etc...

Is this already somewhere that I have missed? Is it beneficial to the growing the community?

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    I think this—or something similar—should be implemented in some way. – The Guy with The Hat May 6 '14 at 17:40
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    If the question askers read anything about how the site works, we wouldn't need this. – gunr2171 May 6 '14 at 17:46
  • Related: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/210840/… – devnull May 6 '14 at 17:47
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    @gunr2171 True, but remember that every first question is for sure not a duplicate because the other solution didn't work exactly for them or the problem is unique only to their codebase so please just review the edit... – PW Kad May 6 '14 at 17:52
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    Also related: "Just one more thing" – Josh Caswell May 6 '14 at 18:05
  • Definitely related, my question is asking can/should we create a nice placeholder for it that is well worded and inviting to the new user – PW Kad May 6 '14 at 18:09
  • In the mean time I'll link people to this page... – Jim Jones May 6 '14 at 23:35
  • @SpencerKillen In that case please feel free to edit the opening blockquote as needed. – PW Kad May 7 '14 at 1:29
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    @gunr2171 I think asking anyone to read anything is asking an awful lot.. – iamkrillin May 7 '14 at 4:00
  • every first question is for sure not a duplicate Whatever gives you that idea? Look at the number of duplicate questions that come up every day tagged php and mysql. The questions originate in dire tutorials found on the web but the questioners are too lazy, or too stupid, to do any research, much less learn a little about debugging or reading manuals. – user1864610 May 7 '14 at 4:04
  • @MikeW It was obviously a joke that you weren't getting because you were so excited to come and call people lazy and stupid. No wonder people ask why SO.com is so negative and call the community bad names. To elaborate the point is first time posters ALWAYS think their question is unique – PW Kad May 7 '14 at 4:07
  • @gunr2171 is right but HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL, and as someone who has fallen into the help vampire trap before I think at least answerers would benefit tremendously from something like this... – itsjeyd May 7 '14 at 9:50
  • Shouldn't this be tagged feature-request? – m69 Oct 15 '15 at 21:58
  • LuL went through 4 duplicates to get here. – marcusshep Aug 17 '17 at 20:33

Here is the approach that has been proven to work pretty well for me. 1, 2

As soon as I sense that Oh, but, now there's another problem I reply with comment like this:

Looks like <refer to original problem> is solved isn't it? As for <refer to "next" problem>, that would be a different question, consider posting it separately.

Copied from MSE - Exit strategies for “chameleon questions”.

  • And then people read this comment just as thoroughly as the FAQ/help center... consider it, and don't post a new question. – PlasmaHH May 8 '14 at 15:25
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    I've made similar comments in like situations, and had the OP proceed to select an answer and then post a new question - more often than not. I think it's useful to have in order to inform future readers why an 'oh, now there's another problem' questions were not answered. If the future reader hit on the question because they had the same issue as the 'another problem' that reader won't be dissuaded from asking the question independently. Leaving it unanswered without comment leaves a completely different impression about the likelihood of getting a question about that other issue answered. – Pauli Price May 8 '14 at 15:45

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