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1 | user30: I have been wanting to learn about 3D printing a long time so I really want this site to succeed but I have no previous experience with the subject.
I was wondering how can I help the site at this early stage. I thought about asking about how to get started with 3D printing but SE explicitly discourages "easy" questions in the private beta.
What can newbies like me do for the site at this stage besides voting questions and answers?
user20: That's the goal of the site, learn, research and ask.
While you learn, you can always perform other tasks such as:
improve quality posts by proposing edits,
be active in meta (propose new ideas or write your opinion which are always welcomed),
review moderation queues,
housekeeping - help to keep things organised (e.g. tags),
propose descriptions for wiki tags,
vote on questions, down-vote bad or propose changes on low-quality posts,
and so on.
user43: I would suggest doing a bit of basic research on 3D printing (including reading questions and answers). From these you will learn more about it and hopefull you will have new questions about 3D printing that can be asked.
If you are looking at getting a 3D printer, you could ask about different features listed and why they make prints better.
user138: Vote!
Private Betas love, love, love votes. Without votes, it's difficult to attain privileges, get rewards, and help push us out to public beta.
Ask Questions!
I know you said this:
I thought about asking about how to get started with 3D printing but SE explicitly discourages "easy" questions in the private beta.
But here's the catch. "Easy" isn't defined. If you have an "easy" question, but it is specific, high-quality, and to the point, and you can show some effort in it, then, please, go ahead and ask it!
Participate!
You have a voice in our meta discussions as well. You also have the authority to suggest edits, to posts, tag wikis, and tag excerpts. They also get you +2 rep for each that is approved, which can help bring you more afloat. You can also give your opinion in scope, by casting close and reopen votes as well :)
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/30/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"30: <p>I have been wanting to learn about 3D printing a long time so I really want this site to succeed but I have no previous experience with the subject. </p>\n\n<p>I was wondering how can I help the site at this early stage. I thought about asking about how to get started with 3D printing but SE explicitly discourages \"easy\" questions in the private beta.</p>\n\n<p>What can newbies like me do for the site at this stage besides voting questions and answers?</p>\n",
"20: <p>That's the goal of the site, learn, research and ask.</p>\n\n<p>While you learn, you can always perform other tasks such as:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>improve quality posts by proposing edits,</li>\n<li>be active in meta (propose new ideas or write your opinion which are always welcomed),</li>\n<li>review <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/review\">moderation queues</a>,</li>\n<li>housekeeping - help to keep things organised (e.g. tags),</li>\n<li>propose descriptions for wiki tags,</li>\n<li>vote on questions, down-vote bad or propose changes on low-quality posts,</li>\n<li>and so on.</li>\n</ul>\n",
"43: <p>I would suggest doing a bit of basic research on 3D printing (including reading questions and answers). From these you will learn more about it and hopefull you will have new questions about 3D printing that can be asked. </p>\n\n<p>If you are looking at getting a 3D printer, you could ask about different features listed and why they make prints better.</p>\n",
"138: <h1>Vote!</h1>\n\n<p>Private Betas love, love, <em>love</em> votes. Without votes, it's difficult to attain privileges, get rewards, and help push us out to public beta.</p>\n\n<h1>Ask Questions!</h1>\n\n<p>I know you said this:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I thought about asking about how to get started with 3D printing but SE explicitly discourages \"easy\" questions in the private beta.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>But here's the catch. \"Easy\" isn't defined. If you have an \"easy\" question, but it is specific, high-quality, and to the point, and you can show some effort in it, then, please, go ahead and ask it!</p>\n\n<h1>Participate!</h1>\n\n<p>You have a voice in our meta discussions as well. You also have the authority to suggest edits, to posts, tag wikis, and tag excerpts. They also get you +2 rep for each that is approved, which can help bring you more afloat. You can also give your opinion in scope, by casting close and reopen votes as well :)</p>\n"
] |
2 | user10: There are many different printing technologies. While it might be clear to the asker that he's talking about his home 3D printing machine, that's not necessarily the case for those that try to answer the question.
I think it would help to specify the scope of questions with tags, to allow future visitors to identify what type of 3D printer it is about. Answers to a lot of questions related to general properties of the printing process like printing speed, resolution, additional manual work, support structures, etc. depend heavily on the technology that's being used.
This also prevents "Well, it depends..." type of answers that cover a lot of possibly unrelated things.
user16: No, there will be many questions which are more general in nature, and have little to do with the actual process used to produce the part.
We should encourage tag use for process when appropriate, but I don't think making it mandatory will work in the long term.
user1: Mandatory is a probably poor choice of words. Not every question is going to be about the use of specific equipment.
As with any Q&A site, a user should always include enough background and support information in the body of the question so it can be answered definitively. If the specific material or equipment is relevant, be sure to include that information in the post.
But if that information is missing, readers can use the 'comments' section to ask the author to go back and clarify the original post. Comments are meant to ask for clarification or to include other information that can somehow improve the original post (questions and answers). Keep at it; editing and constantly improving a post is what this is all about. These posts should serve as a model to the industry and serve as a source authority. But please do not use comment to answer questions. Comments are not well-equipped to properly vet any content. Thanks.
user9: For questions where the technology matters, absolutely.
If you look at Stack Overflow, for example, all questions must be tagged with the language the OP is asking about. I doubt there will be many questions that are asking about all technologies at once - and if they are, that's likely to be marked as too broad anyway.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/10/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"10: <p>There are many different printing technologies. While it might be clear to the asker that he's talking about his home 3D printing machine, that's not necessarily the case for those that try to answer the question.</p>\n\n<p>I think it would help to specify the scope of questions with tags, to allow future visitors to identify what type of 3D printer it is about. Answers to a lot of questions related to general properties of the printing process like printing speed, resolution, additional manual work, support structures, etc. depend heavily on the technology that's being used.</p>\n\n<p>This also prevents \"Well, it depends...\" type of answers that cover a lot of possibly unrelated things.</p>\n",
"16: <p>No, there will be many questions which are more general in nature, and have little to do with the actual process used to produce the part.</p>\n\n<p>We should encourage tag use for process when appropriate, but I don't think making it mandatory will work in the long term.</p>\n",
"1: <p><em>Mandatory</em> is a probably poor choice of words. Not every question is going to be about the use of specific equipment. </p>\n\n<p>As with <em>any</em> Q&A site, a user should always include enough background and support information in the body of the question so it can be answered <em>definitively.</em> If the specific material or equipment is relevant, be sure to include that information in the post.</p>\n\n<p>But if that information is missing, readers can use the 'comments' section to ask the author to go back and clarify the original post. Comments are meant to ask for clarification or to include other information that can somehow improve the original post (questions and answers). Keep at it; editing and constantly improving a post is what this is all about. These posts should serve as a model to the industry and serve as a source authority. But <strong>please do not use comment to answer questions</strong>. Comments are not well-equipped to properly vet any content. Thanks.</p>\n",
"9: <p>For questions where the technology matters, absolutely.</p>\n\n<p>If you look at Stack Overflow, for example, all questions must be tagged with the language the OP is asking about. I doubt there will be many questions that are asking about all technologies at once - and if they are, that's likely to be marked as too broad anyway.</p>\n"
] |
5 | user16: Stack exchange isn't a good platform for product recommendations in general, but a few sites allow it with a tight focus and control. Some that have allowed it in the past have decided to discontinue it for a variety of reasons.
I expect at the start we are going to get a lot of "What specific machine should I use" or "is there a 3D model of item X I can print".
Should we allow product or part recommendations?
If we do, what can we do to make sure they are limited, rather than open ended questions where dozens or hundreds of answers would be different but correct?
user156: I think that hardware recommendations are ok, but in a limited and specific scope:
Bad:
Can you recommend a cheap printer with a heated bed that's at least 8"*8"*8".
Which is better? Printer X or printer Y?
Good:
What hotend can I use to print at 300+C?
What are the advantages of borosilicate glass over picture frame glass?
user127: 3D printers are, I do believe, on-topic for Hardware Recommendations (I moderate that site, so one might hope I'd know that).
In terms of recommendations in general, I recommend not even trying to get them into your scope yet. As a site that's just been set up, and was not set up specifically for recommendation questions, getting the balance of them right without 100% focus on the subject is difficult.
Get a good, balanced, secure scope in place first, then try to include recommendation questions if you still want them.
user10: I agree with Jeff's blog post: https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/
don't ask us what you should buy -- ask us what you need to learn to tell what you should buy.
| [
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"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/16/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"16: <p>Stack exchange isn't a good platform for product recommendations in general, but a few sites allow it with a tight focus and control. Some that have allowed it in the past have decided to discontinue it for a variety of reasons.</p>\n\n<p>I expect at the start we are going to get a lot of \"What specific machine should I use\" or \"is there a 3D model of item X I can print\".</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Should we allow product or part recommendations?</li>\n<li>If we do, what can we do to make sure they are limited, rather than open ended questions where dozens or hundreds of answers would be different but correct?</li>\n</ol>\n",
"156: <p>I think that hardware recommendations are ok, but in a <strong>limited</strong> and <strong>specific</strong> scope:</p>\n<p>Bad:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Can you recommend a cheap printer with a heated bed that's at least 8"*8"*8".</p>\n<p>Which is better? Printer X or printer Y?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Good:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What hotend can I use to print at 300+C?</p>\n<p>What are the advantages of borosilicate glass over picture frame glass?</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
"127: <p>3D printers are, I do believe, on-topic for <a href=\"http://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com\">Hardware Recommendations</a> (I moderate that site, so one might hope I'd know that).</p>\n\n<p>In terms of recommendations in general, I recommend not even trying to get them into your scope yet. As a site that's just been set up, and was not set up specifically for recommendation questions, getting the balance of them right without 100% focus on the subject is difficult.</p>\n\n<p>Get a good, balanced, secure scope in place <em>first</em>, then try to include recommendation questions if you still want them.</p>\n",
"10: <p>I agree with Jeff's blog post: <a href=\"https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/\">https://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>don't ask us what you should buy -- ask us <em>what you need to learn</em> to tell what you should buy.</p>\n</blockquote>\n"
] |
6 | user63: From The 7 Essential Meta Questions of Every Beta:
What should our documentation contain?
Much of the sites documentation will be the same as on every other Stack Exchange site: “be nice,” “how to create an account,” “how to ask questions” — it’s all pretty static. Even the sections about “what kind of questions should I (not) ask here?” comes primarily from the Definition phase of Area 51.
But the questions you want to discuss in meta are those issues specific to your site that need to be mentioned in the Help Center.
Take the Super User "About" page as an example:
Super User is for computer enthusiasts and power users.
Ask about...
Specific issues with computer software, hardware or networking
Real problems or questions that you’ve encountered
Don't ask about...
Anything not directly related to computer software or computer hardware
Questions that are primarily opinion-based
Questions with too many possible answers or require an extremely long answer
Videogames, consoles, or other electronic devices, unless they connect to your computer
Websites or web services like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress
Shopping, buying or product recommendations
Issues specific to corporate IT support and networks
These are then elaborated on in SU's What topics can I ask about here? page.
It took almost a year to figure out the list of “we want these sort of questions” and “we don’t want these sort of questions” on Super User. Area 51 gave you a head start but you should also be working out other FAQ-related issues specific to your topic and your community.
user63: Based on the Help Center > Asking | What topics can I ask about here? over on Robotics
$SiteShortName is for 3d printer professionals, hobbyists, researchers and students.
We ask and answer questions about 3d printers, control systems, control theory, algorithms, actuators and sensors.
We feel the best 3d printer questions have links to pertinent datasheets or code, but if your question generally covers …
a specific 3d printer design or implementation problem
the theory and simulation of 3d printers
a sensor, actuator or controller for a 3d printer
algorithms or techniques for 3d printing
… then you’re in the right place to ask your question!
Some kinds of questions aren't allowed here:
Shopping recommendations: Questions which ask "which product or library should I use" or "Where can I buy X", are considered shopping recommendations.
Electronics theory: Questions which are more general electrical engineering questions and have no real relation to 3d printers are better off at Electrical Engineering.
Programming: Generic programming questions with no relation to 3d printers should be asked on Stack Overflow.
CAD/CAM: Questions about computer aided design and manufacture should be be asked on Engineering, unless they are related to 3d printing, in which they are fine here.
Life Questions: Questions about choosing how to spend your time (what book to read, which class to take, what 3d printer project to construct, what career to pursue, etc.) may be about difficult decisions, and they are often important, but they are too specific to your own situation and are unlikely to help future visitors to the site. They would be better off asked in 3d Printing Chat.
Generally speaking, if your question is directly related to 3d printers then even if your question might also be appropriate on another site, we are likely to be happy to see it here.
Please look around to see if your question has been asked before. It’s also OK to ask and answer your own question.
If your question is not specifically on-topic for $SiteName, it may be on topic for another Stack Exchange site. If no site currently exists that will accept your question, you may commit to or propose a new site at Area51, the place where new Stack Exchange communities are democratically created.
For more help, see "What types of questions should I avoid asking?"
This is Community wiki, so please help improve this suggestion.
Also, try to maintain the pure html formatting, so that the text between the horizontal bars can be pasted straight into the What topics can I ask about here? page.
user11: Do worry about it (at least a little bit).
We need to have at least a rough idea of what is on and off topic to know what the site will be about. Without a least some discussion on this how will mods know when a question needs to be closed? Thats not to say that nothing will change or that we can't refine our thoughts on this but getting a rough draft wouldn't be the worst thing.
Taking the Super User example, we could consider at least a few things, something like this, for example,
On topic for 3D Printing
Specific issues with a 3D printer (e.g. My 3D printer keeps failing prints)
Real problems or questions you have (e.g. How do I level my 3D printer)
Off Topic
Anything not related to 3D printing
Opinion based questions (e.g. Which is the better 3D printer?)
