52 votes
Accepted

Should users refrain from answers (or partial answers) in comments?

You should not answer in comments. Not partial answers, not full answers. Not "leads on" an answer. Not "I would answer but I'm tired/just woke up/am drunk so I'll just say this...&...
  • 174k
36 votes

What to do about comment misuse?

Don't call it a "comment" With this feature enabled, you can't "add a comment". You can only "suggest improvements": This is only a change in wording, so the mechanics ...
  • 3,769
32 votes

Should users refrain from answers (or partial answers) in comments?

I'll step in and provide some background here -- the reason why you see things that resemble "partial answers" in other Stacks is because troubleshooting is an iterative process. "Try turning it off ...
  • 10.9k
29 votes

Is it ok to ask for comments on downvotes?

It doesn't hurt to ask ... Many users on many SE site do ask for feedback to help understand what caused a negative reaction to a given answer or question. ... but don't be upset by a lack of ...
24 votes

I have some information to add to help someone solve their issue, do I answer or comment?

There's two expectations going on you're running into: If you're attempting to partially or completely solve the problem, exclusively do that in an answer. from Should users refrain from answers (or ...
23 votes

Question "On Hold" but its already been answered, Negative votes on new user posts, And general Shin kicking

I'm going to add a second answer that gets to the real problem you have. You think your problem is that everyone's being mean and closing your question. The real problem is that your question is ...
  • 174k
23 votes

Why are site comments being deleted?

In the interests of visibility, I'll say I'm (part of) the reason comments are being deleted. In my year on the site I've flagged comments ~230 times for deletion. I'd estimate based on my "helpful" ...
  • 99.6k
21 votes

Who should make welcoming comments?

You should welcome new users! Going from lurker to user is an enormous risk that the community should recognize. It's easy to overlook that someone has taken that risk and, instead, focus on what the ...
20 votes

Why is an answer being downvoted without any comments?

If someone hasn't explained their downvote, chances are there's nothing much helpful they can say, or their comment would be the kind that historically causes problems. Or, they just haven't gotten ...
20 votes
Accepted

Further Reading in Questions, not comments

Related links are one of the good uses of comments, and we don't delete them.
  • 174k
19 votes

What is the best way to respond to an incorrect answer when a comment is not enough?

Downvote it. Leave a concise comment. If I can, write a better answer. Downvote because I find the answer unhelpful: this gives the writer a signal that there's something wrong, and more importantly ...
  • 52.9k
19 votes
Accepted

Flagging comments for deletion: flag one or all?

Now that I've served as an elected mod and seen the tools... Flag them all. This post is all about moderators' workflow, so I'm going to get a little into the weeds, here: When you cast a flag (on ...
  • 99.6k
19 votes

How are users supposed to suggest questions might get better answers on a different SE site?

It comes down to that we're having some problems with IPS.SE users undermining the domain expertise of RPG.SE, and dissuading users from asking interpersonal questions here. I removed your initial ...
19 votes

Should resolved comment conversations that revolve around improving an answer be kept or deleted?

Please delete your obsolete comments Comments were added as a site feature to enable temporary communication with the post author, for exactly that kind of use. Emphasis on temporary: Comments are ...
18 votes

Why are site comments being deleted?

A tidy site is safer from trolls Another, way less obvious reason to ruthlessly remove comments used for anything other than managing Q&A posts: innocent but chatty comments would provide “weeds” ...
18 votes

I was told to not correct misconceptions in the question comments, what should I do instead?

Correct the misconception(s) in the answers Unless the misconception makes the question unclear about what the asker is actually asking, usually these questions can be answered. If the misconception ...
  • 36.4k
18 votes

Are "how to handle sexism/racism/other-ism at the table" questions exceptions to the "Good Subjective" rules?

These questions are still subject to Good Subjective. Basically all questions and answers are either Objective or Subjective or a mix of both. And all Subjective stuff is expected to be Good ...
18 votes
Accepted

Why were my comments deleted?

You did nothing wrong, but the answerer didn't want to make those changes Hi, I'm the mod who deleted those comments (and others) in response to NLN flags from the post owner. We generally take those ...
  • 47.3k
17 votes

What does it mean when it says I need “50 reputation” to comment?

Reputation is the site's “fake Internet points” system. It is earned by contributing to the site in positive ways, which are primarily asking good questions and writing good answers about roleplaying ...
17 votes
Accepted

Can a new user answer to comments under their own question?

Users can always comment on their own questions and answers regardless of reputation, see the end note of this meta.SE post.
16 votes

What's with the policy on deleting answer comments on closed questions?

It's not really a weird policy, and in fact, in the case that you're talking about, we the users potentially have the power to take care of it. First. Comments can't be directly migrated to answers. ...
  • 103k
16 votes

Is there a reason for RPG.SE deleting comments especially "radical"?

In short: RPG.SE's comment curation is a citizen-facing action to avoid the divisive habits in which many RPG sites frequently indulge. In long: RPG.SE is in a sweet spot where we can enforce Stack ...
  • 52.9k
16 votes

Should answerers and querents flag comments they folded in?

Yes, and that is frequently done.
  • 174k
16 votes
Accepted

Why were comment flags declined but comments deleted?

That was me. Sorry about the mix-up. When I received your flags I looked over the situation. I thought it was still a developing situation, which means the comments would need to stay. I dismissed ...
15 votes

Question "On Hold" but its already been answered, Negative votes on new user posts, And general Shin kicking

First thing, I have to say right off that none of these things are under our power to change. The software is designed that way, and RPG.se doesn't have control over the software. I will attempt to ...
15 votes

What to do about comment misuse?

Flag Inappropriate Comments From How do comments work? on Meta.SE: Who can delete comments? A user may delete one of their own comments at any time by clicking on the (x) icon that appears to the ...
  • 174k
15 votes

Use of comments to summarize an answer or request confirmation thereof

Phrase it as a request and/or suggestion Another mod handled that comment, but I took a look at it: Good perspective! Maybe the friends aren't being malicious but capricious. Honestly, it looks ...
15 votes

How can I suggest that a comment may have problems without violating the "no discussion" rule?

Short discussions that are working to improve a post aren't a problem Clarifications can be further clarified (or corrected) in comments as long as it is directly working towards that. If it diviates ...
  • 47.3k
15 votes

Is it ok to ask for comments on downvotes?

It's always ok to ask, but there's no guarantee you'll get a response. The reason for this is because downvotes already have their own reasons. This question/answer does not show any research ...
  • 22.8k
14 votes

How much of an answer/suggestion should be in comments to questions?

Answers flat-out shouldn't be posted in comments. Beyond the reasons suggested by mxyzplk — we're not using the site correctly, and everyone gets robbed of a soldified answer — I want to ...

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible