[wp-forums] This needs debating please

[Scott Merrill]

Podz wrote:
> http://wordpress.org/support/topic/44347#post-247675
> 
> "For many many people this forum is something they find most helpful. If
> you ask something, it dosent have to 100% wordpress related"
> 
> NOTE: I moved that post from the How-to forum.
> 
> I massively disagree with that poster.

On the "Forum Rules" page I drafted:
http://codex.wordpress.org/User:Skippy/Forum_Rules
I said:

"The WordPress Support Forums (http://wordpress.org/support/) are made
available, free of charge, for the express purpose of helping users with
WordPress problems. That's a pretty big umbrella, and a lot of things
can reasonably be considered "WordPress problems": PHP, CSS, XHTML,
hosting, technical diagnostics, and a whole lot more. It will be
impossible to enumerate all permissible subjects; but generally speaking
if it has to do with WordPress it's probably acceptable."

I think a lot of people have come to know us as relatively authoritative
about a great many subjects.  Many people don't know where else to find
help (maybe they don't use any other forums; or maybe they were too
strongly rebuked elsewhere, and left), so look to us as experts.

The specific issue in the linked post isn't WordPress related at all.
Ajay's been a user for over a year, with a fair amount of posting under
his belt.  This user most likely knows how to find help elsewhere.

I think we'll have to play this on a case-by-case basis.  Move the post
to Miscellaneous, as you've done here.  If the answer is easy to
provide, or there's an easy-to-find authoritative link, post it.  If the
original poster says "Thanks", then close the thread.  If the OP doesn't
reply in a resonable amount of time (say, 48 hours?), close the thread.

When posts like this become more frequent, or seek more complex
non-WordPress assistance, then we can begin to more proactively point to
outside resources.

Sound fair?

-- 
skippy at skippy.net | http://skippy.net/

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