This tag is aimed for discussions about etiquette: how to behave on the site and the chat.
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No offense intended, but…
I haven't been a member on here for all that long of a period of time, but I would like to point out some things that I have observed that some may be overlooking. I have visited the site a large ...
15
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3answers
453 views
Centralized solutions to textbook problems considered harmful?
Recently I've been toying with the idea of going through Crandall and Pomerance's Prime Numbers: A Computational Perspective cover-to-cover, to the best of my ability. However, it's a very difficult ...
9
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4answers
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Should you rep someone's other posts to thank them?
sometimes I ask a question which don't receive much attention (this may include because the question is quite obscure, and in 1 recent case, probably because I posted it in the morning in the UK when ...
1
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1answer
59 views
What should I do about a question I asked, which I now realize is a bad question?
I posted this the other day because it seemed like a good idea at the time. However, I now realize it was an incredibly stupid question!
What's good etiquette in situations like this? Deletion? ...
8
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1answer
232 views
A kind of revenge?
I just saw some downvoting activity on many questions I answered (see here), not long after I answered this.
Is there anything I can do ?
EDIT Ok, so MSE has correctly reversed thing during night, ...
8
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3answers
420 views
Vulgar Username
I think necessary steps should be taken against the profile http://math.stackexchange.com/users/26920/urine-soaked-pajamas as the user name and avatar are offensive and go against the dignity of the ...
12
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2answers
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Etiquette for Downvoted Questions
What is the etiquette for downvoted questions?
For example, I have noticed many questions recently with down votes because one ore more of the MSE Community had issues with it.
However, I often ...
19
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0answers
410 views
Slightly spammy behavior
I don't know if it's too early to call this a problem, but two usernames with seemingly identical style, notation and subject matter have spammed a total of 10 questions today. (Not that asking a lot ...
24
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10answers
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How “civil” should we be?
Our FAQ states:
Civility is required at all times; rudeness will not be tolerated.
Recently I've come across a user flag complaining about a potentially "rude" post. The post in question ...
4
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0answers
402 views
Capricious bounty criteria should not be announced [closed]
Saying it on meta instead of in comments...
Awarding a bounty by criteria such as vote counts, random selection, or alphabetic ordering of answerers' user names, is better done silently without ...
18
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4answers
528 views
Typing out a short answer, and then editing it
I have observed a very established user (10k+) practicing this: They first write a one line answer to be the first answer, then edit it changing the whole meaning of the answer adding a lot ($10$ ...
7
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2answers
123 views
Is there any etiquette to be observed when editing a question or an answer?
I am asking this because there were a few occasions when I felt an urgent need to edit a person's solution that had been written rather poorly (e.g. using non-standard abbreviations or committing ...
4
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1answer
124 views
Is it wrong to ask a user to accept an answer?
I have seen several instances of questions which have at least one complete answer, but none of which are accepted, and no comments have been made to indicate why the user has not accepted an answer. ...
0
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2answers
238 views
Resurrecting old questions?
I apologize if this has been discussed, but I didn't find any info on a quick search.
What is the proper etiquette when you see a user resurrect a dead question that has been thoroughly answered? Is ...
1
vote
2answers
242 views
Etiquette in posing questions
I am often seeing questions which are phrased as commands or how to solve. As if it is the duty of members to respond.
I am not suggesting a load of obsequious verbiage. But just something that gets ...
1
vote
0answers
79 views
Should one add a 'thank you' comment to a helpful answer, or not? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the etiquette about leaving short thank-you comments?
It's my instinct to say 'thanks!' when I've been helped, so I like to say thanks in a comment after answers ...
10
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4answers
271 views
questions asked simultaneously on other SE sites
I noticed today that a used had asked the same question both on math.SE and on cs.SE (see Which languages are decidable? and ...
12
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1answer
245 views
Use of main-site comments for meta suggestions
I left a six-line comment on the main site suggesting that a user slightly modify her or his question-posting behaviour. As a response, the user asked me to open a meta thread to discuss ...
11
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2answers
618 views
Posting solutions to textbook exercises
I am fairly new to Stack Exchange, starting with stackoverflow.com. I added a math.stackexchange.com account to ask questions about my current self-study in Categorical Type Theory. Today, I posted a ...
28
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4answers
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Where is the fine line between using and misusing?
Disclaimer: I am fully aware that we have a no-names policy on the meta. However due to recent events I am sorry to be the one to break it on such a delicate topic. Willie tried to do it without ...
17
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2answers
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How much (self) editing is too much?
(N.B. not to be confused with this question)
We are all aware of editing being a core value of the part-Wiki nature of the Stack Exchange websites.
We are also all aware of the website providing a ...
2
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1answer
78 views
How do I ask a comment on multiple answers?
In my question What does it mean to do MLE with a continuous variable at least two (and perhaps all three) answerers told me, essentially, that instead of looking at probability, I should be looking ...
8
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0answers
374 views
Is it appropriate to cite a source that contains Chinese?
I am a Chinese user. I understand we should use English in SE, but is it appropriate to cite a source that contains Chinese (the main content still present in English)?
19
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3answers
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What is the etiquette about leaving short thank-you comments?
I left a brief question in a comment, and got a helpful reply, also in a comment. Then I wanted to leave a reply that said "Thank you.", but the comment system will not accept a comment of fewer than ...