Shopping, buying and product recommendations
Questions with too many possible answers or require an extremely long answer
Things that we need to decide on
Legal questions (e.g. Can I 3D print a gun)
Software questions (e.g. questions about Blender for making 3D models specifically to print, on topic or defer to the Blender Stack Exchange site)
This is just a sample of some things I can think of, off the top of my head.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/6",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/63/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"63: <p>From <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/07/the-7-essential-meta-questions-of-every-beta/\">The 7 Essential Meta Questions of Every Beta</a>:</p>\n<hr />\n<h2>What should our documentation contain?</h2>\n<p>Much of the sites documentation will be the same as on every other Stack Exchange site: “be nice,” “how to create an account,” “how to ask questions” — it’s all pretty static. Even the sections about “what kind of questions should I (not) ask here?” comes primarily from <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/faq#questions\">the Definition phase of Area 51</a>.</p>\n<p>But the questions you want to discuss in meta are those issues specific to your site that need to be mentioned in the Help Center.</p>\n<p>Take the <a href=\"https://superuser.com/faq\">Super User "About" page</a> as an example:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Super User is for computer enthusiasts and power users.</p>\n<p>Ask about...</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Specific issues with computer software, hardware or networking</li>\n<li>Real problems or questions that you’ve encountered</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Don't ask about...</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anything not directly related to computer software or computer hardware</li>\n<li>Questions that are primarily opinion-based</li>\n<li>Questions with too many possible answers or require an extremely long answer</li>\n<li>Videogames, consoles, or other electronic devices, unless they connect to your computer</li>\n<li>Websites or web services like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress</li>\n<li>Shopping, buying or product recommendations</li>\n<li>Issues specific to corporate IT support and networks</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<p>These are then elaborated on in SU's <a href=\"https://superuser.com/help/on-topic\">What topics can I ask about here?</a> page.</p>\n<p>It took almost a year to figure out the list of “we want these sort of questions” and “we don’t want these sort of questions” on Super User. Area 51 gave you a head start but you should also be working out other FAQ-related issues <strong>specific to your topic and your community</strong>.</p>\n",
"63: <p>Based on the <a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic\">Help Center > Asking | What topics can I ask about here?</a> over on <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/22/37\">Robotics</a></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p><strong>$SiteShortName</strong> is for 3d printer professionals, hobbyists, researchers and students.</p>\n\n<p>We ask and answer questions about 3d printers, control systems, control theory, algorithms, actuators and sensors.</p>\n\n<p>We feel the best <em>3d printer</em> questions have links to pertinent datasheets or code, but if your question generally covers …</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>a specific 3d printer design or implementation problem</li>\n<li>the theory and simulation of 3d printers</li>\n<li>a sensor, actuator or controller for a 3d printer</li>\n<li>algorithms or techniques for 3d printing</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>… then you’re in the right place to ask your question!</p>\n\n<p>Some kinds of questions aren't allowed here:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Shopping recommendations</strong>: Questions which ask \"which product or library should I use\" or \"Where can I buy X\", are considered <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/\">shopping recommendations</a>.</li>\n\n<li><strong>Electronics theory</strong>: Questions which are more general electrical engineering questions and have no real relation to 3d printers are better off at <a href=\"http://electronics.stackexchange.com\">Electrical Engineering</a>.</li>\n\n<li><strong>Programming</strong>: Generic programming questions with no relation to 3d printers should be asked on <a href=\"http://stackoverflow.com\">Stack Overflow</a>.</li>\n\n<li><strong>CAD/CAM</strong>: Questions about computer aided design and manufacture should be be asked on <a href=\"http://engineering.stackexchange.com\">Engineering</a>, unless they are related to 3d printing, in which they are fine here.</li>\n\n<li><strong>Life Questions</strong>: Questions about choosing how to spend your time (what book to read, which class to take, what 3d printer project to construct, what career to pursue, etc.) may be about difficult decisions, and they are often important, but they are too specific to your own situation and are unlikely to help future visitors to the site. They would be better off asked in <a href=\"http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/34216\">3d Printing Chat</a>.</li>\n\n</ul>\n\n<p>Generally speaking, if your question is directly related to <em>3d printers</em> then even if your question might <em>also</em> be appropriate on another site, we are likely to be happy to see it here.</p>\n\n<p>Please <a href=\"/search\">look around</a> to see if your question has been asked before. It’s also OK to <a href=\"/helpcenter/self-answer\">ask and answer your own question</a>.</p>\n\n<p>If your question is not specifically on-topic for $SiteName, it may be on topic for <a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/sites\">another Stack Exchange site</a>. If no site currently exists that will accept your question, you may <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/faq\">commit to</a> or <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/76974/how-can-i-propose-a-new-site\">propose</a> a new site at <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/\">Area51</a>, the place where new Stack Exchange communities are democratically created.</p>\n\n<p>For more help, see <a href=\"/help/dont-ask\">\"What types of questions should I avoid asking?\"</a></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>This is Community wiki, so please help improve this suggestion.</p>\n\n<p>Also, try to maintain the pure html formatting, so that the text between the horizontal bars can be pasted straight into the <a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic\">What topics can I ask about here?</a> page.</p>\n",
"11: <h1>Do worry about it (at least a little bit).</h1>\n\n<p>We need to have at least a rough idea of what is on and off topic to know what the site will be about. Without a least some discussion on this how will mods know when a question needs to be closed? Thats not to say that nothing will change or that we can't refine our thoughts on this but getting a rough draft wouldn't be the worst thing.</p>\n\n<p>Taking the Super User example, we could consider at least a few things, something like this, for example,</p>\n\n<h2>On topic for 3D Printing</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Specific issues with a 3D printer (e.g. My 3D printer keeps failing prints)</li>\n<li>Real problems or questions you have (e.g. How do I level my 3D printer)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>Off Topic</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Anything not related to 3D printing</li>\n<li>Opinion based questions (e.g. Which is the better 3D printer?)</li>\n<li>Shopping, buying and product recommendations </li>\n<li>Questions with too many possible answers or require an extremely long answer</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>Things that we need to decide on</h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Legal questions (e.g. Can I 3D print a gun)</li>\n<li>Software questions (e.g. questions about Blender for making 3D models specifically to print, on topic or defer to the Blender Stack Exchange site)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This is just a sample of some things I can think of, off the top of my head. </p>\n"
] |
7 | user23: When attempting to access the review cue for close votes,the cue hangs and errors out.
The error states - An error occurred when loading the review item, please try again.
I am able to open review cues on other sites.
user119: This should be fixed. Let me know if you have any additional issues!
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/23/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"23: <p>When attempting to access the review cue for close votes,the cue hangs and errors out. </p>\n\n<p>The error states - An error occurred when loading the review item, please try again.</p>\n\n<p>I am able to open review cues on other sites.</p>\n",
"119: <p>This should be fixed. Let me know if you have any additional issues!</p>\n"
] |
8 | user62: Looking at the highly upvoted area 51 questions, we seem to have a lot of questions focusing on 3D printing from the viewpoint of someone producing items, but a dearth of those discussing actual printer construction, modification, and firmware configuration/creation/programming. Are such questions on-topic for this site's scope?
user26: Yes, I think such questions should be on-topic.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/62/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"62: <p>Looking at the highly upvoted <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing?page=1&tab=votes&phase=definition#tab-top\">area 51 questions</a>, we seem to have a lot of questions focusing on 3D printing from the viewpoint of someone producing items, but a dearth of those discussing actual printer construction, modification, and firmware configuration/creation/programming. Are such questions on-topic for this site's scope?</p>\n",
"26: <p>Yes, I think such questions should be on-topic.</p>\n"
] |
11 | user63: Given our successful private beta, soon after we go public it will be time for us to get our first crop of moderators, as explained in the “Moderator Pro Tempore” blog post:
About a week into the public beta, we will seek out members who are deeply engaged in the community’s development; members who:
Have a reasonably high reputation score to indicate active, consistent participation.
Show an interest in their meta’s community-building activities.
Lead by example, showing patience and respect for their fellow community members in everything they write.
Exhibit those intangible traits discussed in A Theory of Moderation.
Bonus points for:
Members with participation in both meta and the parent site (i.e. interest in both community building and expertise in the field).
Area 51 participation, social network referrals, or blogging about the site.
Members who have already shown an interest or ability to promote their community.
Candidates will be contacted and three of them will be selected to act as provisional Moderators until the community holds formal elections after the Beta period. Besides the normal abilities of a Moderator, they will:
Have access to a special chat room where we will collectively work through the challenges of moderation and community self-policing.
Organize the process of selecting the site's attributes (domain names, design issues, the FAQ, etc.).
Rally community support and drive the mission of getting publicity for the site.
Essentially, they will have the ear of the Stack Exchange team for anything we can do to help their sites succeed!
Although the moderators pro tempore will ultimately be selected by Stack Exchange, the purpose of this post is to seek out and propose candidates:
Each nomination should be posted as an answer and it should include (at minimum) a link to the user's main and meta profile so we can check out their activity.
Self nominations are encouraged, step up if you feel you can help.
If you are nominated by someone else you should edit the answer and let us know if you accept or decline (explanation optional). If a nominee declines we will not delete the answer, as to not have someone else nominate them again.
If you are nominating someone else, please mark the post as Community Wiki before saving. Meta doesn't allow suggested edits, so your nominee may be blocked from accepting the nomination.
The nominations are not binding to Stack Exchange or the nominees. If you are being considered by Stack Exchange, you will get an official confirmation email at one point.
Before nominating someone or accept / decline a nomination, you should read A Theory of Moderation thoroughly to find out what's generally expected from moderators.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please drop into chat room where you can ask about the role from other moderators (they appear with a blue name in the chat room). Another chatroom called The Assembly was created specifically for users and moderators to discuss moderation activities, moderators from all over the network are there to answer your questions.
Once again, please don't hesitate to step up and self-nominate!.
Thanks to F'x for the original version of this post over on chemistry.
user63: Since we still need more candidates, I would like to offer myself in a reserve position. If we don't have enough potential moderators by the time the community team need to make a decision, I would be happy to offer my time.
profile for Mark Booth on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/18514.png
Although my contribution to 3d Printing so far has mostly been here on meta, I would be happy to help out as a human exception handler for our community. Plus, when I finally get around to putting my Mendel together, I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions to ask. *8')
As an active Moderator Pro Tempore over on Robotics, I have a solid grasp of A Theory of Moderation and 3 years of experience, so know what the job entails. My average flag handling time over the last month has been around 12 hours, I have built up useful tools to help swiftly deal with problems and I try to involve the community any time I'm not sure about how we want to handle things.
I supported the original Personal Manufacturing site and felt passionate enough about it to create Digital Fabrication and take it all the way to private beta. I have also supported people asking 3d printing questions over on Robotics while getting this proposal up and running.
user98: I would also like to nominate Ryan Carlyle for moderation.
Ryan has proven to be a valuable resource in the community by providing many well written answers and maintained a respectful record in all responses. For these reasons, I believe Ryan would be a great candidate for moderation.
user98: I'll go ahead and nominate myself as well, Trais McAllister.
So far, my highest reputation is held in this 3D Printing community. I've relied on the Stack Exchange network since about 2011, didn't become a member of Stack Overflow until last year. In my time on this community, I've maintained a reputation position within the top 10%, tried keeping up with the few reviews we've had thus far, and tried updating the tag definitions.
I've had my eyes in 3D printing since about 2008 when I first heard of the MakerBot Cupkake CNC and delved into the 3D printing realm in 2011 when I bought my first printer (Replicator Dual). I've learned a great deal through trial and error and am excited to help others who may be just starting in 3D printing.
As this site continues to attract more members, I've enjoyed seeing new posts and trying to help direct proper questions/answers based on the general consensus I've seen here on Meta. Although I'm not extremely involved in Meta, I do try to keep up on what's being said.
user115: I would like to nominate myself, Tormod Haugene.
profile for Tormod Haugene on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/1574864.png
I have been an active user of several Stack Exchange sites since 2012, but have finally now found a site that I really can contribute to.
As a robotics engineer by education, I early got interested in the art of 3D printing, and decided to join the community for myself in 2014 when I graduated from university. Over the past two years I have experimented with my trustworthy Kossel Mini printer to the point where I now need to set new challenges to still have something to do. Taking part in the Stack Exchange 3D Printer community has provided me further challenges and learning potential, which I truly appreciate.
I already spend a lot of time on this site, and try to help new users uphold the quality standard found on SE sites, answer questions and finish the review queues whenever possible. Overall, I am very proud of how this site has turned out so far, and would very much like to help it progress further.
To me, taking on further tasks of moderation seems like a natural step, and I hope you will allow me the opportunity to contribute as a moderator in the future.
user47: I would like to nominate myself, Matt Clark.
While I might not have the wildest credentials or reputation, I have been around the StackExchange network for a while (11/2012) and generally know my way around the sites.
Mostly active on StackOverflow, I answer when I can, and try and do my part to clean up the review queue: ~5000 review tasks; I plan on giving this site as much attention as I can.
I started this 3D Printing proposal just under a year ago on Area 51, and am either way, glad to see the day we made it to beta.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/11",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/63/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"63: <p>Given our successful private beta, soon after we go public it will be time for us to get our first crop of moderators, as explained in the <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/07/moderator-pro-tempore/\">“Moderator Pro Tempore” blog post</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>About a week into the public beta, we will seek out members who are deeply engaged in the community’s development; members who:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Have a reasonably high reputation score to indicate active, consistent participation.</li>\n <li>Show an interest in their meta’s community-building activities.</li>\n <li>Lead by example, showing patience and respect for their fellow community members in everything they write.</li>\n <li>Exhibit those intangible traits discussed in <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/05/a-theory-of-moderation/\"><em>A Theory of Moderation</em></a>.</li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>Bonus points for:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Members with participation in both meta and the parent site (i.e. interest in both community building and expertise in the field).</li>\n <li>Area 51 participation, social network referrals, or blogging about the site.</li>\n <li>Members who have already shown an interest or ability to promote their community.</li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>Candidates will be contacted and three of them will be selected to act as provisional Moderators until the community holds formal elections after the Beta period. Besides the normal abilities of a Moderator, they will:</p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>Have access to a special chat room where we will collectively work through the challenges of moderation and community self-policing.</li>\n <li>Organize the process of selecting the site's attributes (domain names, design issues, the FAQ, etc.).</li>\n <li>Rally community support and drive the mission of getting publicity for the site.</li>\n </ul>\n \n <p>Essentially, <strong>they will have the ear of the Stack Exchange team for anything we can do to help their sites succeed!</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Although the moderators pro tempore will ultimately be selected by Stack Exchange, the purpose of this post is to seek out and propose candidates:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Each nomination should be posted as an answer and it should include (at minimum) a link to the user's main and meta profile so we can check out their activity.</li>\n<li>Self nominations are encouraged, step up if you feel you can help.</li>\n<li>If you are nominated by someone else you should edit the answer and let us know if you accept or decline (explanation optional). If a nominee declines we will not delete the answer, as to not have someone else nominate them again.</li>\n<li>If you are nominating someone else, please mark the post as Community Wiki before saving. Meta doesn't allow suggested edits, so your nominee may be blocked from accepting the nomination.</li>\n<li>The nominations are not binding to Stack Exchange or the nominees. If you are being considered by Stack Exchange, you will get an official confirmation email at one point. </li>\n<li>Before nominating someone or accept / decline a nomination, you should read <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/05/a-theory-of-moderation/\"><em>A Theory of Moderation</em></a> thoroughly to find out what's generally expected from moderators.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If you would like to learn more about the role, please drop into <a href=\"http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/34216/3d-printing\">chat room</a> where you can ask about the role from other moderators (they appear with a blue name in the chat room). Another chatroom called <a href=\"http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/2691/the-assembly\">The Assembly</a> was created specifically for users and moderators to discuss moderation activities, moderators from all over the network are there to answer your questions.</p>\n\n<p>Once again, <strong>please don't hesitate to step up and self-nominate!</strong>. </p>\n\n<p><sub>Thanks to <a href=\"https://chemistry.meta.stackexchange.com/users/30/fx\">F'x</a> for the original version of this post <a href=\"https://chemistry.meta.stackexchange.com/q/113/17315\">over on chemistry</a>.</sub></p>\n",
"63: <p>Since we still need more candidates, I would like to offer myself in a reserve position. If we don't have enough potential moderators by the time the community team need to make a decision, I would be happy to offer my time.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/18514/mark-booth\">profile for Mark Booth on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/18514.png</a></p>\n\n<p>Although my contribution to 3d Printing so far has mostly been here on meta, I would be happy to help out as a human exception handler for our community. Plus, when I finally get around to putting my Mendel together, I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions to ask. *8')</p>\n\n<p>As an active <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/07/moderator-pro-tempore/\">Moderator Pro Tempore</a> over on <a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/\">Robotics</a>, I have a solid grasp of <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/05/a-theory-of-moderation/\">A Theory of Moderation</a> and 3 years of experience, so know what the job entails. My average flag handling time over the last month has been around 12 hours, I have built up <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/176/37\">useful</a> <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1302/37\">tools</a> to <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/131/37\">help</a> swiftly deal with problems and I try to <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1300/37\">involve</a> the <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/149/37\">community</a> any <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/106/37\">time</a> I'm not sure about how we want to <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/92/37\">handle</a> things.</p>\n\n<p>I supported the original <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/22246\">Personal Manufacturing</a> site and felt passionate enough about it to create <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/41850\">Digital Fabrication</a> and take it all the way to private beta. I have also <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/1273/37\">supported</a> people asking <a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/3d-printing\">3d printing questions over on Robotics</a> while getting <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438\">this proposal</a> up and running.</p>\n",
"98: <p>I would also like to nominate <a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/7675951/ryan-carlyle\">Ryan Carlyle</a> for moderation.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/7675951/ryan-carlyle\"><img src=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/7675951.png\" width=\"208\" height=\"58\" alt=\"profile for Ryan Carlyle on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites\" title=\"profile for Ryan Carlyle on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>Ryan has proven to be a valuable resource in the community by providing many well written answers and maintained a respectful record in all responses. For these reasons, I believe Ryan would be a great candidate for moderation.</p>\n",
"98: <p>I'll go ahead and nominate myself as well, Trais McAllister.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/5815241/tbm0115\"><img src=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/5815241.png\" width=\"208\" height=\"58\" alt=\"profile for tbm0115 on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites\" title=\"profile for tbm0115 on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>So far, my highest reputation is held in this 3D Printing community. I've relied on the Stack Exchange network since about 2011, didn't become a member of Stack Overflow until last year. In my time on this community, I've maintained a reputation position within the top 10%, tried keeping up with the few reviews we've had thus far, and tried updating the tag definitions.</p>\n\n<p>I've had my eyes in 3D printing since about 2008 when I first heard of the MakerBot Cupkake CNC and delved into the 3D printing realm in 2011 when I bought my first printer (Replicator Dual). I've learned a great deal through trial and error and am excited to help others who may be just starting in 3D printing.</p>\n\n<p>As this site continues to attract more members, I've enjoyed seeing new posts and trying to help direct proper questions/answers based on the general consensus I've seen here on Meta. Although I'm not extremely involved in Meta, I do try to keep up on what's being said.</p>\n",
"115: <p>I would like to nominate myself, <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/115/tormod-haugene?tab=profile\">Tormod Haugene</a>.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/1574864\">\nprofile for Tormod Haugene on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/1574864.png\n</a></p>\n\n<p>I have been an active user of several Stack Exchange sites since 2012, but have finally now found a site that I really can contribute to. </p>\n\n<p>As a robotics engineer by education, I early got interested in the art of 3D printing, and decided to join the community for myself in 2014 when I graduated from university. Over the past two years I have experimented with my trustworthy Kossel Mini printer to the point where I now need to set new challenges to still have something to do. Taking part in the Stack Exchange 3D Printer community has provided me further challenges and learning potential, which I truly appreciate.</p>\n\n<p>I already spend a lot of time on this site, and try to help new users uphold the quality standard found on SE sites, answer questions and finish the review queues whenever possible. Overall, I am very proud of how this site has turned out so far, and would very much like to help it progress further. </p>\n\n<p>To me, taking on further tasks of moderation seems like a natural step, and I hope you will allow me the opportunity to contribute as a moderator in the future.</p>\n",
"47: <p>I would like to nominate myself, <a href=\"https://stackexchange.com/users/526476/matt-clark\">Matt Clark</a>.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/526476/matt-clark\"><img src=\"http://stackexchange.com/users/flair/526476.png\" width=\"208\" height=\"58\" alt=\"profile for Matt Clark on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites\" title=\"profile for Matt Clark on Stack Exchange, a network of free, community-driven Q&A sites\" /></a></p>\n\n<p>While I might not have the wildest credentials or reputation, I have been around the StackExchange network for a while (11/2012) and generally know my way around the sites.</p>\n\n<p>Mostly active on StackOverflow, I answer when I can, and try and do my part to clean up the review queue: ~5000 review tasks; I plan on giving this site as much attention as I can.</p>\n\n<p>I started <a href=\"https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing\">this 3D Printing proposal</a> just under a year ago on Area 51, and am either way, glad to see the day we made it to beta.</p>\n"
] |
18 | user107: Are there plans or ideas floating around for a logo contest, or is that a Public-Beta stage thing?
user1: Sites get a customized design when they near graduation and that is a long way off. The task at hand is to gather up a collection of high quality questions so this site can get out of Private Beta. Focus on that now.
