5

This Sept. 2022 question was closed unilaterally by a mod on Jan. 26, 2023 as “needs details or clarity”: How do I schedule a comment on Reddit? — no comments were left to explain what details or clarity were needed.

The question was initially closed by a single moderator, but then reopened by two users and another moderator (after I posted this meta post). However, the question was closed again on Mar. 24, 2023, by the same moderator who closed it the first time, after they had posted an answer (which indicates that the question was not unclear). The question has been closed twice without explanation, which is unfair to the OP and to the community.

I am puzzled by this situation — the reason for closing the question in the first place and why it was closed a second time despite having the support of two users and a moderator.

Link to question timeline: https://webapps.stackexchange.com/posts/166848/timeline

The question essentially asks: “How do I schedule a comment on Reddit?” It is a straightforward and clear question that seeks to learn how to schedule comments on Reddit, a web app (which is on-topic). Could someone please kindly clarify what part of it is unclear and point me to the community consensus that led to the closure of the question?

Rubén: The OP mentions Gmail, Twiter and "multiple source outlets" without providing enough details to be certain to what they are referring. Also it's not clear if they are looking for a built-in feature or if they are looking for a third party, API / scripting tools.

The part about “multiple source outlets” that OP mentioned is not essential for answering “How can I schedule a Reddit comment?” The question is clear and reasonable even without that part.

The possible solution (whether built-in, third-party, APIs, scripting tools, etc.) does not affect the clarity of the question. Any of those options would be a valid answer to the question. (That’s why OP asked in the first place; they don’t know the solution).

I would appreciate it if someone could explain what is unclear about the question, as it seems straightforward and clear to me. Otherwise, I would like to request to please reopen the question again: How do I schedule a comment on Reddit?

5
  • The OP mentions Gmail, Twiter and "multiple source outlets" without providing enough details to be certain to what they are referring. Also it's not clear if they are looking for a built-in feature or if they are looking for a third party, API / scripting tools.
    – Rubén Mod
    Feb 3 at 4:45
  • So broad question with so few details nowadays doesn't look to be a good bit for this site. Consider to ask for a software recommendation on Software Recommendations or ask on Meta Stack Exchange for a site recommendation to ask a question like that.
    – Rubén Mod
    Feb 3 at 7:27
  • 1
    @Rubén The question is a problem-based question, not a software recommendation question. Related: How do I ask a question that may require recommending a web app? Feb 3 at 7:45
  • 1
    Please guide the OP to improve their question or post yourselft a good question following the guideance from the link.
    – Rubén Mod
    Feb 3 at 7:49
  • 1
    Relevant meta discussion started by a community manager about whether we should mandate research on questions: Does Web Apps Stack Exchange Require Research?. Sep 16 at 0:54

2 Answers 2

3

Which part of it is unclear?

Nothing is unclear to me, it is crystal-clear, and I therefore voted to reopen.

The potential answer or solution (whether built-in, third-party, APIs, scripting tools, etc.) is also unrelated to the clarity of the question. Any of those potential solutions is a valid answer to the question. (This is why the OP asked in the first place; they don't know the solution)

The possibility to answer a question with a non-built-in solution shouldn't be a reason to close the question. Many (the majority maybe) questions on this site could be answered with a non-built-in solution, and aren't closed (rightfully so).

-3

Lets take this oportunity to review the guidance on how to ask and about what to do when a post is closed.

How to ask a good question has four sections

  1. Search, and research
  2. Be on topic
  3. Be specific
  4. Make it relevant to others.
  • Search refers especifically to search for content from Web Applications. In the specific case of there are only 49 visible questions so its understanble that the question in focus does not include links to previous questions. Ideally people should include links to the most relevant related posts.
  • Research refers to the efforts done by the OP to help themselves. As almost all web apps having a large user base Reddit has help center and a user help community. Ideally the OP research efforts should include a deep review of these resources. It's also expected that user have googled to trying to content around the web. I this specific case, scheduling the publish of a post is a very popular topic, there are huge ammount of content about that and offers.
  • Be on topic the question should be focused on using Reddit, it might be related to using it together with web browser features including extensions, userscripts and together with other web apps. Using with installable software might be OK while it limits to the setup like getting settings from the Reddit user account page. Straight request for software recommendations are off-topic. Questions about using an API that are not directly related to using an online IDE to create a user defined function / automation or that require professional grade advice are off-topic.
  • Be especific refers to provide enough details and context. Lack of details might cause having a lot of back and forth, people seeing the questions as a brainstorming, "shoping list" or discussion in a tipical online forum that motivated the SE model. The OP mentioned three different three things without providing any details. There are a lot of ways to scheduling emails in Gmail and tweets in Twitter, multiple of them work aren't limited to these tools.
  • It should clear how the solution asked is relevant to others, in this case Reddit users.

About the closing

It's perfectly fine that you have opened this question in Meta. Regarding the reopening, the OP should participe to solve the post problems / clarify what is being asked by providing additional details. If the OP don't comeback in a reasonable time you might ask about the same later. In the meantime you and others community members might help this OP by fixing small problems and providing guidance to the OP through comments or in a chat room.

Refences

1
  • 5
    If a question is bad, it merits a downvote. The bar for closing a question should be higher, especially if the community has already made it clear that the question should be reopened. Apr 10 at 10:55

You must log in to answer this question.

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