There are a lot of articles that don't strictly meet the criteria but they are left because they aren't so broad a question such as:
This isn't working, why?
Without any attempt at what the person has already tried to fix it.
Before these rules, the #help tag was just a free-for-all and it wasn't helpful to anybody. People wanting help weren't getting it, because it was amongst articles that had no place.
The biggest issue is people post to the tag without any idea what it is actually for, hence why they are given 24 hours or given a reason why it was removed (which, by the way, is sent to the article creator - not made public for everybody to see).
The community guidelines can be found on the tag homepage, and they've also been outlined in the community guidelines post.
Did anyone do any user testing to ensure they were adequately visible when creating a post in different contexts? If they're something you're going to use to justify removing tags from people's posts - and with so little notice - they need to be way more visible. And suggesting people look for them in the side-panel - where they don't always appear - is really not helpful.
The naming of these 'guidelines' is also inconsistent: are they rules or guidelines? Rules are imposed and enforced; whereas guidelines are provided in order to help people towards their goal.
I haven't been looking at the #help channel so I'm not aware of the problems you may have had; but I saw your comment and it just felt wrong to me. If someone posts a question; including code and a description of what they're failing to achieve you have everything you need to provide an answer if you are so inclined. To me the decision to remove the tag seemed pretty arbitrary.
The biggest issue is people post to the tag without any idea what it is actually for
Then make the purpose of the tag clearer to them when the tag is added. Not afterwards. That's pretty fundamental UX.
And in my experience the more typical response to people posting to the wrong channel is to simply tag it to the right channel; not remove the tag and leave it to the OP to figure out what they should do with it; especially when they were clearly seeking help.
is sent to the article creator - not made public for everybody to see
That's an odd decision. Except in rare cases it's pretty standard to post feedback publicly: it's much more open; and it helps guide others to understand and follow the best approach to asking questions.
or given a reason why it was removed
So you only tell people afterwards why the tag was removed?! Rather than giving them upfront feedback so they can fix their post? Again the perception is that this is far from helpful.
I can understand that my somewhat critical stance may be unwelcome; but you asked for feedback and what I see is an approach that will foster exclusion and mistrust. For those whose first language isn't English understanding the guidelines and expressing their request to your satisfaction may be difficult. Do you intend to exclude them from the help channel? Because effectively that is what you will achieve. What about someone who asks for help in a language other than English? I've also often seen more inexperienced people - sometimes kids - posting badly formed questions to channels like this. Will you exclude them because of their lack of experience? Usually they welcome guidance on how to better express their problem. By simply removing the tag you are depriving them from more meaningful dialogue and will certainly alienate some.
Obviously I'm just stating my opinion here - others may not agree with me - but you appear to be setting yourself up for exactly the same criticism that Stack Overflow are currently struggling with.
Fair enough - and I understand that you're then using your own time to moderate the channel; so kudos for that! For some context; my comments are based on a few years experience contributing to a forum that ran pretty smoothly without the need for potentially exclusionary practices or heavy-handed moderation. It may seem such a trivial thing to get hung up on; but I really do think by removing the tag you're setting yourself up for strife and extra work.
Anyway - I wish you the best of luck.
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We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
The community guidelines can be found on the tag homepage, and they've also been outlined in the community guidelines post.
There are a lot of articles that don't strictly meet the criteria but they are left because they aren't so broad a question such as:
Without any attempt at what the person has already tried to fix it.
Before these rules, the #help tag was just a free-for-all and it wasn't helpful to anybody. People wanting help weren't getting it, because it was amongst articles that had no place.
The biggest issue is people post to the tag without any idea what it is actually for, hence why they are given 24 hours or given a reason why it was removed (which, by the way, is sent to the article creator - not made public for everybody to see).
Did anyone do any user testing to ensure they were adequately visible when creating a post in different contexts? If they're something you're going to use to justify removing tags from people's posts - and with so little notice - they need to be way more visible. And suggesting people look for them in the side-panel - where they don't always appear - is really not helpful.
The naming of these 'guidelines' is also inconsistent: are they rules or guidelines? Rules are imposed and enforced; whereas guidelines are provided in order to help people towards their goal.
I haven't been looking at the #help channel so I'm not aware of the problems you may have had; but I saw your comment and it just felt wrong to me. If someone posts a question; including code and a description of what they're failing to achieve you have everything you need to provide an answer if you are so inclined. To me the decision to remove the tag seemed pretty arbitrary.
Then make the purpose of the tag clearer to them when the tag is added. Not afterwards. That's pretty fundamental UX.
And in my experience the more typical response to people posting to the wrong channel is to simply tag it to the right channel; not remove the tag and leave it to the OP to figure out what they should do with it; especially when they were clearly seeking help.
That's an odd decision. Except in rare cases it's pretty standard to post feedback publicly: it's much more open; and it helps guide others to understand and follow the best approach to asking questions.
So you only tell people afterwards why the tag was removed?! Rather than giving them upfront feedback so they can fix their post? Again the perception is that this is far from helpful.
I can understand that my somewhat critical stance may be unwelcome; but you asked for feedback and what I see is an approach that will foster exclusion and mistrust. For those whose first language isn't English understanding the guidelines and expressing their request to your satisfaction may be difficult. Do you intend to exclude them from the help channel? Because effectively that is what you will achieve. What about someone who asks for help in a language other than English? I've also often seen more inexperienced people - sometimes kids - posting badly formed questions to channels like this. Will you exclude them because of their lack of experience? Usually they welcome guidance on how to better express their problem. By simply removing the tag you are depriving them from more meaningful dialogue and will certainly alienate some.
Obviously I'm just stating my opinion here - others may not agree with me - but you appear to be setting yourself up for exactly the same criticism that Stack Overflow are currently struggling with.
For what it's worth - I'm not a member of Dev, I'm just a community member moderating the tag.
If you think there is a better way of showing the rules/guidelines Dev is open-source so you could always raise a PR :)
Fair enough - and I understand that you're then using your own time to moderate the channel; so kudos for that! For some context; my comments are based on a few years experience contributing to a forum that ran pretty smoothly without the need for potentially exclusionary practices or heavy-handed moderation. It may seem such a trivial thing to get hung up on; but I really do think by removing the tag you're setting yourself up for strife and extra work.
Anyway - I wish you the best of luck.