When the site is nearing graduation, the designers will contact you for feedback on a potential design. Typically the design is created by the designers first and it is posted for feedback and suggestions. The process of when and how this happens has been in flux more recently, but typically a logo contest is not really part of that process. But who knows… I've been floating various suggestions about how to get the community looped back in that process.
user1211: no matter if we are close to graduation or not, i'd like to submit this one as my proposition
it is:
easy to recognize
simple
contains stylised '3' and 'D' characters
refers to 'layers'
aligned to SE logo
can be color/gray/BW and still well recognized
can be simplified (pixelate) to create favico (min size 8x8 pixels ;)
first presented in this topic
https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/a/247/1211
user127: Getting a logo is part of getting a design, which is something that happens when a site graduates out of public beta.
In short, not for a long time yet.
While the site is in beta it will keep this theme that it currently has.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/18",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/107/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"107: <p>Are there plans or ideas floating around for a logo contest, or is that a Public-Beta stage thing?</p>\n",
"1: <p>Sites get a customized design when they near graduation and <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/257614/graduation-site-closure-and-a-clearer-outlook-on-the-health-of-se-sites\">that is a long way off</a>. The task at hand is to gather up a collection of high quality questions so this site can get out of Private Beta. Focus on <em>that</em> now.</p>\n\n<p>When the site is nearing graduation, the designers will contact you for feedback on a potential design. Typically the design is created by the designers first and it is posted for feedback and suggestions. The process of when and how this happens <em>has</em> been in flux more recently, but typically a logo contest is not really part of that process. But who knows… I've been floating various suggestions about how to get the community looped back in that process. </p>\n",
"1211: <p>no matter if we are close to graduation or not, i'd like to submit this one as my proposition</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CPKTm.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CPKTm.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>it is:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>easy to recognize</li>\n<li>simple</li>\n<li>contains stylised '3' and 'D' characters</li>\n<li>refers to 'layers'</li>\n<li>aligned to SE logo</li>\n<li>can be color/gray/BW and still well recognized</li>\n<li>can be simplified (pixelate) to create favico (min size 8x8 pixels ;)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>first presented in this topic\n<a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/a/247/1211\">https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/a/247/1211</a></p>\n",
"127: <p>Getting a logo is part of getting a design, which is something that happens when a site <em>graduates</em> out of public beta.</p>\n\n<p>In short, not for a long time yet.</p>\n\n<p>While the site is in beta it will keep this theme that it currently has.</p>\n"
] |
19 | user107: Is it realistic or thought neccesary to develop a plugin/feature for this site, to automatically add a small info-box about a thingiverse link? An example of this is Apple's 3D touch technology. In theory, the plugin could recogize thingiverse links in questions and answers, replace the link with an image and the author/name of the project.
I'm also volunteering myself to help with this if there's interest. (Experience with Thingiverse API)
user16: Technological issues
Stack Exchange works hard for its communities, but there is a limit. If thingiverse changes its API (which it can, and does, do at any time without notice) then anything we build on it has to be modified, and users will be very whiny until it's fixed.
If we choose to integrate model viewing or any sort of API integration with an outside service, we will have to make sure the service provides some sort of legacy guarantee minimal API that won't change, and then we will only be able to use that.
Political issues
I would be very uncomfortable endorsing a closed source, commercial service on this site. There are many communities within the world of 3D printing that are very unhappy with makerbot, thingiverse, and their parent company, and encouraging users to use this service may result in pushing away some very valuable experts within the reprap world.
Looking to the future
If we integrate any sort of model library or model viewer, I strongly suggest we choose an open source project the community can heartily endorse. We may link to outside models, but the core API should be servable by stack exchange without license or much maintenance so 1) we don't have to deal with API changes messing us up, 2) we don't rely on outside services that may change their terms of use or API, 3) we don't have to form complicated contract bound relationships with 3rd parties just to get the guarantees we'd need to convince Stack Exchange to invest in a new feature, and 4) we don't become too politically involved such that we disenfranchise users who may have very strong feelings about this subject.
Wait and see
This is the early beta. Let's find out what people link to in questions before dedicating resources to improving the links/plug-ins/oneboxes. It may be that thingiverse objects are linked to frequently, and that it would add value to the site to improve that experience, but it's also just as likely that thingiverse turns out to be infrequently linked and the effort spent now would essentially have been wasted. Let's wait until we have tens of thousands of questions so we can properly evaluate what the community actually uses and needs.
user127: Typically, it's a better idea to wait before you try to get this kind of thing integrated.
Enthusiasm is great in a private beta, but for the early stages, direct that enthusiasm towards the Q&A. That's what'll get this site on its feet and into a successful public beta.
When the site's more stable and running nicely, then if there's a need (or want) for a plugin like this then the discussion about it can be had.
(On a tangent - if such a plugin is going to happen, it may well be down to SE's developers to get it done, which might make getting assistance from the people on this site difficult.)
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/19",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/107/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"107: <p>Is it realistic or thought neccesary to develop a plugin/feature for this site, to automatically add a small info-box about a thingiverse link? An example of this is Apple's 3D touch technology. In theory, the plugin could recogize thingiverse links in questions and answers, replace the link with an image and the author/name of the project.</p>\n\n<p>I'm also volunteering myself to help with this if there's interest. (Experience with Thingiverse API)</p>\n",
"16: <h3>Technological issues</h3>\n\n<p>Stack Exchange works hard for its communities, but there is a limit. If thingiverse changes its API (which it can, and does, do at any time without notice) then anything we build on it has to be modified, and users will be very whiny until it's fixed.</p>\n\n<p>If we choose to integrate model viewing or any sort of API integration with an outside service, we will have to make sure the service provides some sort of legacy guarantee minimal API that won't change, and then we will only be able to use that. </p>\n\n<h3>Political issues</h3>\n\n<p>I would be very uncomfortable endorsing a closed source, commercial service on this site. There are many communities within the world of 3D printing that are very unhappy with makerbot, thingiverse, and their parent company, and encouraging users to use this service may result in pushing away some very valuable experts within the reprap world.</p>\n\n<h3>Looking to the future</h3>\n\n<p>If we integrate any sort of model library or model viewer, I strongly suggest we choose an open source project the community can heartily endorse. We may link to outside models, but the core API should be servable by stack exchange without license or much maintenance so 1) we don't have to deal with API changes messing us up, 2) we don't rely on outside services that may change their terms of use or API, 3) we don't have to form complicated contract bound relationships with 3rd parties just to get the guarantees we'd need to convince Stack Exchange to invest in a new feature, and 4) we don't become too politically involved such that we disenfranchise users who may have very strong feelings about this subject.</p>\n\n<h3>Wait and see</h3>\n\n<p>This is the early beta. Let's find out what people link to in questions before dedicating resources to improving the links/plug-ins/oneboxes. It may be that thingiverse objects are linked to frequently, and that it would add value to the site to improve that experience, but it's also just as likely that thingiverse turns out to be infrequently linked and the effort spent now would essentially have been wasted. Let's wait until we have tens of thousands of questions so we can properly evaluate what the community actually uses and needs.</p>\n",
"127: <p>Typically, it's a better idea to wait before you try to get this kind of thing integrated.</p>\n\n<p>Enthusiasm is great in a private beta, but for the early stages, direct that enthusiasm towards the Q&A. That's what'll get this site on its feet and into a successful public beta.</p>\n\n<p>When the site's more stable and running nicely, then if there's a need (or want) for a plugin like this then the discussion about it can be had.</p>\n\n<p>(On a tangent - if such a plugin is going to happen, it may well be down to SE's developers to get it done, which might make getting assistance from the people on this site difficult.)</p>\n"
] |
21 | user26: It is very easy to ask questions that only tangentially involve 3D printing, such as:
How do I drill a hole in a 3D printed part?
How do I paint 3D printed parts?
How do I sand, smooth, etc...?
How do I take a picture with a 3D printed camera?
My last example is clearly not on topic, and the other examples aren't
difficult, specific questions — the kind of questions pros and experts ask each other, not the kind of questions novices ask pros.
However, the point is that it's very easy to involve 3D printing in a question that isn't about 3D printing. Drilling a hole in a 3D printed part is, for the most part, just like drilling one in wood. Such questions may be more suited for a general DIY/makers-type site.
On the other hand, there do exist 3D printing specific issues (for instance, low infill or delamination can be a problem when drilling in a (FDM) 3D printed part).
At what point does a question involving 3D printing become on-topic for our site? Should questions identify a specific issue ("I've tried drilling a hole, now my part has delaminated, what now?")?. Queries for general advice and best practice don't seem to fit the bill of being difficult and specific.
user265: The problem with the questions you raised are (except for the camera one) that they are all about dealing with the materials that are used with 3D-printing and not about the mechanics of printing. But when I started 3D-printing, that's certainly where a large part of my questions lay. It's because the materials are DIFFERENT than ones we're used to dealing with, and if it weren't for 3D-printing, I wouldn't have been working with them then. It's BECAUSE I was 3D-printing that the questions arose. There are certainly similarities between the materials used for 3D-printing and other materials we might run into, but there are also vast differences. For example, ABS is the same plastic that we know from Legos. But how does working with the plastic that's been 3D-printed differ from working with a Lego? I would consider any question about that area to be valid. You mention drilling plastic, but then got the answer wrong. It is NOT like drilling wood; the way you drill plastic should be different from how you deal with wood, such as the speeds used and the use of hand drills. There are even special plastic bits that you can buy that make it easier to drill plastic. Good questions might be: for PLA, ABS and other 3dpg plastics, when is it appropriate to use such bits and when can you get away with using high speed drill bits like you would use for wood? Are higher drill speeds better than lower speeds for some 3D-printed plastics and not others, or vice versa?
In summary, I feel that questions about a technique or material that is being used in the 3D-printing process, or dealing with the materials afterward, should be valid because 3D-printing changes how the techniques are done or the materials are dealt with.
user1: The dividing line of "tangentially off topic" is typically when the actual subject of the question being asked is only coincidentally adjacent to 3D printing.
Here is a clear example illustrating the "tangential issue:"
I printed a crane mechanism in 3D. How much voltage must I apply to the motor to lift 150 grams?
I see this type of thing all the time. Users will go to the mat arguing that they are printing in 3D, so their question is on topic. It is not. The actual expertise needed to answer this question is in electronics. With a question like this, the premise that the user happens to be printing in 3D is entirely coincidental to the actual issue.
The examples you cited above are a bit more iffy. I might argue some of them could (potentially) be on topic… if the issue of the material being printed in 3D is somehow germane to the problem. I actually don't know enough about the subject to say, so I'm only considering the possibility that it is relevant to this subject space.
Let's not be too quick to start barring questions that aren't explicitly about the physical process of 3D printing literally. There are a lot of industry issues that could be interesting to include here. It's probably better to wait for actual examples before trying to create a general rule around this issue.
As a general rule for building this site, it is often better to wait for a preponderance of problems that occur in actual practice before we start seeking to create a lot of rules around hypothetical situations. Words to live by.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/21",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/26/"
] | 2016/01/12 | [
"26: <p>It is very easy to ask questions that only tangentially involve 3D printing, such as:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>How do I drill a hole in a 3D printed part?</p></li>\n<li><p>How do I paint 3D printed parts?</p></li>\n<li><p>How do I sand, smooth, etc...?</p></li>\n<li><p>How do I take a picture with a 3D printed camera?</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>My last example is clearly not on topic, and the other examples aren't </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>difficult, specific questions — the kind of questions pros and experts ask each other, not the kind of questions novices ask pros.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>However, the point is that it's very easy to involve 3D printing in a question that isn't about 3D printing. Drilling a hole in a 3D printed part is, for the most part, just like drilling one in wood. Such questions may be more suited for a general DIY/makers-type site.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, there do exist 3D printing specific issues (for instance, low infill or delamination can be a problem when drilling in a (FDM) 3D printed part).</p>\n\n<p>At what point does a question involving 3D printing become on-topic for our site? Should questions identify a specific issue (\"I've tried drilling a hole, now my part has delaminated, what now?\")?. Queries for general advice and best practice don't seem to fit the bill of being difficult and specific.</p>\n",
"265: <p>The problem with the questions you raised are (except for the camera one) that they are all about dealing with the materials that are used with 3D-printing and not about the mechanics of printing. But when I started 3D-printing, that's certainly where a large part of my questions lay. It's because the materials are DIFFERENT than ones we're used to dealing with, and if it weren't for 3D-printing, I wouldn't have been working with them then. It's BECAUSE I was 3D-printing that the questions arose. There are certainly similarities between the materials used for 3D-printing and other materials we might run into, but there are also vast differences. For example, ABS is the same plastic that we know from Legos. But how does working with the plastic that's been 3D-printed differ from working with a Lego? I would consider any question about that area to be valid. You mention drilling plastic, but then got the answer wrong. It is NOT like drilling wood; the way you drill plastic should be different from how you deal with wood, such as the speeds used and the use of hand drills. There are even special plastic bits that you can buy that make it easier to drill plastic. Good questions might be: for PLA, ABS and other 3dpg plastics, when is it appropriate to use such bits and when can you get away with using high speed drill bits like you would use for wood? Are higher drill speeds better than lower speeds for some 3D-printed plastics and not others, or vice versa?</p>\n\n<p>In summary, I feel that questions about a technique or material that is being used in the 3D-printing process, or dealing with the materials afterward, should be valid because 3D-printing changes how the techniques are done or the materials are dealt with.</p>\n",
"1: <p>The dividing line of \"tangentially off topic\" is typically when the <em>actual</em> subject of the question being asked is only <strong><em>coincidentally</em></strong> adjacent to 3D printing. </p>\n\n<p>Here is a <em>clear</em> example illustrating the \"tangential issue:\"</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I printed a crane mechanism in 3D. How much voltage must I apply to the motor to lift 150 grams?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I see this type of thing all the time. Users will go to the mat arguing that they are printing in 3D, so their question is on topic. It is not. The actual <em>expertise</em> needed to answer this question is in electronics. With a question like this, the premise that the user <em>happens</em> to be printing in 3D is entirely coincidental to the actual issue. </p>\n\n<p>The examples you cited above are a bit more iffy. I might argue some of them could (potentially) be on topic… if the issue of the material being printed in 3D is somehow germane to the problem. I actually don't know enough about the subject to say, so I'm only considering the possibility that it <em>is</em> relevant to this subject space.</p>\n\n<p>Let's not be too quick to start barring questions that aren't explicitly about the physical process of 3D printing literally. There are a lot of <em>industry issues</em> that could be interesting to include here. It's probably better to <strong><em>wait for actual examples before trying to create a general rule around this issue.</em></strong></p>\n\n<p>As a general rule for building this site, it is often better to wait for a preponderance of problems that occur <em>in actual practice</em> before we start seeking to create a lot of rules around hypothetical situations. Words to live by.</p>\n"
] |
28 | user60: This has inspired some discussion and I may be just splitting hairs, but I've always been confused by this strategy. The specific example I'm referring to is here: https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/29/60
In many cases on SE, I see people post "Answers" that basically say "Don't do what you're doing. Instead you can get to your goal by doing this." While it is often helpful, this form of answer is the bane of my existence as a user of SE sites.
