Clarify "Ask Question" placeholder text

Question

The current placeholder text in the "Ask Question" form title reads:

What's your web applications question? Be specific.

I think this can be clarified to (maybe) stop or slow down users who are new to the site and have the mistaken idea that the site is for web application development questions.

Perhaps it could be changed to something like:

What's your web applications utilization question? Be specific.

(h/t Ramon Melo)

Or maybe:

What's your question about using a web application? Be specific.

Or maybe:

What's your web applications usage (not programming) question? Be specific.

I think something (anything!) that does a bit more to emphasize that the site is not for programming questions would be useful.

Answer 1

If someone is interested / willing to update this feature request, (not about programming / developing web apps) checkout SpencerG's answer (April 6, 2023) to

The guidance in the "Step 1: Draft your question" box on the Ask Question page should be customized

And the following related Announcement in Meta Stack Exchange

• The new ask page is now live on the network!
• What site-specific changes can be made to the Ask Question page to help askers on that site write better questions?

Similar feature-request from sister sites

Ask Ubuntu Meta

• Can we warn new users that questions about Kali Linux, Pop OS and so on are off topic when they attempt to ask a new question?

Answer 2

There appears to be a lack of shared understanding among seasoned users on Web Applications Stack Exchange, as many of the posted questions reveal an unfamiliarity with the term "web applications". Some users seem to have even overlooked the "web" aspect of the term in their inquiries. Perhaps it would be helpful to first clarify the site's name and create a FAQ that explains what constitutes a web application. It may also be beneficial to provide a summary in the Web Applications Tour.

I wonder if also it might be possible to include tools, tips or another way to help users understand the "jargon" of Web Applications Stack Exchange without having to spend hours to be able to post a good question.

The use of required tags or other meta tags to help looks impossible. Features like a triage review queue don't look like an option due to the low participation in moderation.

We need to find a better way to help users help themselves regarding writing a good question.

P.S. I will try to figure out some "prompts" for OpenAI ChatGPT and Google Bard that help users write better questions or create a userscript / bot to write tailored comments.

Related

• Define "web application"
• Proposal to clean up the scope of the site: Is your question about using a specific web application?
• What's the purpose of this community again...?
• Who do outsiders think Web Applications is for, developers/power-users or Joe-user?