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jlm11f's avatar

What kind of questions would you like to see on Fluther?

Asked by jlm11f (12413points) June 24th, 2008

I was inspired by this question where many people mentioned that the quality of questions is deteriorating. Most of us agree that the impossible-to-answer relationship questions need to go (also the impossible to answer medical questions). And the constant “how do i break into my iPhone” questions. But what kind of questions would you LIKE to see on fluther? Would you like to see more game questions? thought provoking? opinion questions? etc. Maybe if we get some good answers, newbies can come back and refer to this question before posting one on their own.

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22 Answers

richardhenry's avatar

I want to see more question questions, but unfortunately they almost never get answered. Like these ones: http://www.fluther.com/disc/16491/any-suggestions-for-cheap-places-to-stay-in-berlin/

PupnTaco's avatar

Opinion questions can’t really be answered via Google, so I’d love to see more of those. I like it when people are looking for anecdotal, experience-related answers rather than “what was that movie the William Macy was in that came out in 1997?” – which can be answered more efficiently elsewhere.

iwamoto's avatar

better formulated ones… i already feel like not answering questions lithe this

“I currently own two pugs that have been in our family for 3 years. We are also really big fans of English Bulldogs are are looking to add one to the mix. Do you think this is a good idea?”

that’s right there on the mainpage…it’s like an elephant between the ladybugs…ugh

and i agree with PnT, i remember one of my first answers, someone asked “who played the solo on this and this track?” >wikipedia >fill in song >copy paste >get lurve

i really liked questions like one i’m seeing on the right right now
“What is your interpretation of “Donnie Darko”?”
that’s a question where you get to fill in your own opinion etc. not just google it because the other user has the power and knowledge to make an account, but not to simply use google…

xxporkxsodaxx's avatar

This is a place for questions, of course there are some stupidity limits but a place for questions none the less.

jrpowell's avatar

“How do I jailbreak my girlfriend?” == A bad question
“How do I break my girlfriend out of jail?” == A good question

Seriously. The community needs to decide. Call people out on things that suck. But do it in public. Don’t complain via private comments. If you have a problem with someone or a question you should let everyone discuss it.

We are big kids here and don’t need the mods to hold our hands. We can mock stupid people until decide to never come back. Self policing can work and richardhenry needs sleep.

please don’t mock me

playthebanjo's avatar

I like the ones where I am “allowed” to be nonsensical and veer of the topic with sarcastic remarks. oh, wait. That more relates to the answers I would like to see on fluther. The questions I like are the ones easily answered by quick google searches so that I can answer them as above.

jlm11f's avatar

nooo richardhenry doesn’t need sleep! he sold his soul to the jellyfish :D

robmandu's avatar

Not to be a ninny about it… but Fluther already explains the attributes of a good question a bit:

- Be specific: How deep should I plant my summer squash?
Add depth: I have a small garden in Northern Vermont, and my summer squash have never grown well. What should I do?
Use tags: Vermont, cooking, horticulture

Now, to me, there are implications to this example. Not everyone may agree, but my takeaway is:

- Q’s should be about real things. That is, not purely theoretical horseplay… like If offered, would you choose to be spectacularly beautiful? (no offense, Harp. I did indeed enjoy reading thru that.)
– Q’s should be answerable. That is, there should defensible positions to the rightness or wrongness of the suggested answers.

Now the squash example, if you get 3 farmers and ask them, they may very likely provide 3 different answers (at least in some of the details). So opinion in the answers is certainly acceptable and expected. But, for me, if opinion is going to come into play, I’d at least like some citation as to why. Drives me nutty to see an opinionated answer about a real thing provided with absolutely no context or citation as to its veracity.

P.S. The purely theoretical can indeed be fun… and I do not advocate banishing it. But it definitely flirts with the fringe between good and bad.

P.P.S. And like often suggested before, I find it perfectly acceptable to ignore the Q’s I don’t like. It just sucks when that happens more often than not.

P.P.P.S. Example of a Great Question: Why haven’t animals evolved with wheels?

richardhenry's avatar

@robmandu: Yes! You said what I was trying to say in a much more eloquent manner. Hats off to you.

flameboi's avatar

Opinion questions, different points of view give you the possibility to see a wider aspect of the problem/confussion/whatever you are facing, sometimes, we tend to see just one side of the possible solution, you never know when someone else can come up with a good idea :) or at leat, a nice phrase or a good laugh, like playthebanjo, johnpowel & wildflower (just to mention a few) do.

jrpowell's avatar

Powell motherfucker. It is LL you twit. ~

I was joking. Maybe this is when we exchange hugs?

flameboi's avatar

I’m sorry johnpoweLL! typo, I’m hungry I ate one “L”
Yes this is when we exchange hugs (i’m a non violent kind of person, except when someone makes me lose my temper) :D

richmarshall's avatar

@johnpowell, saying “I was joking” is redundant since you had ~ at the end of your sentence.

Knotmyday's avatar

I would much rather answer a question that requires serious thought, research, or introspection than those which beg for “Yes!” “No!” or some snippy remark.
I’m not immune to sarcastic replies, though. When warranted. Or irresistable.
Or not.~

Harp's avatar

I’m much less interested in questions that have specific answers (like this ) than in ones that make me look at the world from a different angle (like AstroChuck’s famous “wheel” question) or make me look closer at my assumptions (like this ). There have been questions I’ve come across here that I’ve thought about for days. Those are the ones I love, even if I never come up with an answer. If I see a question that I can just answer offhandedly, I’ll do it, but that’s not really where it’s at for me.

I understand that Fluther has utility as a resource for people looking for that little missing fact that will solve problem X. Cool. But those aren’t the ones that turn into good discussions. Once the right answer’s out there, where can it go?

I don’t see much point in “favorites” or “like/dislike” questions, other than (maybe) as a social exercise. But I don’t put “introspection” questions into that same category. I think that the human psyche is just as legitimate an area of inquiry as are car problems or hard drive issues.

iwamoto's avatar

oh man, another HUGE question on the main page, can’t these new guys take a hint ? it’s not like all the other questions are that big…

mirza's avatar

the ones that make me feel smart for knowing the answer

loser's avatar

I like medical questions and ones about beer!

CygnetSwan's avatar

I enjoy the opinion questions, as many others have said. However, I asked an opinion questions (I asked what people thought of a particular YouTube video) and it was flagged as a “poll”. So now I am discouraged from asking any more opinion questions. Hurmph.

cheebdragon's avatar

cygnet- I agree 100%

Babo's avatar

Babo too!

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