There are often cases when I am googling a difficult problem because I cannot do "alternative a" as suggested by the answerer. Then, I get to an SE question that asked about exactly the situation I am having. An answer of "Don't do that, do this instead" is upvoted, accepted, and the only answer. Thus, I am unable to solve my problem using SE. In other words, the Answer didn't apply to the question, and so SE led me down the wrong path.
Am I doing something wrong here? Is this an expected/accepted pattern? Or is this something I should go the route of downvoting? Or like the poster of the above answer suggests, flagging?
user138: If it tries to answer the question, it's still an answer...
But it doesn't mean it's always a good one.
Generally, in these cases, you would be able to flag such an answer as Very Low Quality, especially if they would fit better in the comment space. The reason why you can't here however, is because the answer has a positive score.
So what can we do?
You can't really stop people from writing answers. If you want them to improve, leave a comment, and ask them to elaborate. Otherwise, downvote and move on.
user2: The ultimate goal of any answer should be to solve the problem that the asker is facing. Sometimes that involves not going to what they directly wrote, because sometimes that's not the most effective way to go about it. For much the same as there are people who can't use alternatives, there are people who didn't think about the alternative options in the first place. It's very easy when some askers run into a problem, to tunnel-vision that "I must solve it this way" and then someone provides a very enlightening view by working outside the box the asker had situated inside.
That said, this is also part of the very nature as to why these sites permit more than one answer to a question. It is to allow different routes to solve the same problem. Some will be the direct route that is asked, others will take shortcuts as they see fit.
It remains though that naturally, sometimes an alternative, be it a particular one or just in general, is not permissible. When this is the case, that kind of a restriction is part of the problem. As such if the asker can't work with a given alternative, and if the only answers they're getting is that alternative, it's to them to modify their question to exclude that alternative as an option. Or if it is a known quantity to begin with, a pre-emptitive exclusion present in the question when asked is very appropriate. On the other side, if a reader happens upon a question and cannot utilize the alternatives that exist there, then they are welcome to recreate the question in a fashion which excludes the alternatives since their situation cannot cater to it.
Sans such an explicit exclusion, if the asker can work with the alternative, or if they still receive other answers that do not employ that alternative, there's no foul going on as a result. It's fine to dislike something being provided as an alternative, but it's by no means something we're going to discourage on a level to the point of flagging. Downvotes, those are yours to give as you see fit to things that you believe are not helpful - I could say something like "It's probably more appropriate to downvote if a particular alternative is actively unhelpful to you, as opposed to a post which you stumble across in random browsing which just happens to be an alternative", but at the same vein, you could still deem it unhelpful and the vote is yours to cast. Just be open to the fact that if the alternative does work for other people, it's going to remain acceptable on the site.
user26: Sometimes, "don't try to do what you're trying to do" is the only valid answer, see e.g. XY problem.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/28",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/60/"
] | 2016/01/13 | [
"60: <p>This has inspired some discussion and I may be just splitting hairs, but I've always been confused by this strategy. The specific example I'm referring to is here: <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/29/60\">https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/29/60</a></p>\n\n<p>In many cases on SE, I see people post \"Answers\" that basically say \"Don't do what you're doing. Instead you can get to your goal by doing this.\" While it is often helpful, this form of answer is the bane of my existence as a user of SE sites.</p>\n\n<p>There are often cases when I am googling a difficult problem because I cannot do \"alternative a\" as suggested by the answerer. Then, I get to an SE question that asked about exactly the situation I am having. An answer of \"Don't do that, do this instead\" is upvoted, accepted, and the only answer. Thus, I am unable to solve my problem using SE. In other words, the Answer didn't apply to the question, and so SE led me down the wrong path.</p>\n\n<p>Am I doing something wrong here? Is this an expected/accepted pattern? Or is this something I should go the route of downvoting? Or like the poster of the above answer suggests, flagging?</p>\n",
"138: <p>If it tries to answer the question, it's still an answer... </p>\n\n<p>But it doesn't mean it's always a good one.</p>\n\n<p>Generally, in these cases, you would be able to flag such an answer as Very Low Quality, especially if they would fit better in the comment space. The reason why you can't here however, is because the answer has a positive score.</p>\n\n<p>So what can we do?</p>\n\n<p>You can't really stop people from writing answers. If you want them to improve, leave a comment, and ask them to elaborate. Otherwise, downvote and move on.</p>\n",
"2: <p>The ultimate goal of any answer should be to <strong>solve the problem that the asker is facing</strong>. Sometimes that involves not going to what they directly wrote, because sometimes that's not the most effective way to go about it. For much the same as there are people who can't use alternatives, there are people who didn't <em>think</em> about the alternative options in the first place. It's very easy when some askers run into a problem, to tunnel-vision that \"I must solve it this way\" and then someone provides a very enlightening view by working outside the box the asker had situated inside. </p>\n\n<p>That said, this is also part of the very nature as to why these sites permit more than one answer to a question. It is to allow different routes to solve the same problem. Some will be the direct route that is asked, others will take shortcuts as they see fit.</p>\n\n<p>It remains though that naturally, sometimes an alternative, be it a particular one or just in general, is not permissible. When this is the case, that kind of a restriction is <em>part of the problem</em>. As such if the asker can't work with a given alternative, and if the only answers they're getting is that alternative, it's to them to modify their question to exclude that alternative as an option. Or if it is a known quantity to begin with, a pre-emptitive exclusion present in the question when asked is very appropriate. On the other side, if a reader happens upon a question and cannot utilize the alternatives that exist there, then they are welcome to recreate the question in a fashion which excludes the alternatives since their situation cannot cater to it.</p>\n\n<p>Sans such an explicit exclusion, if the asker can work with the alternative, or if they still receive other answers that do not employ that alternative, there's no foul going on as a result. It's fine to dislike something being provided as an alternative, but it's by no means something we're going to discourage on a level to the point of flagging. Downvotes, those are yours to give as you see fit to things that you believe are not helpful - I could say something like \"It's probably more appropriate to downvote if a particular alternative is actively unhelpful to you, as opposed to a post which you stumble across in random browsing which just <em>happens</em> to be an alternative\", but at the same vein, you could still deem it unhelpful and the vote is yours to cast. Just be open to the fact that if the alternative <em>does</em> work for other people, it's going to remain acceptable on the site.</p>\n",
"26: <p>Sometimes, \"don't try to do what you're trying to do\" is the only valid answer, see e.g. <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem\">XY problem</a>.</p>\n"
] |
30 | user163: A big shout out to all of us for a successful graduation into private beta.
Let's make it a success now, and make sure we graduate into a full-fledged site.
So, this is one post which every user of a private beta site should read and act accordingly.
This is a reproduction of a moderator's (Richard) post on meta.hermeneutics.SE; I believe it is very much applicable to this community as well. Richard wrote a post encouraging voting. I think this is a big issue because rep is the basis of our "economy", encourages (good) user activity, sorts out our content and makes the site look active. In particular Question Votes make the site look more active.
I cannot state this strongly enough. Voting is absolutely critical to the formation of a healthy SE site. And this is never more true than in Private and early Public beta.
Vote on Questions
Voting allows the community to determine what topics are allowed and what are not. Voting shows what constitutes a well-formed question and what is unacceptable for this community.
If you need help formulating better questions, the blog post Asking Better Questions might help you out. (Admittedly, it's geared towards the Stackoverflow crowd, but the philosophies there will help). Also, How to Ask directly from StackOverflow is an excellent resource.
Finally, I want to reiterate that Voting on questions is free! It doesn't cost you any reputation to to vote a question down. (Compared to answers:)
Vote on Answers
Voting on answers allows a dramatic increase in reputation. Like questions, it shows that you believe and support the answer provided. Also, vote answers up that you think are well worded and support the answer given.
You don't have to agree with an answer to vote it up!
To show that this is true, they've even created a badge for voting up competing answers (called "Sportsmanship").
If you think an answer is useful, vote it up. If you think an answer is not useful, vote it down. Either way, vote!
If you need help on writing answers, the meta post How do I write a good answer to a question? will help you out.
Final thoughts
If people do not vote, there won't be enough reputation on this site for it to be promoted. Reputation is very important to a StackExchange site as it creates the groups of people capable of maintaining the site.
To show how critical it is, Jeff Atwood posted a blog article regarding this topic: Vote Early, Vote Often
Encourage others to vote!
Quoting RobertCartaino from chat:
Vote, vote, vote. Encourage others to vote, vote, vote. On good content, leave signposts ("If you like this, please vote it up. It's important for the community!")-- in both meta and the main site. Maybe a few meta posts informing the users of the important of that type of participation. You are empowered a lot more than you know.
Don't upvote bad content (edit/suggest how to fix it instead) but make sure you remember to vote, especially for questions; if you learned something from an answer on a question, the question's probably worth an upvote too so others can find the good information.
[]
user4762: There are other considerations, as have already been noted on What does it take to get out of Beta stage?
On fully graduated sites, we need:
users with > 10k who can access the moderation tools and;
users > 3k who can vote fully (close votes for example).
For a full list of reputation against privileges on a fully graduated site, take a look at the Raspberry Pi privileges page:
As can be seen, the reputation differs greatly from the reputation required when the site is in beta, see our privileges.
See this answer to the question “Graduation” of this Community for SE.Robotics.Meta, in particular this very poignant paragraph:
Also, consider this, we don't have a single 10k user right now. If we were to graduate today, the only people who would have access to moderator tools would be ♦ moderators. The problems are even worse further down the reputation scale, we only have 6 users with 3k or more reputation, who aren't already ♦ moderators, so only these 6 people would be able to cast ordinary close votes.
Our case is very similar. We have (click here):
One user who is near 10k, and that is, without wishing to name and shame (;-D) Tom
6 users over 3k
user5740: For graduation, voting is the key to get a growing community that wants to come back to post questions and answers!
According to SE.3D Printing user stats at Area 51 we need more questions and a solid group of users to assist in moderating the site.
The amount of questions are hard to control, but could be increased by the avid users by posting questions and answer those themselves (e.g. about problems you encountered while gaining experience in 3D printing, this is perfectly legal and documents the gained experience to be shared with others). Another aspect is the solid group of users. According to the stats page:
We recommend:
150 users with 200+ rep (currently 130 users with 200+ rep)
10 users with 2,000+ rep (currently 10 users with 2,000+ rep)
5 users with 3,000+ rep (currently 7 users with 3,000+ rep)
Quote taken at July 31, 2018
This implies we are short on 200+ rep users (20 people). This can be influenced by voting! There are so many questions unaccepted and a few do not have an answer, so there is a lot of reputation points to be awarded.
Please vote, not only answers, but also on questions. Please do also downvote to keep the quality high, but leave a comment why you downvote, when this answer/question is then modified to address your concerns please revisit to review your vote again.
user61: Yes!
Absolutely. We need to reward good answers, and raise rep levels so suers can get moderation privileges when they rise to the normal public beta levels.
However, I think we should also downvote poor questions and answers. I haven't yet done so, partly because I've focused on rewarding the good posts. But downvoting is important, too.
What happened to me yesterday:
I posted an answer (my first) to a question.
It was downvoted.
A user who may/may not have been the downvoter pointed out something I was wrong about.
There was a discussion in comments.
I deleted my answer.
I edited it.
There was continued dialogue with the user and another. I improved my answer even further.
Downvote was removed.
I'm grateful to the downvoter, and to the comments. We need to establish what posts are good and bad in the site, and my original answer was not good. It was wrong in several points - and since the question was about safety, it was even more important for it to be correct. The feedback helped me to fix my answer, but if I had not done so, the downvote would have ensured that better answers went to the top.
We should definitely upvote. But downvoting is good, too. Downvoters don't have to comment - that's never the case - but comments certainly help. They helped me.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/30",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/163/"
] | 2016/01/13 | [
"163: <p><strong>A big shout out to all of us for a successful graduation into private beta. \nLet's make it a success now, and make sure we graduate into a full-fledged site. \nSo, this is one post which every user of a private beta site should read and act accordingly.</strong></p>\n\n<p>This is a reproduction of a moderator's (Richard) <a href=\"https://hermeneutics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/49\">post on meta.hermeneutics.SE</a>; I believe it is very much applicable to this community as well. Richard wrote a post encouraging voting. I think this is a big issue because rep is the basis of our \"economy\", encourages (good) user activity, sorts out our content and makes the site look active. In particular <strong>Question Votes</strong> make the site look more active.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I cannot state this strongly enough. Voting is <em>absolutely critical</em> to the formation of a healthy SE site. And this is never more true than in Private and early Public beta. </p>\n \n <h3>Vote on Questions</h3>\n \n <p>Voting allows the community to determine what topics are allowed and what are not. Voting shows what constitutes a well-formed question and what is unacceptable for this community.</p>\n \n <p>If you need help formulating better questions, the blog post <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/10/asking-better-questions/\">Asking Better Questions</a> might help you out. (Admittedly, it's geared towards the Stackoverflow crowd, but the philosophies there will help). Also, <a href=\"https://stackoverflow.com/questions/how-to-ask\">How to Ask</a> directly from StackOverflow is an excellent resource.</p>\n \n <p>Finally, I want to reiterate that <strong>Voting on questions is free!</strong> It doesn't cost you any reputation to to vote a question down. (Compared to answers:)</p>\n \n <h3>Vote on Answers</h3>\n \n <p>Voting on answers allows a dramatic increase in reputation. Like questions, it shows that you believe and support the answer provided. Also, vote answers up that you think are well worded and support the answer given. </p>\n \n <p><em>You don't have to agree with an answer to vote it up!</em></p>\n \n <p>To show that this is true, they've even created a <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/badges/63/sportsmanship\">badge for voting up competing answers (called \"Sportsmanship\")</a>.</p>\n \n <p>If you think an answer is <em>useful</em>, vote it up. If you think an answer is <em>not useful</em>, vote it down. Either way, <strong>vote</strong>!</p>\n \n <p>If you need help on writing answers, the meta post <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7656/how-do-i-write-a-good-answer-to-a-question\">How do I write a good answer to a question?</a> will help you out.</p>\n \n <h3>Final thoughts</h3>\n \n <p>If people do not vote, there won't be enough reputation on this site for it to be promoted. Reputation is very important to a StackExchange site as it creates the groups of people capable of maintaining the site.</p>\n \n <p>To show how critical it is, Jeff Atwood posted a blog article regarding this topic: <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/10/vote-early-vote-often/\">Vote Early, Vote Often</a></p>\n \n <h3>Encourage others to vote!</h3>\n \n <p>Quoting RobertCartaino from chat:</p>\n \n <blockquote>\n <p>Vote, vote, vote. Encourage others to vote, vote, vote. On good content, leave signposts (\"If you like this, please vote it up. It's important for the community!\")-- in both meta and the main site. Maybe a few meta posts informing the users of the important of that type of participation. You are empowered a lot more than you know.</p>\n </blockquote>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Don't upvote bad content (edit/suggest how to fix it instead) but make sure you remember to vote, especially for questions; if you learned something from an answer on a question, the question's probably worth an upvote too so others can find the good information.</p>\n\n<p> [<img src=\"https://blog.stackexchange.com/images/wordpress/vote-here.jpg\" alt=\"https://blog.stackexchange.com/images/wordpress/vote-here.jpg\">]</p>\n",
"4762: <p>There are other considerations, as have already been noted on <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/264/what-does-it-take-to-get-out-of-beta-stage\">What does it take to get out of Beta stage?</a></p>\n\n<p>On fully graduated sites, we need:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>users with > 10k</em></strong> who can access the moderation tools and;</li>\n<li><strong><em>users > 3k</em></strong> who can vote fully (close votes for example). </li>\n</ul>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>For a full list of reputation against privileges on a <em>fully graduated site</em>, take a look at the <a href=\"https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/help/privileges\">Raspberry Pi privileges page</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/HkSHk.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Graduated privileges\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/HkSHk.png\" alt=\"Graduated privileges\" title=\"Graduated privileges\"></a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As can be seen, the reputation differs greatly from the reputation required <em>when the site is in beta</em>, see <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/privileges\">our privileges</a>.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/aNWMB.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" title=\"Beta Privileges\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/aNWMB.png\" alt=\"Beta Privileges\" title=\"Beta Privileges\"></a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>See <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1354/graduation-of-this-community#answer-1355\">this answer</a> to the question <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1354/graduation-of-this-community\">“Graduation” of this Community</a> for SE.Robotics.Meta, in particular this <em>very poignant</em> paragraph:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Also, consider this, we don't have a single 10k user right now. If we were to graduate today, the only people who would have access to moderator tools would be ♦ moderators. The problems are even worse further down the reputation scale, we only have 6 users with 3k or more reputation, who aren't already ♦ moderators, so only these 6 people would be able to cast ordinary close votes.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Our case is very similar. We have (click <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users?tab=Reputation&filter=all\">here</a>):</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>One user who is <em>near</em> 10k, and that is, without wishing to name and shame (;-D) <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/26/tom-van-der-zanden\">Tom</a></li>\n<li>6 users over 3k</li>\n</ul>\n",
"5740: <p>For graduation, <strong><em>voting is the key</em></strong> to get a growing community that wants to come back to post questions and answers! </p>\n\n<p>According to SE.3D Printing user stats at <a href=\"https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/82438/3d-printing\">Area 51</a> we need more questions and a solid group of users to assist in moderating the site. </p>\n\n<p>The amount of questions are hard to control, but could be increased by the avid users by posting questions and answer those themselves (e.g. about problems you encountered while gaining experience in 3D printing, this is perfectly legal and documents the gained experience to be shared with others). Another aspect is the solid group of users. According to the stats page:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>We recommend: </p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>150 users with 200+ rep (currently 130 users with 200+ rep) </li>\n <li>10 users with 2,000+ rep (currently 10 users with 2,000+ rep) </li>\n <li>5 users with 3,000+ rep (currently 7 users with 3,000+ rep)</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><sup>Quote taken at July 31, 2018</sup></p>\n\n<p>This implies we are short on 200+ rep users (20 people). This can be influenced by voting! There are so many questions unaccepted and a few do not have an answer, so there is a lot of reputation points to be awarded.</p>\n\n<p>Please vote, not only answers, but also on questions. Please do also downvote to keep the quality high, but leave a comment why you downvote, when this answer/question is then modified to address your concerns please revisit to review your vote again.</p>\n",
"61: <p><strong>Yes!</strong></p>\n\n<p>Absolutely. We need to reward good answers, and raise rep levels so suers can get moderation privileges when they rise to the normal public beta levels.</p>\n\n<p>However, I think we should also downvote poor questions and answers. I haven't yet done so, partly because I've focused on rewarding the good posts. But downvoting is important, too.</p>\n\n<p>What happened to me yesterday:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>I posted an answer (my first) to a question.</li>\n<li>It was downvoted.</li>\n<li>A user who may/may not have been the downvoter pointed out something I was wrong about.</li>\n<li>There was a discussion in comments.</li>\n<li>I deleted my answer.</li>\n<li>I edited it.</li>\n<li>There was continued dialogue with the user and another. I improved my answer even further.</li>\n<li>Downvote was removed.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I'm grateful to the downvoter, and to the comments. We need to establish what posts are good and bad in the site, and my original answer was not good. It was wrong in several points - and since the question was about <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/safety\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'safety'\" rel=\"tag\">safety</a>, it was even more important for it to be correct. The feedback helped me to fix my answer, but if I had not done so, the downvote would have ensured that better answers went to the top.</p>\n\n<p>We should definitely upvote. But downvoting is good, too. Downvoters don't have to comment - that's never the case - but comments certainly help. They helped me.</p>\n"
] |
32 | user26: This site may attract questions such as
Is it legal to sell 3D printed objects from a model repository?