6
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0answers
337 views
Changing a question before it has been answered
So here are three questions which discuss why changing a question once you've asked it is wrong:
question edited to change meaning
Can I change the existing question to a new one?
"Bug" in ...
25
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4answers
2k views
Rude and Sarcastic comments
I find the comments made by a moderator here to be rude and sarcastic. Though what the OP asks might not make complete sense and needs to rephrase his question in a better way, I believe that it does ...
9
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1answer
392 views
Questions posted on Math.SE and other SE sites
How should questions that are posted (by the same asker) on Math.SE and another Stack Exchange site be handled?
The general Stack Exchange policy is that multi-posting is strongly discouraged. On ...
8
votes
2answers
649 views
What's the deal with naming names?
Asaf's comment ("No Names policy") on a meta question of mine has kept me wondering:
When is it appropriate to identify a user for the purpose of discussion?
What benefit is there to a "No ...
11
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2answers
218 views
Clarify an old answer
Today I went to ask a question, but I discovered that somebody else had already asked the exact same thing. Goody for me, right?
Well, the trouble is, the question got several answers, but I don't ...
2
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1answer
240 views
Politeness in Chat
Recently I have noticed that have been some issues/arguments going on in the mathematics chat room between certain users. Sometimes the arguments get overboard and become personal, some of the things ...
0
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1answer
266 views
Receiving Swearing words as “Answer” (Not “cool”)
Please, I do not want to see or read any swearing words from the users or anyone on the Stack Exchange. I do not need to read them also. I have responsibilities to follow or catch up if needed. Could ...
13
votes
1answer
171 views
Is better to provide ample context or just get to the point of a question?
I enjoy writing well-written questions that provide plenty of context, but I'm becoming worried that it may be too much. When asking questions, is it good to provide context to your question, or ...
29
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0answers
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Main Chatroom Etiquette Rules
The previous owner of the Mathematics chat Asaf Karagila drafted some etiquette rules for the chat. They were deleted, so I am reposting them so that they might be observed.
It's nice of you to drop ...
2
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1answer
161 views
Can I change the existing question to a new one?
I have previously asked a question and got the answer but I not got another question which is based on the previous question. How do I post that, should I post another new one or edit the previous ...
9
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1answer
380 views
One user, six accounts?
I think that the following six accounts (all of them unregistered) belong to the same user: one, two, three, four, five, six. I base this judgement on the similarity of the usernames and gravatars, as ...
11
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1answer
231 views
Approving Suggested Edits
I think we should write some guidelines for approving edit suggestions. Of course that constantly editing posts is a good thing, but we need to be less hasty in approving edits.
It can be quite hard ...
2
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0answers
247 views
RFC: Social norm about 'not an answer, just too long for a comment' and community wiki
Suppose you see a question which is very interesting and you spend some time thinking about it, and you have something to say about it.
You start writing as an answer, because you have several points ...
4
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1answer
150 views
edit and rephrase or ask new question?
If neither the commentators nor I (meanwhile) are happy with my question, should I edit it completely or post a new one? (how do I close the fist one then?)
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2answers
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Is it rude to change which answer you accept?
Let's say you post a question, and someone answers it. The answer seems reasonable, so you accept it. Then, later, someone else comes along and provides a much more thorough and detailed response, ...
8
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1answer
117 views
Multiple small questions = 1 post, or multiple?
I am studying for the GRE by using practice books and taking practice exams. The answers are included for all questions, but not an explanation. I was able to deduce or otherwise help myself figure ...
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2answers
114 views
Retagging after an answer is given
Sometimes a question is asked under a perfectly suitable tag, but is given an answer which is addresses respects strongly related to other tags.
What should be the proper etiquette regarding ...
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0answers
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Re: henry's question(s) [closed]
One of [user:henry]'s questions spawned a meta-discussion in comments — so let's move it here (and delete it from the main site).
Surely you have some thoughts. For
example what does the ...
3
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0answers
44 views
Tag wikis and answers
Suppose there is an answer given by a user which seems like it would fit perfectly as a tag wiki entry (or part of one).
What should be the proper etiquette regarding copy&paste of the answer ...
13
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2answers
182 views
Questions x-posted and answered on MO
There is a following scenario that happens sometimes:
Question is posted on math.SE.
Question don't get any (useful) answers.
Question is crossposted to Mathoverflow and is answered there.
Now, ...
11
votes
1answer
206 views
question edited to change meaning
The question Example of function which is not computable. was recently edited by the original poster to completely change the meaning. In particular, the accepted answer is no longer reflective of ...
2
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1answer
176 views
Comments on non-professional math webpages
The question is the following:
Is it allowed to ask for comments
about mathematical results found
around the net?
I mean, I am not referring to professional articles or preprints (like the ...
6
votes
3answers
310 views
What is the proper way to acknowledge an answer posted on another forum / site?
Hi
Math-SE is (obviously) not the only math-discussion forum out there. A poster that wishes to maximize the speed at which his question is answered may well choose to post the same question on more ...
27
votes
10answers
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What is the site etiquette about (i) asking and (ii) answering questions in a language other than English?
We have a new user who has recently both asked and answered questions in French.
I think we should discuss the appropriateness of this practice.
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1answer
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Begging for upvotes in thread titles
Can we add something to the effect that "Begging for upvotes in thread titles" is not allowed to the faq?
