1

I posted a comment under the following question giving , I presume, some helpful indications on the subject asked by the OP (clearly a new user).

The question was off-topic for a number of reasons, nonetheless I thought it was worth a comment that could help the new user to put his question into a different perspective.

But the comment has now been removed. Was it inappropriate, misleading or wrong?

5
  • 4
    Relevant and possibly even a duplicate.
    – Andrew Leach Mod
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 7:55
  • By chance, has the comment since been restored?
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 17:57
  • @Mari-LouA - no. But other users have made new comments.
    – user 66974
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 18:01
  • I ask because I see the 1st comment is yours and it was posted 23 hours ago.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 18:04
  • @Mari-LouA - I posted two comments. The first referred to the etymology of words as the reason why the are spelled with a s or a c.
    – user 66974
    Commented Apr 21, 2022 at 18:05

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

Comments can be deleted at any time, so don't get too attached. This one was flagged and deleted as an answer-in-comments. The best explanation that I've found for why answers shouldn't be left in comments is on RPG Meta.

Instead, use comments to tell the OP what they should do to make their question a good fit for the site, or where they should have checked for their answer instead of posting. (If neither of those is really possible, consider if the question really needed to be closed, and if the information could have been made into a proper answer.)

12
  • 5
    I still don't understand why 'answers in comments' are deleted, especially when the remaining comments are usually barely relevant fluff. Delete all the crap -first-, then consider the 'answer-in-comment' whether it is indeed some kind of transgression or if it is really trying to help the questioner. Usually such answers in comments are not actually answering but just proposing some information to see if that is the direction the OP wants. TLDR - delete the junky comments before deleting the 'answer in comment' (or really keep them all).
    – Mitch
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 23:40
  • 6
    Or better convert the answer in comment to a community answer. Then delete. But -save- the useful content.
    – Mitch
    Commented Apr 25, 2022 at 23:41
  • 2
    @Mitch — Because that's what it says in the comment box: "Use comments to ask for clarification or add more information. Avoid answering questions in comments." It's the same for every SE site, so it's part of the model. Please don't criticize the mods for upholding the rules.
    – David
    Commented Apr 26, 2022 at 11:42
  • 6
    @David 1) Maybe the rule should change. 2) Every site has its own culture. 3) Criticizing is how the mods (or anyone) know a rule isn't working well. 4) They're more guidelines rather than rules.
    – Mitch
    Commented Apr 26, 2022 at 14:21
  • 1
    Related: Why are we moving all the comments to chat?.
    – jsw29
    Commented Apr 26, 2022 at 16:05
  • 2
    @Mitch — Certainly criticism and discussion of the rules/model/guidelines is in order on meta. However I think the place for it is in a specific question on them rather than in comments to a mod who has answered a user query. As you are probaby aware as you have been here longer than me this question has been discussed in its own right. However Stack Overflow was set up with a deliberate philosophy as you expounded on a Google talk by one of the originators (I can post the url) and answers in comments breaks that. So you really need to discuss it on the main meta, or bite the bullet.
    – David
    Commented Apr 26, 2022 at 20:06
  • 3
    @David 1) Sure, post the URL, 2) I'm commenting at the place where the issue came up in context with the appropriate level of engagement (here on ELU). So as to 'discuss it on the main site', we're not discussing, we're just (both) responding to the other's comment. I'm not sure what bullet there is to bite. If you're saying I should just be quiet and accept things as they are, that seems like a weird thing to suggest... we're all trying to make things better here right?
    – Mitch
    Commented Apr 26, 2022 at 20:33
  • 1
    @Mitch — The video is at: youtube.com/watch?v=NWHfY_lvKIQ . I found and then lost a post from Tom Christiansen on the topic which would have saved you the time of watching it, but it's been that kind of a day.
    – David
    Commented Apr 27, 2022 at 16:23
  • @David Dude. That's an hour long video. Do you have a time stamp of when in that video it's relevant to 'answers in comments'? Also, re "with a deliberate philosophy as you expounded on a Google talk", are you saying -I- expounded this philosophy? I'm trying to understand.
    – Mitch
    Commented Apr 27, 2022 at 17:27
  • @Mitch My son sent me the link when I first discovered Stack Overflow. No prizes for guessing where he works. He probably did pinpoint a section but let’s just consider it as a conversion stopper.
    – David
    Commented Apr 27, 2022 at 18:45
  • 1
    With respect to the role of comments on this site, there seems to be a conflict between what one might call prescriptivists and descriptivists about the site's norms. The prescriptivists say 'Comments can be deleted at any time, so don't get too attached', because that follows from the explicitly stated rules of the site. The descriptivists, on the other side, can point out that much of the community (including some of its regular, long-term, highly respected contributors) do not really see the comments that way, and argue that the rules (or at least their interpretation) should reflect that.
    – jsw29
    Commented Apr 27, 2022 at 21:22
  • @Mitch I refer you to the RPG Meta link in this answer. I hope it clarified your question in comment. If not, please ask a question on meta so that we can discuss it further.
    – NVZ Mod
    Commented Apr 29, 2022 at 3:14

You must log in to answer this question.

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