Are 3D printed guns legal in my jurisdiction?
If my custom-built printer sets my house on fire, does the insurance cover it?
Are such questions allowed on this site, or should they be redirected to a site dealing more commonly with laws?
user26: No, such questions should not be allowed. This site deals only with the practical issues of 3D printing. Questions about legal issues should be redirected to sites dealing specifically with those, since users of this site do not have the expertise to address legal issues. A 3D printing expert does not make a legal expert.
user107: I would say that they are on topic because it seems more reasonable to look for questions about the legality of 3D printing on a 3D printing site than a law site.
user26: Yes, such questions should be on-topic. There can be partial overlap in sites' scopes, and unique legal issues involving 3D printing can be addressed here. Users of this site are more likely to have specific expertise than users on a site that deals with laws more generally.
user163: I would go with NO, as that should be dealt by law experts from the Law SE, instead of 3D printing engineers and enthusiasts in this site.
Dealing with such questions in this site, would lead to the following problems, like wrong and unreliable advice.
So, such questions should be migrated to the Law site, IMO.
user61: Yes - in some cases.
First, overlap between sites is fine. It doesn't matter if a question is on topic somewhere else; that's no reason to eliminate it from a different site's scope. There were some issues when HSM sprang up, because Mathematics, Physics, and other sites allowed history-related questions. I participated in several meta discussions on these sites. While Physics eventually decided to not allow history questions, Mathematics and other sites continued to allow them. So we should not make our decision based on Law.
I do agree that, so far, the legal questions have not been great. But in the future, they could be. I wrote in a comment
I agree with @TomvanderZanden; a good case could be made for keeping this here. Laws and regulations can be a huge influence on an industry; the allowance or ban of certain products of said industry would seem to be relevant here. Remember, questions can be on-topic on multiple sites.
Regulatory measures can be extraordinarily important in a industry. If we had a site about making socks, should questions about whether or not is is legal to make socks with material X in the United States be off topic? I would argue no; this could be an important part of sock-making.
We have the same situation here. Some legal questions can be important; I would argue that questions regarding which materials and devices are legal should be ones we aim for. The legality of Filament A could be really important to a project.
That's not to say that all legal questions are fine. As has been said, some of the ones we've had so far haven't been great, and I would advocate sending them to Law. But I strongly disagree that just because of the examples we've seen we should not allow legal questions. There are good ones out there; we haven't seen their full extent yet.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/32",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/26/"
] | 2016/01/13 | [
"26: <p>This site may attract questions such as</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Is it legal to sell 3D printed objects from a model repository?</p></li>\n<li><p>Are 3D printed guns legal in my jurisdiction?</p></li>\n<li><p>If my custom-built printer sets my house on fire, does the insurance cover it?</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Are such questions allowed on this site, or should they be redirected to a site dealing more commonly with laws?</p>\n",
"26: <p>No, such questions should not be allowed. This site deals only with the practical issues of 3D printing. Questions about legal issues should be redirected to sites dealing specifically with those, since users of this site do not have the expertise to address legal issues. A 3D printing expert does not make a legal expert.</p>\n",
"107: <p>I would say that <strong>they are on topic</strong> because it seems more reasonable to look for questions about the legality of 3D printing on a 3D printing site than a law site.</p>\n",
"26: <p>Yes, such questions should be on-topic. There can be partial overlap in sites' scopes, and unique legal issues involving 3D printing can be addressed here. Users of this site are more likely to have specific expertise than users on a site that deals with laws more generally.</p>\n",
"163: <p>I would go with <strong>NO,</strong> as that should be dealt by law experts from the <a href=\"https://law.stackexchange.com/\">Law SE</a>, instead of 3D printing engineers and enthusiasts in this site.</p>\n\n<p>Dealing with such questions in this site, would lead to the following problems, like wrong and unreliable advice.</p>\n\n<p>So, such questions should be migrated to the Law site, IMO.</p>\n",
"61: <p><strong>Yes - in some cases.</strong></p>\n\n<p>First, overlap between sites is fine. <em>It doesn't matter if a question is on topic somewhere else</em>; that's no reason to eliminate it from a different site's scope. There were some issues when HSM sprang up, because Mathematics, Physics, and other sites allowed history-related questions. I participated in several meta discussions on these sites. While Physics eventually decided to not allow history questions, Mathematics and other sites continued to allow them. So we should not make our decision based on Law.</p>\n\n<p>I do agree that, so far, the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/legal\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'legal'\" rel=\"tag\">legal</a> questions have not been great. But in the future, they could be. I wrote in <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/103/is-it-legal-to-make-a-weapon-with-a-3d-printer#comment123_1030\">a comment</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I agree with @TomvanderZanden; a good case could be made for keeping this here. Laws and regulations can be a huge influence on an industry; the allowance or ban of certain products of said industry would seem to be relevant here. Remember, questions can be on-topic on multiple sites.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Regulatory measures can be extraordinarily important in a industry. If we had a site about making socks, should questions about whether or not is is legal to make socks with material X in the United States be off topic? I would argue no; this could be an important part of sock-making.</p>\n\n<p>We have the same situation here. Some <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/legal\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'legal'\" rel=\"tag\">legal</a> questions can be important; I would argue that questions regarding which materials and devices are legal should be ones we aim for. The legality of Filament A could be really important to a project.</p>\n\n<p>That's not to say that all <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/legal\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'legal'\" rel=\"tag\">legal</a> questions are fine. As has been said, some of the ones we've had so far haven't been great, and I would advocate sending them to Law. But I strongly disagree that just because of the examples we've seen we should not allow <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/legal\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'legal'\" rel=\"tag\">legal</a> questions. There are good ones out there; we haven't seen their full extent yet.</p>\n"
] |
37 | user43: What would be a good tag to use for doing business/making profit with a 3D printer?
user138: I'd suggest two different tags:
[monetization]: For selling, or profiting from printing, or from printing machines
[financing] (or [costs]): For calculating the cost of materials and machines, including operational expenses.
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] | 2016/01/13 | [
"43: <p>What would be a good tag to use for doing business/making profit with a 3D printer?</p>\n",
"138: <p>I'd suggest two different tags:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>[monetization]: For selling, or profiting from printing, or from printing machines</p></li>\n<li><p>[financing] (or [costs]): For calculating the cost of materials and machines, including operational expenses.</p></li>\n</ul>\n"
] |
49 | user65: I believe this question is asked on every private Beta... what should be the name of our chatroom?
user20: The Box
Since everything happens in the box.
user10: sliced text
Slicing a 3d model is a necessary step for almost all 3D printing techniques, so that it can be printed layer by layer that eventually make up the 3D object.
In chat, people write text line by line which will eventually make up an entire conversation.
user61: The Hotbed.
Colloquially, "hotbed" generally refers to a center of activity. Here, it will have a double meaning (referencing the hot bed of a 3D printer.
| [
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"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/65/"
] | 2016/01/13 | [
"65: <p>I believe this question is asked on every private Beta... what should be the name of our chatroom?</p>\n",
"20: <h3>The Box</h3>\n\n<p>Since everything happens in the box.</p>\n",
"10: <h2>sliced text</h2>\n\n<p>Slicing a 3d model is a necessary step for almost all 3D printing techniques, so that it can be printed layer by layer that eventually make up the 3D object.</p>\n\n<p>In chat, people write text line by line which will eventually make up an entire conversation.</p>\n",
"61: <p><strong>The Hotbed.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Colloquially, \"hotbed\" generally refers to a center of activity. Here, it will have a double meaning (referencing the hot bed of a 3D printer.</p>\n"
] |
50 | user65: When asking my first question, I noticed we have a "quality" tag.
I used it to ask about the quality of the 3D printer in my question, but most other uses are about the quality of the prints.
Should we have separate tags, e.g. "printer-quality" and "print-quality"?
user26: "print-quality" is a better (more specific) tag than "quality", but I don't think we should have a "printer-quality" tag. While discussions about print quality and how to improve it can be reasonably objective, questions asking about printer quality are likely to be primarily opinion-based and off-topic for this site.
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"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
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] | 2016/01/13 | [
"65: <p>When asking my first question, I noticed we have a \"quality\" tag.</p>\n\n<p>I used it to ask about the quality of the 3D printer in my question, but most other uses are about the quality of the prints.</p>\n\n<p>Should we have separate tags, e.g. \"printer-quality\" and \"print-quality\"?</p>\n",
"26: <p>\"print-quality\" is a better (more specific) tag than \"quality\", but I don't think we should have a \"printer-quality\" tag. While discussions about print quality and how to improve it can be reasonably objective, questions asking about printer quality are likely to be primarily opinion-based and off-topic for this site.</p>\n"
] |
59 | user61: We currently have quite a few tags about filament:
filament
plastic-filament
thermoplastic-filament
etc.
I feel like we need to clean these up and make clear what we'll use each tag for.
Thoughts?
user8884: I bump this and propose the radical method:
We only need ONE filament tag and then any tags for specific material (e.g.pla abs petg pva tpu pc) groups that have specific properties (e.g. flexible-filament conductive-filament)
The difference between thermoplastic-filament and plastic-filament in use is nonexistant and both are pretty much identical to filament in the current use - it is rather random which one gets used, in many cases more than one is used.
There is no filament that can be used in 3D printing that is not a thermoplastic, as the method to re-shape the filament via heat demands a thermoplastic.
While there are clearly more plastics than thermoplastics, non thermoplastic plastics are not useable for 3D printing unless you would design a whole printer to use for example an UV-curing resin delivered to the workpiece via a needle - which makes this a non-FDM printer.
user43: I see a form of hierarchy that could be used.
Depending on the question a higher level tag could be used or a more specific one for specific problems (or both tags even).
Filament
Plastic Filament
ABS
PLA
Water Soluble
PVA
Flexible
NinjaFlex and similar
TPU
Conductive
Metalic
Resin
Powder
Full Color
Feel free to edit to add more types
user26: All filament used in 3D printing is thermoplastic filament, so plastic-filament and thermoplastic-filament are redundant.
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"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
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] | 2016/01/15 | [
"61: <p>We currently have quite a few tags about filament:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'filament'\" rel=\"tag\">filament</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/plastic-filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'plastic-filament'\" rel=\"tag\">plastic-filament</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/thermoplastic-filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'thermoplastic-filament'\" rel=\"tag\">thermoplastic-filament</a></li>\n<li>etc.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I feel like we need to clean these up and make clear what we'll use each tag for.</p>\n\n<p>Thoughts?</p>\n",
"8884: <p>I bump this and propose the radical method:</p>\n\n<p>We only need ONE <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'filament'\" rel=\"tag\">filament</a> tag and then any tags for specific material (e.g.<a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/pla\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'pla'\" rel=\"tag\">pla</a> <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/abs\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'abs'\" rel=\"tag\">abs</a> <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/petg\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'petg'\" rel=\"tag\">petg</a> <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/pva\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'pva'\" rel=\"tag\">pva</a> <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/tpu\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'tpu'\" rel=\"tag\">tpu</a> <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/pc\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'pc'\" rel=\"tag\">pc</a>) groups that have specific properties (e.g. <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/flexible-filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'flexible-filament'\" rel=\"tag\">flexible-filament</a> <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/conductive-filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'conductive-filament'\" rel=\"tag\">conductive-filament</a>)</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>The difference between <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/thermoplastic-filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'thermoplastic-filament'\" rel=\"tag\">thermoplastic-filament</a> and <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/plastic-filament\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'plastic-filament'\" rel=\"tag\">plastic-filament</a> in use is nonexistant and both are pretty much identical to filament in the current use - it is rather random which one gets used, in many cases more than one is used.</p></li>\n<li><p>There is no filament that can be used in 3D printing that is not a thermoplastic, as the method to re-shape the filament via heat demands a thermoplastic.</p></li>\n<li><p>While there are clearly more plastics than thermoplastics, non thermoplastic plastics are not useable for 3D printing unless you would design a whole printer to use for example an UV-curing resin delivered to the workpiece via a needle - which makes this a non-FDM printer.</p></li>\n</ul>\n",
"43: <p>I see a form of hierarchy that could be used.</p>\n\n<p>Depending on the question a higher level tag could be used or a more specific one for specific problems (or both tags even).</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Filament\n\n<ul>\n<li>Plastic Filament\n\n<ul>\n<li>ABS</li>\n<li>PLA</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Water Soluble\n\n<ul>\n<li>PVA</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Flexible\n\n<ul>\n<li>NinjaFlex and similar</li>\n<li>TPU</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Conductive</li>\n<li>Metalic</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Resin</li>\n<li>Powder</li>\n<li>Full Color</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Feel free to edit to add more types</p>\n",
"26: <p>All filament used in 3D printing is thermoplastic filament, so plastic-filament and thermoplastic-filament are redundant.</p>\n"
] |
67 | user40: I just got a printer with swappable heads that can do FDM 3d printing, milling, and laser engraving. Presumably questions relating to the first are in scope here; how about the others? Or how about questions about the intersection? For example, a question about how best to design a model that can be produced either by FDM or milling.
user1: Various proposals covering the 3D printing space went through many iterations including a broader site about "Personal Manufacturing" and another for "Digital Fabrication." This is another variation on that scope.
3D printers are going to become increasingly capable and integrate features we haven't even imagined. So as 3D printers start to cross over into other related areas, as long as the questions are not too far outside the target audience of this site, I would allow them.
This is one of those times where I'd say it's not the "name" that defines this site, but the intentions of the community that built it. So unless (until) there arises a field of questions incongruous with the audience of this site, I wouldn't be too quick to break out the Oxford English Dictionary to define its scope.
Essentially, I would err towards keeping these questions and let their longer track record decide if they belong.
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"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
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] | 2016/01/19 | [
"40: <p>I just got a printer with swappable heads that can do FDM 3d printing, milling, and laser engraving. Presumably questions relating to the first are in scope here; how about the others? Or how about questions about the intersection? For example, a question about how best to design a model that can be produced <em>either</em> by FDM or milling.</p>\n",
"1: <p>Various proposals covering the 3D printing space went through many iterations including a broader site about \"Personal Manufacturing\" and another for \"Digital Fabrication.\" This is another variation on that scope.</p>\n\n<p>3D printers are going to become increasingly capable and integrate features we haven't even imagined. So as 3D printers start to cross over into other related areas, as long as the questions are not too far outside the target audience of this site, <strong>I would allow them.</strong> </p>\n\n<p>This is one of those times where I'd say it's not the \"name\" that defines this site, but the intentions of the community that built it. So unless (until) there arises a field of questions incongruous with the audience of this site, I wouldn't be too quick to break out the Oxford English Dictionary to define its scope.</p>\n\n<p>Essentially, I would err towards keeping these questions and let their longer track record decide if they belong. </p>\n"
] |
69 | user298: The questions so far are pretty strongly geared towards hobbyist/consumer FFF machines. That's not necessarily bad, since that's where most legit questions will come from. (Not much reason to ask questions about a plug-and-play industrial machine.) But it's a pretty important scope distinction. So far, askers are not really providing enough technology/make/model info to tell what kind of equipment they're running. An experienced expert can tell by context what the intention is, but that's not really scalable.
Sub-questions:
Will other AM technologies like SLA/DLP be included? If so, a pretty
rigorous clarification and tagging effort will be required to
separate out these other technologies.
Are industrial machines in scope?
user1: In technology, today's big iron is tomorrows desktop toys. I don't see any purpose in creating an explicit moratorium against bigger industrial applications in this space.
"The questions so far…" are only a limited sampling from a closed private beta running about two weeks. I don't know how comprehensive this site will become, but let's be careful about starting in on a rule set anticipating problems that may never occur in actual practice.
See: Erring towards keeping these questions and let their longer track record decide if they belong.
user26: I think all additive manufacturing techniques should be in scope. Given their popularity with consumers, most questions will naturally be regarding FDM printers. I don't see why that should rule out other techniques though: SLA machines are becoming increasingly accessible, and I think there's a $5000 SLS machine on the horizon.
I don't see any reason to rule out industrial machines either. With the current user base those questions might go unanswered but there's no reason this site couldn't attract industry experts when it goes public.
I do agree that questions should specify the make/model of 3D printer the question relates to if it's not obvious from the context.
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"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/298/"
] | 2016/01/20 | [
"298: <p>The questions so far are pretty strongly geared towards hobbyist/consumer FFF machines. That's not necessarily bad, since that's where most legit questions will come from. (Not much reason to ask questions about a plug-and-play industrial machine.) But it's a pretty important scope distinction. So far, askers are not really providing enough technology/make/model info to tell what kind of equipment they're running. An experienced expert can tell by context what the intention is, but that's not really scalable.</p>\n\n<p>Sub-questions:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Will other AM technologies like SLA/DLP be included? If so, a pretty\nrigorous clarification and tagging effort will be required to\nseparate out these other technologies.</li>\n<li>Are industrial machines in scope? </li>\n</ol>\n",
"1: <p>In technology, today's big iron is tomorrows desktop toys. I don't see any purpose in creating an explicit moratorium against bigger industrial applications in this space. </p>\n\n<p>\"The questions so far…\" are only a limited sampling from a <em>closed</em> private beta running about two weeks. I don't know how comprehensive this site will become, but let's be careful about starting in on a rule set anticipating problems that may never occur in actual practice. </p>\n\n<p>See: <strong><a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/a/68/1\">Erring towards keeping these questions and let their longer track record decide if they belong</a>.</strong></p>\n",
"26: <p>I think all additive manufacturing techniques should be in scope. Given their popularity with consumers, most questions will naturally be regarding FDM printers. I don't see why that should rule out other techniques though: SLA machines are becoming increasingly accessible, and I think there's a $5000 SLS machine on the horizon.</p>\n\n<p>I don't see any reason to rule out industrial machines either. With the current user base those questions might go unanswered but there's no reason this site couldn't attract industry experts when it goes public.</p>\n\n<p>I do agree that questions should specify the make/model of 3D printer the question relates to if it's not obvious from the context.</p>\n"
] |
74 | user43: We have only had activity on 3 questions in the past 2 days. It is recommended that we get 10 new questions per day. This is far below these goals.
What can we do to get more questions?
user138: I wouldn't worry too much about it.
We're still currently in the private beta stage, and we'll be in this spot for another 9 days. After nearly two weeks of private beta, it's perfectly natural for activity to slow down.
So what should you do?
Don't lose out. Make sure that you keep your commitment to this strong. Keep active on meta, working through the queues and discussing site issues.
Quantity is not everything. Whatever you do, never sacrifice quality in these critical stages. Don't ask questions simply for the sake of asking: if you do, you're bailing out on the site. Continue answering questions with quality. If you start seeding the site with lower-quality questions, you'll destroy the site. I've seen this happen. You've got a reputation so far, make sure to keep it, or even improve it.
user40: Sending out additional private-beta invites could help, too (without, of course, going overboard).
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/74",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/43/"
] | 2016/01/24 | [
"43: <p>We have only had activity on 3 questions in the past 2 days. It is recommended that we get 10 new questions per day. This is far below these goals.</p>\n\n<p>What can we do to get more questions?</p>\n",
"138: <p>I wouldn't worry too much about it. </p>\n\n<p>We're still currently in the private beta stage, and we'll be in this spot for another 9 days. After nearly two weeks of private beta, it's perfectly natural for activity to slow down. </p>\n\n<h2>So what should you do?</h2>\n\n<p>Don't lose out. Make sure that you keep your commitment to this strong. Keep active on meta, working through the queues and discussing site issues. </p>\n\n<p>Quantity is not everything. Whatever you do, never sacrifice quality in these critical stages. Don't ask questions simply for the sake of asking: if you do, you're bailing out on the site. Continue answering questions with quality. If you start seeding the site with lower-quality questions, you'll destroy the site. I've seen this happen. You've got a reputation so far, make sure to keep it, or even improve it. </p>\n",
"40: <p>Sending out additional private-beta invites could help, too (without, of course, going overboard).</p>\n"
] |
76 | user138: When 3D Printing moves into public beta, you're going to want to get the word out. And fast! One of the best ways to advertise ourselves across the entire Stack Exchange network is through community ads.
So what are these "Community Ads?"
Graduated sites allow the community to advertise relevant products or services within the site, using a system where the community chooses what to advertise. You can find these posts on per-site metas. Hint: these posts have the community-ads tag!
Cool! What should the ad be like?
There's a few requirements for these ads. Most notably,
They must be 300px wide by 250px tall, or double for "retina" displays
There's a limit on file size of 150 kB.
The image must be hosted on i.stack.imgur (the Stack Exchange image hosting service).
Ads must be GIF or PNG (no animated GIFs).
What else should I know?
To facilitate easy posting to other sites, make sure that the embedded image is of the following format:
[![Tagline to show on mouseover][1]][2]
[1]: http://image-url
[2]: http://clickthrough-url
You can also include a message as a part of your answer with your own thoughts: why you chose some of the elements, and what sites the ads could potentially be posted to. Don't forget to critique each other as well!
Happy Designing!
user98: As mentioned, here's one related to the Occupy Thingiverse movement. It's simple, but it has a bit of history within the 3D printing community.
user2146:
Using this guy to post on the facebook groups. As an admin of 3d printing hobbyists I usually see posts get 2-3k views. So We might get as high as 5k+ views. But it seems to be fairly random with Facebooks meddling with what content to show first.
user1211: here is another trial of logo (kinda evolution to make it more technic and even more simple)
and favico
user1211: here is another proposition
it's as "native" as possible i think :)
it's jut a draft so all those curves will be tuned
but i wanted to show the idea
user98: I'll try my hand at it and try to get the ball rolling.
user115: How about something like:
The post-it design is optional, naturally.
user1211: I admire Tormod idea.
Here is my version of his picture.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/76",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/138/"
] | 2016/01/24 | [
"138: <p>When 3D Printing moves into public beta, you're going to want to get the word out. And fast! One of the best ways to advertise ourselves across the entire Stack Exchange network is through community ads. </p>\n\n<h3>So what are these \"Community Ads?\"</h3>\n\n<p>Graduated sites allow the community to advertise relevant products or services within the site, using a system where the community chooses what to advertise. You can find these posts on per-site metas. Hint: these posts have the <a href=\"/questions/tagged/community-ads\" class=\"post-tag moderator-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'community-ads'\" rel=\"tag\">community-ads</a> tag!</p>\n\n<h3>Cool! What should the ad be like?</h3>\n\n<p>There's a few requirements for these ads. Most notably,</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>They must be 300px wide by 250px tall, or double for \"retina\" displays</li>\n<li>There's a limit on file size of 150 kB.</li>\n<li>The image must be hosted on i.stack.imgur (the Stack Exchange image hosting service).</li>\n<li>Ads must be GIF or PNG (no animated GIFs).</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3>What else should I know?</h3>\n\n<p>To facilitate easy posting to other sites, make sure that the embedded image is of the following format:</p>\n\n<pre>[![Tagline to show on mouseover][1]][2]\n\n [1]: http://image-url\n [2]: http://clickthrough-url \n</pre>\n\n<p>You can also include a message as a part of your answer with your own thoughts: why you chose some of the elements, and what sites the ads could potentially be posted to. Don't forget to critique each other as well!</p>\n\n<p><strong>Happy Designing!</strong></p>\n",
"98: <p>As mentioned, here's one related to the <a href=\"http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:30808\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><strong>Occupy Thingiverse</strong></a> movement. It's simple, but it has a bit of history within the 3D printing community.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vUg7.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/9vUg7.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n",
"2146: <p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/4uUlD.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/4uUlD.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>Using this guy to post on the facebook groups. As an admin of 3d printing hobbyists I usually see posts get 2-3k views. So We might get as high as 5k+ views. But it seems to be fairly random with Facebooks meddling with what content to show first.</p>\n",
"1211: <p>here is another trial of logo (kinda evolution to make it more technic and even more simple)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/8fI5T.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/8fI5T.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>and favico\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ePnPJ.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ePnPJ.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n",
"1211: <p>here is another proposition\nit's as \"native\" as possible i think :)</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zbU4j.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/zbU4j.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>it's jut a draft so all those curves will be tuned</p>\n\n<p>but i wanted to show the idea</p>\n",
"98: <p>I'll try my hand at it and try to get the ball rolling.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/CBJNE.png\" alt=\"Been here?\"></a></p>\n",
"115: <p>How about something like:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUGWg.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UUGWg.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n\n<p>The post-it design is optional, naturally.</p>\n",
"1211: <p>I admire Tormod idea.</p>\n\n<p>Here is my version of his picture.</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hNsZV.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/hNsZV.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRg5J.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/bRg5J.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\"></a></p>\n"
] |
77 | user126: Questions like:
x 3d printer is good?
or
if it is my first printer, which model would you recommend
or
What printer model to buy?
are on-topic?
I think if you ask
I can not do x with my 3d printer, what printer to do x?
Can be on-topic
user63: These are shopping questions, plain and simple. They are such obvious broken windows that it is important that they are closed as quickly as possible.
On Robotics I have the following canned response for shopping questions, and I would highly recommend adapting it for 3dprinting:
Welcome to *robotics* XXX, but I'm afraid that *[shopping questions](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/)* really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer *[practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)*. Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works, and the [*Robotics* question checklist](https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1302/37) for details of how to write a good question.
This renders as:
Welcome to robotics XXX, but I'm afraid that shopping questions really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face. Take a look at How to Ask, tour and the Robotics question checklist for more information on how stack exchange works.
I then close the question as "Primarily Opinion Based". These questions are almost never edited to adhere to community guidelines, but at least I have done my best to welcome people to the community and minimise the risk that they will leave and never come back.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/77",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/126/"
] | 2016/01/27 | [
"126: <p>Questions like:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><em>x</em> 3d printer is good?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>or</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>if it is my first printer, which model would you recommend</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>or</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What printer model to buy?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>are on-topic?</p>\n\n<p>I think if you ask</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>I can not do <em>x</em> with my 3d printer, what printer to do <em>x</em>?</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Can be on-topic</p>\n",
"63: <p>These are shopping questions, plain and simple. They are such obvious <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">broken windows</a> that it is important that they are closed as quickly as possible.</p>\n\n<p>On <em>Robotics</em> I have the following <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/177/37\">canned response</a> for shopping questions, and I would highly recommend adapting it for 3dprinting:</p>\n\n<p><code>Welcome to *robotics* XXX, but I'm afraid that *[shopping questions](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/)* really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer *[practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)*. Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works, and the [*Robotics* question checklist](https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1302/37) for details of how to write a good question.</code></p>\n\n<p>This renders as:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Welcome to <em>robotics</em> XXX, but I'm afraid that <em><a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/\">shopping questions</a></em> really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer <em><a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask\">practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face</a></em>. Take a look at <a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/questions/how-to-ask\">How to Ask</a>, <a href=\"https://robotics.stackexchange.com/about\">tour</a> and the <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1302/37\"><em>Robotics</em> question checklist</a> for more information on how stack exchange works.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I then close the question as \"Primarily Opinion Based\". These questions are almost never edited to adhere to community guidelines, but at least I have done my best to welcome people to the community and minimise the risk that they will leave and never come back.</p>\n"
] |
79 | user150: As you may or may not know, this is the third iteration of a proposal site that covers 3D Printing. The first 2 made it to the beta phase, but did not graduate from the beta successfully:
Digital Fabrication
Personal Manufacturing
Would it be acceptable to extract good/relevant questions out of these beta site question dumps and post them in the 3D Printing site?
user63: Although I was sad to see the Digital Fabrication beta close, I think there would be little to be gained by trying to import it's questions. The scope was different, and it was a very different group of comitters - only 1.8% of Digital Fabrication committers also committed to 3D Printing for instance.
user1: If someone has a question from one of those older sites, they should go ahead and ask it. But a wholesale importing of content from elsewhere is not really a desirable way to build this site.
There is a lot of ownership and careful curation that goes with vetting the content of this site. Questions imported from elsewhere would always have that air of odd, forgotten legacy content back-dated and anonymous with no owners or real-time vetting at all. If someone posts another answer or asks for some followup to one of these questions, no one will receive the notification. Essentially, we would be loading this site up with a lot of questions asked and answered a long time ago without imparting any of the benefits of reputation, ownership, or experience into the community that is supposed to take care of it.
That's why we don't do it.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/79",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/150/"
] | 2016/01/28 | [
"150: <p>As you may or may not know, this is the third iteration of a proposal site that covers 3D Printing. The first 2 made it to the beta phase, but did not graduate from the beta successfully:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/41850/digital-fabrication\">Digital Fabrication</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/22246/personal-manufacturing\">Personal Manufacturing</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Would it be acceptable to extract <code>good</code>/<code>relevant</code> questions out of these beta site question dumps and post them in the 3D Printing site?</p>\n",
"63: <p>Although I was sad to see the <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/41850/digital-fabrication\">Digital Fabrication</a> beta close, I think there would be little to be gained by trying to import it's questions. The scope was different, and it was a very different group of comitters - only 1.8% of <a href=\"http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/41850/digital-fabrication\">Digital Fabrication</a> committers also committed to <em>3D Printing</em> for instance.</p>\n",
"1: <p>If someone has a question from one of those older sites, they should go ahead and ask it. But a wholesale importing of content from elsewhere is not really a desirable way to build this site. </p>\n\n<p>There is a lot of ownership and careful curation that goes with vetting the content of this site. Questions imported from elsewhere would always have that air of odd, forgotten legacy content back-dated and <em>anonymous</em> with no owners or real-time vetting at all. If someone posts another answer or asks for some followup to one of these questions, no one will receive the notification. Essentially, we would be loading this site up with a lot of questions asked and answered a long time ago without imparting any of the benefits of reputation, ownership, or experience into the community that is supposed to take care of it.</p>\n\n<p>That's why we don't do it.</p>\n"
] |
80 | user334: How to choose a right 3D printer filament type?
I mean, this is usefull question. Why are you guys voting for close? It's not too broad, I formated it to be direct on topic.
Thanks afterwards.
user115: I believe the question can be considered "too broad" because you basically ask for the pros, cons and similarities of every filament that can be 3D-printed.
You last paragraph is a better question, since you here ask how to find the right filament for your cause. If that is really what you want to ask, you could try putting more emphasis on that specific question.
If what you actually want to know is what filament you should use for one specific application - for instance for a part that need to withstand physical stress - try asking about that instead.
In general, it can often be better to ask a question with a specific scenario - even a constructed case - than asking general questions.
Also, remember to always try getting your title as specific as possible, since that is the first impression users will get when the read your post!
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/80",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/334/"
] | 2016/01/28 | [
"334: <p><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/410/how-to-choose-a-right-3d-printer-filament-type\">How to choose a right 3D printer filament type?</a></p>\n\n<p>I mean, this is usefull question. Why are you guys voting for close? It's not too broad, I formated it to be direct on topic.</p>\n\n<p>Thanks afterwards.</p>\n",
"115: <p>I believe the question can be considered \"too broad\" because you basically ask for the pros, cons and similarities of <em>every</em> filament that can be 3D-printed.</p>\n\n<p>You last paragraph is a better question, since you here ask <em>how</em> to find the right filament for your cause. If that is really what you want to ask, you could try putting more emphasis on that specific question.</p>\n\n<p>If what you actually want to know is what filament you should use for one <em>specific</em> application - for instance for a part that need to withstand physical stress - try asking about that instead.</p>\n\n<p>In general, it can often be better to ask a question with a specific scenario - even a constructed case - than asking general questions.</p>\n\n<p>Also, remember to always try getting your title as specific as possible, since that is the first impression users will get when the read your post!</p>\n"
] |
83 | user298: I feel like questions along the lines of, "my printer is crashing for no obvious reason, what should I do?" may be too broad and open-ended for this format. It's better handled by a forum where people can have running discussions to rule out a series of tests. What do you guys think?
user63: In addition to Robert Cartaino♦'s suggestion, I think that there is value in this class of question.
Over on Robotics we find that troubleshooting questions can often lead to interesting and often more generalised answers, and can lead to further, more specific questions. These types of questions also tend to be the kind which are difficult to answer through a google search, as not knowing what to search for is a big part of the problem.
Sadly this kind of question is often a new users first question, poorly written and difficult to answer in it's original form, so we tend to close these as Unclear what you are asking and clarify that with the following comment:
Welcome to *robotics* XXX, but I'm afraid that it is not clear what you are asking. We prefer *[practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)*, so it is a good idea to include details of what what you would like to achieve, what you have tried, what you expected to see and what you actually saw. Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works. If you edit your question to make it more clear, flag it for moderator attention and we can reopen it for you.
The point of leaving this unrendered is so that you can easily copy the raw text to paste into a comment.
Note that Comments render slightly differently to answers, for instance [chat] renders as 3D Printing Chat in a comment but as [chat] in a question or answer.
user1: For common problems that get asked a lot, I wouldn't just close these as too broad. A better solution is to create a canonical post like this:
How do I troubleshoot when I have no clue where to start?
These attract a lot of users.
The goal is to create a step-by-step trouble-shooting guide to explain what lights, nozzles, and sneedles to look when you're kwigger isn't going zong.
And don't just answer with a hyperlink to some other discussion group somewhere. Do everything you can to really overkill it. Write a detailed, step-by-step, ultra-clear guide, so when zillions of people with this problem go searching, you stand a good chance of the best possible answer on the web.
This is one of those opportunities to attract some great new users who will add value for years to come.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/83",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/298/"
] | 2016/01/29 | [
"298: <p>I feel like questions along the lines of, \"my printer is crashing for no obvious reason, what should I do?\" may be too broad and open-ended for this format. It's better handled by a forum where people can have running discussions to rule out a series of tests. What do you guys think?</p>\n",
"63: <p>In addition to <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/a/84/63\">Robert Cartaino♦</a>'s suggestion, I think that there is value in this class of question.</p>\n\n<p>Over on <em>Robotics</em> we find that troubleshooting questions can often lead to interesting and often more generalised answers, and can lead to further, more specific questions. These types of questions also tend to be the kind which are difficult to answer through a google search, as not knowing what to search for is a big part of the problem.</p>\n\n<p>Sadly this kind of question is often a new users first question, poorly written and difficult to answer in it's original form, so we tend to close these as <em>Unclear what you are asking</em> and clarify that with the <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/177/37\">following comment</a>:</p>\n\n<p><code>Welcome to *robotics* XXX, but I'm afraid that it is not clear what you are asking. We prefer *[practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)*, so it is a good idea to include details of what what you would like to achieve, what you have tried, what you expected to see and what you actually saw. Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works. If you edit your question to make it more clear, flag it for moderator attention and we can reopen it for you.</code></p>\n\n<p><sup>The point of leaving this unrendered is so that you can easily copy the raw text to paste into a comment.</sup></p>\n\n<p>Note that Comments render slightly differently to answers, for instance <code>[chat]</code> renders as <a href=\"http://chat.stackexchange.com/\">3D Printing Chat</a> in a comment but as [chat] in a question or answer.</p>\n",
"1: <p>For common problems that get asked a lot, I wouldn't just close these as <em>too broad.</em> A better solution is to create a <strong>canonical post</strong> like this:</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"https://superuser.com/a/260078/697\"><strong>How do I troubleshoot when I have no clue where to start?</strong></a></p>\n\n<p>These attract a <em>lot</em> of users. </p>\n\n<p>The goal is to create a step-by-step trouble-shooting guide to explain what lights, nozzles, and sneedles to look when you're kwigger isn't going <em>zong.</em></p>\n\n<p>And don't just answer with a hyperlink to some other discussion group somewhere. Do everything you can to really overkill it. Write a detailed, step-by-step, ultra-clear guide, so when zillions of people with this problem go searching, you stand a good chance of the best possible answer on the web. </p>\n\n<p>This is one of those opportunities to attract some great new users who will add value for years to come.</p>\n"
] |
91 | user334: Methods for smoothing 3D objects
So... maybe one day it becomes community wiki. I think that we need this type of questions, so we can provide more detailed answers to methods and practices.
user66: In my opinion the edits to this question made it even more broad to the point that the answers no longer reflect the current question and the current question isn't even useful or answerable.
The original question, while not very well worded, at least had a specific focus: "How do you smooth 3D prints without sanding or chemicals?" Both answers were detailed and specific to that particular question. I don't think that was too broad of a question.
In it's current form this question is basically unanswerable without writing about a dozen different techniques.
user16: "is still too broad?" is answered by your own question, "we can provide more detailed answers".
The problem essentially is that this Q&A format isn't suited to very long treatises on this type of subject. It's far better to ask a specific question such as "How do I smooth this ABS print to eliminate all signs that it was 3D printed?" and receive several good answers, than to have a one-stop-wiki question that attempts (and usually does very poorly) at holding all the answers to all the possible smoothing questions.
So I'd recommend we leave this question closed and let people start more specific questions as they run into actual problems.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/91",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/334/"
] | 2016/02/03 | [
"334: <p><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/413/methods-for-smoothing-3d-objects\">Methods for smoothing 3D objects</a></p>\n\n<p>So... maybe one day it becomes community wiki. I think that we need this type of questions, so we can provide more detailed answers to methods and practices.</p>\n",
"66: <p>In my opinion the edits to this question made it even more broad to the point that the answers no longer reflect the current question and the current question isn't even useful or answerable.</p>\n\n<p>The original question, while not very well worded, at least had a specific focus: \"How do you smooth 3D prints without sanding or chemicals?\" Both answers were detailed and specific to that particular question. I don't think that was too broad of a question.</p>\n\n<p>In it's current form this question is basically unanswerable without writing about a dozen different techniques.</p>\n",
"16: <p><em>\"is still too broad?\"</em> is answered by your own question, <em>\"we can provide more detailed answers\"</em>. </p>\n\n<p>The problem essentially is that this Q&A format isn't suited to very long treatises on this type of subject. It's far better to ask a specific question such as <em>\"How do I smooth this ABS print to eliminate all signs that it was 3D printed?\"</em> and receive several good answers, than to have a one-stop-wiki question that attempts (and usually does very poorly) at holding all the answers to all the possible smoothing questions.</p>\n\n<p>So I'd recommend we leave this question closed and let people start more specific questions as they run into actual problems.</p>\n"
] |
92 | user334: How to choose a right 3D printer filament type?
I have also made an edit to this question. I would like to know the difference. So, if it is still too broad, can someone suggest an edit for it?
user98: The question is still very broad and can be opinion based. Someone left a comment below your question stating that your question was related to a more narrow question. I would recommend editing your question to explain your situation a bit more. Here are some good points that you can provide users to make it easier to answer:
Does your print require specific mechanical properties (ie high strength, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, flexibility, etc.)
Does your print need to "look pretty"
What type of 3D printing technology are you wishing to use (FDM, FFF, SLS, etc.)
Answering some of these questions will definitely provide users with more direction as to how to answer your question. As it stands right now, your question will result in the general response: "Well, it depends on what you're trying to make...".
I'm sure that I'm not the only one here that has a few different types of material available at any given point as result of various projects (ABS, PLA, PVA, TPE, etc.).
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/92",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/334/"
] | 2016/02/03 | [
"334: <p><a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/410/how-to-choose-a-right-3d-printer-filament-type\">How to choose a right 3D printer filament type?</a></p>\n\n<p>I have also made an edit to this question. I would like to know the difference. So, if it is still too broad, can someone suggest an edit for it?</p>\n",
"98: <p>The question is still very broad and can be opinion based. Someone left a comment below your question stating that your question was related to a <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5/how-is-pla-different-from-abs-material?rq=1\">more narrow question</a>. I would recommend editing your question to explain your situation a bit more. Here are some good points that you can provide users to make it easier to answer:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Does your print require specific mechanical properties (ie high strength, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, flexibility, etc.)</li>\n<li>Does your print need to \"look pretty\"</li>\n<li>What type of 3D printing technology are you wishing to use (FDM, FFF, SLS, etc.)</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Answering some of these questions will definitely provide users with more direction as to how to answer your question. As it stands right now, your question will result in the general response: \"Well, it depends on what you're trying to make...\".</p>\n\n<p>I'm sure that I'm not the only one here that has a few different types of material available at any given point as result of various projects (ABS, PLA, PVA, TPE, etc.).</p>\n"
] |
97 | user63: MathJax support allows questions and answers to contain pretty mathematical formulae, easy subscripts & superscripts, fractions, roots and greek letters etc. all using LaTeX syntax.
I have seen at least one answer so far which included an equation, so might have benefited from having MathJax markup enabled.
It is apparently easy for the Stack Exchange team to enable, we just need to decide whether we want it or not.
See my MathJax reference post on Robotics meta for some examples of what MathJax can do.
user98: At this time, I don't think this would provide a significant enhancement to the site.
The 3D printing industry is both blessed and cursed in terms of development. While software and general usability is relatively easy compared to traditional manufacturing technologies, the general lack of digital feedback from the machine makes it difficult for the end user.
With this in mind, I find it difficult at this point in time to include 3D printing-related formulas. Most other math-based questions will most likely be Electrical Engineering related or Software related which I think is still a grey area here on the 3D printing site.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/97",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/63/"
] | 2016/02/09 | [
"63: <p><a href=\"https://www.mathjax.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">MathJax</a> support allows questions and answers to contain pretty mathematical formulae, easy subscripts & superscripts, fractions, roots and greek letters etc. all using LaTeX syntax.</p>\n\n<p>I have seen at least one answer so far which included an equation, so might have benefited from having MathJax markup enabled.</p>\n\n<p>It is apparently easy for the Stack Exchange team to enable, we just need to decide whether we want it or not.</p>\n\n<p>See my <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/131/37\">MathJax reference post on Robotics meta</a> for some examples of what MathJax can do.</p>\n",
"98: <p>At this time, I don't think this would provide a significant enhancement to the site.</p>\n\n<p>The 3D printing industry is both blessed and cursed in terms of development. While software and general usability is relatively easy compared to traditional manufacturing technologies, the general lack of digital feedback from the machine makes it difficult for the end user.</p>\n\n<p>With this in mind, I find it difficult at this point in time to include 3D printing-related formulas. Most other math-based questions will most likely be <a href=\"https://electronics.stackexchange.com/\">Electrical Engineering</a> related or <a href=\"https://stackoverflow.com/\">Software</a> related which I think is still a grey area here on the 3D printing site.</p>\n"
] |
100 | user98: Looking at some of the meta questions (Should the specification of printer technology be mandatory?
,FFF/FDM vs… everything else?
) and having asked myself the questions about proper tagging, is there way that we can add/edit tags in mass quantities?
I'd be willing to go ahead and add various slicing engines, manufacturers, models, etc. if there was a way to create tags outside of creating questions. It might also be nice to have a cleaner way to edit tag information such as an editable table (instead of pagination).
Are these options available in moderator tools, if at all?
user127:
Looking at some of the meta questions (1,2) and having asked myself the questions about proper tagging, is there way that we can add/edit tags in mass quantities?
No. That's deliberate - tags are not supposed to be treated with mass operations, but individually.
I'd be willing to go ahead and add various slicing engines, manufacturers, models, etc. if there was a way to create tags outside of creating questions. It might also be nice to have a cleaner way to edit tag information such as an editable table (instead of pagination).
Click on a tag wherever it comes up. It takes you to the tag page, from which you can click "improve tag info" to get to the tag wiki edit page. This you can edit (or suggest an edit to, if you're under 4000 reputation for an SE site that has the Beta status).
Are these options available in moderator tools, if at all?
No. Community Managers (the Stack Exchange staff) have access to some tag mass operations, and diamond moderators can merge tags. Regular users have no access to batch ops.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/100",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/98/"
] | 2016/02/09 | [
"98: <p>Looking at some of the meta questions (<a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/2/should-the-specification-of-printer-technology-be-mandatory\">Should the specification of printer technology be mandatory?\n</a>,<a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/69/fff-fdm-vs-everything-else\">FFF/FDM vs… everything else?\n</a>) and having asked myself the questions about proper tagging, is there way that we can add/edit tags in mass quantities?</p>\n\n<p>I'd be willing to go ahead and add various slicing engines, manufacturers, models, etc. if there was a way to create tags outside of creating questions. It might also be nice to have a cleaner way to edit tag information such as an editable table (instead of pagination).</p>\n\n<p>Are these options available in moderator tools, if at all?</p>\n",
"127: <blockquote>\n <p>Looking at some of the meta questions (1,2) and having asked myself the questions about proper tagging, is there way that we can add/edit tags in mass quantities?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. That's deliberate - tags are not supposed to be treated with mass operations, but individually.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I'd be willing to go ahead and add various slicing engines, manufacturers, models, etc. if there was a way to create tags outside of creating questions. It might also be nice to have a cleaner way to edit tag information such as an editable table (instead of pagination).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Click on a tag wherever it comes up. It takes you to the tag page, from which you can click \"improve tag info\" to get to the tag wiki edit page. This you can edit (or suggest an edit to, if you're <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/trusted-user\">under 4000 reputation for an SE site that has the Beta status</a>).</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Are these options available in moderator tools, if at all?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. Community Managers (the Stack Exchange staff) have access to some tag mass operations, and diamond moderators can <em>merge</em> tags. Regular users have no access to batch ops.</p>\n"
] |
101 | user98: So far, it seems like questions about slicing engine software are within scope. However, what about questions about web applications such as Thingiverse, Tinkercad, GrabCAD, etc.? This makes me think that these are viable questions within the community. While they might not be related directly to the act of 3D printing, it could possibly lead more users to the site.
Any thoughts?
user1: Absolutely! For any tool, software, or service that is an integral part of the 3D printing landscape, questions about how to use them should be on topic here. When folks go searching for answers about the products and services they use every day, I sure would like them find the answers on this site. As a matter of fact, these project teams often have communities of their own, so we should encourage them to become part of the ecosystem of this site.
It's a big growth area of growth for this type of Q&A.
Now there may be a line where service-related questions are simply too far outside the subject of 3D printing to be appropriate here. Stack Exchange works really well for technical support, as long as we're not trying outsource their entire customer service channel here. I wouldn't expect to host (for example) a question about a rate hike on another service, or a bug report or feature request. But we haven't hit that line. It is usually better to wait for actual examples of problems before trying to too many rules around this kind of thing.
So I wouldn't fret this. Until conditions dictate otherwise, the subject(s) you cited seem well-suited to this Q&A.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/101",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/98/"
] | 2016/02/11 | [
"98: <p>So far, it seems like questions about slicing engine software are within scope. However, what about questions about web applications such as Thingiverse, Tinkercad, GrabCAD, etc.? <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/554/how-to-upload-my-works-to-thingiverse-without-making-my-real-name-public\">This</a> makes me think that these are viable questions within the community. While they might not be related directly to the act of 3D printing, it could possibly lead more users to the site.</p>\n\n<p>Any thoughts?</p>\n",
"1: <p>Absolutely! For any tool, software, or service that is an integral part of the 3D printing landscape, <strong>questions about how to use them should be on topic here.</strong> When folks go searching for answers about the products and services they use every day, I sure would like them find the answers on <strong><em>this</em></strong> site. As a matter of fact, these project teams often have communities of their own, so we should <em>encourage</em> them to become part of the ecosystem of <em>this</em> site. </p>\n\n<p>It's a big growth area of growth for this type of Q&A. </p>\n\n<p>Now there <em>may</em> be a line where service-related questions are simply too far outside the <em>subject</em> of 3D printing to be appropriate here. Stack Exchange works really well for <em>technical</em> support, as long as we're not trying outsource their entire <strong><em>customer</em> service</strong> channel here. I wouldn't expect to host (for example) a question about a rate hike on another service, or a bug report or feature request. But we haven't hit that line. It is usually better to wait for actual examples of problems before trying to too many rules around this kind of thing. </p>\n\n<p>So I wouldn't fret this. Until conditions dictate otherwise, the subject(s) you cited seem well-suited to this Q&A.</p>\n"
] |
103 | user545: I was curious if the da Vinci 1.0 AiO printer could print very small objects, like insects, nuts, or any other small object without a flat surface and additionally, if it could print the entire top and bottom of the object. I would not think I would be able to print the bottom features, since the printer had a rotating dish where the lasers would not be able to be scan. (About the size of 1 -2 cubic centimeters) And if so, then if that question would be appropriate to ask in the beta forum?
The reason I ask is someone asked me if it was able to, but I have not been able to access the actual 3-D printer for use at this time, just manuals which I have looked through.
user98: I think that technical questions or specification questions are appropriate, which is what I take away from your question(s). Questions that I think most users will consider "off-topic" or "out of scope" would be questions such as "Is the daVinci 1.0 AiO a good printer?" as this would be primarily opinion based.
However, by providing more detail about your objective (ie. a focus on smaller, obscure prints) you can get closer to "on-topic". I think if you titled your question along the lines of "How small can I expect the daVinci 1.0 AiO to print?" and elaborating on your specific needs in the bulk of the question could directly answer your question while upholding the values of the community and may possibly lead to suggestions to other machines/processes.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/103",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/545/"
] | 2016/02/13 | [
"545: <p>I was curious if the da Vinci 1.0 AiO printer could print very small objects, like insects, nuts, or any other small object without a flat surface and additionally, if it could print the entire top and bottom of the object. I would not think I would be able to print the bottom features, since the printer had a rotating dish where the lasers would not be able to be scan. (About the size of 1 -2 cubic centimeters) And if so, then if that question would be appropriate to ask in the beta forum? </p>\n\n<p>The reason I ask is someone asked me if it was able to, but I have not been able to access the actual 3-D printer for use at this time, just manuals which I have looked through.</p>\n",
"98: <p>I think that technical questions or specification questions are appropriate, which is what I take away from your question(s). Questions that I think most users will consider \"off-topic\" or \"out of scope\" would be questions such as \"Is the daVinci 1.0 AiO a good printer?\" as this would be primarily opinion based.</p>\n\n<p>However, by providing more detail about your objective (ie. a focus on smaller, obscure prints) you can get closer to \"on-topic\". I think if you titled your question along the lines of \"How small can I expect the daVinci 1.0 AiO to print?\" and elaborating on your specific needs in the bulk of the question could directly answer your question while upholding the values of the community and may possibly lead to suggestions to other machines/processes.</p>\n"
] |
108 | user98: Just wondering if it's possible to add basic specifications on a users community profile page that specify some of the following characteristics:
Machine Manufacturer
Machine Model
Preferred Slicing software
Then, a flair-like control can be added to any questions that they ask?
I typed in a quick example of how it might look with our current flair:
Here's a snippet of the HTML, I just placed it under the <div class="user-details"></div> control in the flair control:
<div>
Runs a <span id="user-Manufacturer">MakerBot</span> <span id="user-Model">Replicator Dual</span> using <span id="user-Slicer">MakerWare</span>
</div>
Just a thought for a potential mod here in the community.
Side note: The same concept could be applied to other sites as well. Ie, StackOverflow could have preferred language(s) and/or IDE(s).
user138: 99.9% sure this will be status-declined.
Issue is, we try to keep the UI clean. If you are truly interested in this, then you can look at the user's profile page. If you want to see what they are knowledgeable in, look at the top tags in their profile. It just adds to much clutter to posts.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/108",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/98/"
] | 2016/02/21 | [
"98: <p>Just wondering if it's possible to add basic specifications on a users community profile page that specify some of the following characteristics:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Machine Manufacturer</li>\n<li>Machine Model</li>\n<li>Preferred Slicing software</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Then, a flair-like control can be added to any questions that they ask?</p>\n<p>I typed in a quick example of how it might look with our current flair:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pLeFQ.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pLeFQ.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Here's a snippet of the HTML, I just placed it under the <code><div class="user-details"></div></code> control in the flair control:</p>\n<pre><code><div>\n Runs a <span id="user-Manufacturer">MakerBot</span> <span id="user-Model">Replicator Dual</span> using <span id="user-Slicer">MakerWare</span>\n</div>\n</code></pre>\n<p>Just a thought for a potential mod here in the community.</p>\n<p><strong>Side note:</strong> The same concept could be applied to other sites as well. Ie, StackOverflow could have preferred language(s) and/or IDE(s).</p>\n",
"138: <p>99.9% sure this will be <a href=\"/questions/tagged/status-declined\" class=\"post-tag moderator-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'status-declined'\" rel=\"tag\">status-declined</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Issue is, we try to keep the UI clean. If you are truly interested in this, then you can look at the user's profile page. If you want to see what they are knowledgeable in, look at the top tags in their profile. It just adds to much clutter to posts.</p>\n"
] |
111 | user298: I've been seeing feedback from people in other 3DP communities that they think this stack exchange site is driving away new users by holding newbie questions to an excessively high standard for quality. On one hand, we all know SE works best with clear and logical questions that lead to clear and logical answers. But the majority of people seeking help with 3d printers don't seem to have enough of a technical foundation to know how to ask good questions. There's a large potential userbase (perhaps MOST potential users) that will need handholding for their first few questions.
How do you guys want to handle this?
user98: I think you highlighted one of the more important points, in that "SE works best with clear and logical questions that lead to clear and logical answers". From what I've noticed (and I just went back through my own voting history), there have been a number of "primarily opinion based" and "too broad" questions. I believe it's important to maintain quality questions/answers especially in this early stage of release. Please regard this other meta post asking what the guidelines are for proper 3D Printing community questions.
I, for one, feel that I learned the most SE etiquette by reading a large number of questions on SO as opposed to the SE documentation. It seems that a few of the questions we've gotten lately have been from completely new users to the Stack Exchange network. I don't like scaring people away from the site, so it is best to try and coach these new users.
I retract the following suggestion as I agree with Mark Booth's answer given his explanation.
I would suggest an informal guideline for closing questions:
First, notify the OP to the condition of their question. Perhaps even suggest a means to fix the errant condition(s).
If, after at least 24 hours of the comment, the OP has not either responded reasonably (within SE etiquette) nor updated the question, then begin the process of closing.
I'll leave this open to the community for amendments below:
user115: I have to agree with the both of you; the best kind of question are those that are clear and logical, and thus can be answered as such.
On a site such as SO, these are the kind of questions that ends up "staying", getting a high view counts and the great answers. There are, however, also a large amount of new questions on SO that never meet those standards, but rather face the same kind of problems that we see here.
I believe the issue for most new users - here and on SO - is that in order to ask a good question, you more or less already need to know the answer, or at least the format of the answer. And with 3D printing being such a novel technology for most users, they simply do not have the required experience to ask the "correct" question at their first attempt.
Perhaps our job should lean more towards helping users to find out what they really should be asking about, rather than simply voting down or closing the question right away because it does not uphold our desired standard. As for how to accomplish that, I think the points mentioned by @tbm0115 could be a good starting point.
user63: The important thing is to make sure that people understand that a closure is not permanent, which is why questions are given the "[on hold]" suffix rather than "[closed]".
On Robotics, one of my Copy-pastable comment text for common problems with questions? is:
Questions by new users for closed for other reasons
Welcome to *robotics* XXX, but I'm afraid that questions like this really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer *[practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)*. Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works. Also, the [*Robotics* question checklist](https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1302/37) has good advice on how to write a good question. If you edit your question to fit our community guidelines we can reopen it for you.
Closure is intended to temporarily stop people answering questions which can't be easily answered in their present form, while the question is being improved. As such, I disagree with tbm0115's suggestion that we should artificially delay closing a question (at this stage in the sites life there aren't enough people closing questions as it is) and suggest that we always close a poor question as soon as possible, but give people the information they need to fix the problem.
Instead, I offer the following suggestion:
If you want to vote to close a question without writing a comment to say why, with suggestions as to how to fix the problem, think about how this looks to a new user and how they might feel about the rejection.
If people assume there is nothing they can do about their question being closed, and this drives them away, then we should do all we can to correct that misunderstanding, encourage them to learn how Stack Exchange works and ask better questions.
Finally, don't forget the importance of broken windows theory.
The quicker poor questions are closed, the higher the good:bad question ratio is, the more likely new users will see examples of good questions, and the less likely that they will base their own question on a poor example of a question. This is why good questions are the most important thing on a new site. They draw in experts to answer them and they set a good example for how new questions should be framed.
So, close early, close often, and comment with the information needed to get the question re-opened.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/111",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/298/"
] | 2016/03/17 | [
"298: <p>I've been seeing feedback from people in other 3DP communities that they think this stack exchange site is driving away new users by holding newbie questions to an excessively high standard for quality. On one hand, we all know SE works best with clear and logical questions that lead to clear and logical answers. But the majority of people seeking help with 3d printers don't seem to have enough of a technical foundation to know how to ask good questions. There's a large potential userbase (perhaps MOST potential users) that will need handholding for their first few questions. </p>\n\n<p>How do you guys want to handle this?</p>\n",
"98: <p>I think you highlighted one of the more important points, in that \"<em>SE works best with clear and logical questions that lead to clear and logical answers</em>\". From what I've noticed (and I just went back through my own voting history), there have been a number of \"primarily opinion based\" and \"too broad\" questions. I believe it's important to maintain quality questions/answers especially in this early stage of release. Please regard <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/6/what-should-our-documentation-contain?rq=1\">this other meta post</a> asking what the guidelines are for proper 3D Printing community questions.</p>\n\n<p>I, for one, feel that I learned the most SE etiquette by reading a large number of questions on SO as opposed to the SE documentation. It seems that a few of the questions we've gotten lately have been from completely new users to the Stack Exchange network. I don't like scaring people away from the site, so it is best to try and coach these new users.</p>\n\n<p>I retract the following suggestion as I agree with <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/111/closing-locking-too-many-questions/112#114\">Mark Booth's answer</a> given his explanation.</p>\n\n<p><s>I would suggest an informal guideline for closing questions:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>First, notify the OP to the condition of their question. Perhaps even suggest a means to fix the errant condition(s).</li>\n<li>If, after at least 24 hours of the comment, the OP has not either responded reasonably (within SE etiquette) nor updated the question, then begin the process of closing.</s></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I'll leave this open to the community for amendments below:</p>\n",
"115: <p>I have to agree with the both of you; the best kind of question are those that are clear and logical, and thus can be answered as such. </p>\n\n<p>On a site such as SO, these are the kind of questions that ends up \"staying\", getting a high view counts and the great answers. There are, however, also a large amount of <em>new</em> questions on SO that never meet those standards, but rather face the same kind of problems that we see here.</p>\n\n<p>I believe the issue for most new users - here and on SO - is that <em>in order to ask a good question, you more or less already need to know the answer</em>, or at least the format of the answer. And with 3D printing being such a novel technology for most users, they simply do not have the required experience to ask the \"correct\" question at their first attempt.</p>\n\n<p>Perhaps our job should lean more towards <em>helping users to find out what they really should be asking about</em>, rather than simply voting down or closing the question right away because it does not uphold our desired standard. As for how to accomplish that, I think the points mentioned by @tbm0115 could be a good starting point.</p>\n",
"63: <p>The important thing is to make sure that people understand that a closure is <strong>not permanent</strong>, which is why questions are given the \"[on hold]\" suffix rather than \"[closed]\".</p>\n\n<p>On Robotics, one of my <a href=\"https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/a/177/37\">Copy-pastable comment text for common problems with questions?</a> is:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h3>Questions by new users for closed for other reasons</h3>\n \n <p><code>Welcome to *robotics* XXX, but I'm afraid that questions like this really aren't a good fit for a stack exchange site. We prefer *[practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face](http://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)*. Take a look at [ask] and [about] for more information on how stack exchange works. Also, the [*Robotics* question checklist](https://robotics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1302/37) has good advice on how to write a good question. If you edit your question to fit our community guidelines we can reopen it for you.</code></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Closure is intended to <strong>temporarily</strong> stop people answering questions which can't be easily answered in their present form, <strong>while the question is being improved</strong>. As such, I disagree with <a href=\"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/a/112/63\">tbm0115's suggestion</a> that we should artificially delay closing a question (at this stage in the sites life there aren't enough people closing questions as it is) and suggest that we always close a poor question as soon as possible, but give people the information they need to fix the problem.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, I offer the following suggestion:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>If you want to vote to close a question without writing a comment to say why, with suggestions as to how to fix the problem, think about how this looks to a new user and how they might feel about the <em>rejection</em>.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If people assume there is nothing they can do about their question being closed, and this drives them away, then we should do all we can to correct that misunderstanding, encourage them to learn how Stack Exchange works and ask better questions.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, don't forget the importance of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">broken windows theory</a>.</p>\n\n<p>The quicker poor questions are closed, the higher the good:bad question ratio is, the more likely new users will see examples of good questions, and the less likely that they will base their own question on a poor example of a question. This is why good questions are the most important thing on a new site. They draw in experts to answer them and they set a good example for how new questions should be framed.</p>\n\n<p>So, close early, close often, and comment with the information needed to get the question re-opened.</p>\n"
] |
115 | user1127: Dont hbp and heated-bed mean the same thing? Should one be synonim with the other?
Currently at the time of this post:
There are 11 questions tagged hbp
Every single one of them have also heated-bed
There are 12 questions tagged heated-bed
Only leeand00 forgot to dual-tag his question... =P
user98: A synonym has been suggested already for the hbp and heated-bed tag. hbp was added to a single post, and in order to create a synonym there needs to be at least 5 posts containing the similar tags. Now that the synonym has been suggested, most of those posts with dual tags can be reduced back to just heated-bed.
Currently, (03/28/2016), we do not have any moderators to make these tasks easier to manage.
If the synonym suggestion is not accepted, then external searches may be hindered to only display results for the term heated-bed as opposed to heated-bed or hbp. So, if you have a chance to properly address a synonym, definitely do so as it will only help bring more users to the site.
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/115",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/1127/"
] | 2016/03/23 | [
"1127: <p>Dont <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/hbp\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'hbp'\" rel=\"tag\">hbp</a> and <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/heated-bed\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'heated-bed'\" rel=\"tag\">heated-bed</a> mean the same thing? Should one be synonim with the other?</p>\n\n<p>Currently at the time of this post:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>There are 11 questions tagged <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/hbp\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'hbp'\" rel=\"tag\">hbp</a></li>\n<li>Every single one of them have also <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/heated-bed\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'heated-bed'\" rel=\"tag\">heated-bed</a> </li>\n<li>There are 12 questions tagged <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/heated-bed\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'heated-bed'\" rel=\"tag\">heated-bed</a></li>\n<li>Only <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/797/what-kind-of-silicone-glue-should-i-use-to-attach-my-thermsistors\">leeand00</a> forgot to dual-tag his question... =P</li>\n</ol>\n",
"98: <p>A synonym has been suggested already for the <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/hbp\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'hbp'\" rel=\"tag\">hbp</a> and <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/heated-bed\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'heated-bed'\" rel=\"tag\">heated-bed</a> tag. <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/hbp\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'hbp'\" rel=\"tag\">hbp</a> was added to a single post, and in order to create a synonym there needs to be at least 5 posts containing the similar tags. Now that the synonym has been suggested, most of those posts with dual tags can be reduced back to just <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/heated-bed\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'heated-bed'\" rel=\"tag\">heated-bed</a>.</p>\n\n<p>Currently, (03/28/2016), we do not have any moderators to make these tasks easier to manage.</p>\n\n<p>If the synonym suggestion is not accepted, then external searches may be hindered to only display results for the term <em>heated-bed</em> as opposed to <em>heated-bed</em> <strong>or</strong> <em>hbp</em>. So, if you have a chance to properly address a synonym, definitely do so as it will only help bring more users to the site.</p>\n"
] |
116 | user26: I just noticed that there is a large amount of tag wiki excerpts edits in the review queue, all of which are of the form:
X is for questions about X
A tag wiki excerpt should define what a term means to our community specifically and give usage advice. In particular, Stack Exchange offers the following default reason for rejecting an excerpt:
Tag excerpts amounting to, "[tag] is for questions about [tag]" are pointless and usually rejected. Excerpts should describe why and when a tag would be used.
See the help center for more details on what a tag excerpt should be.
While obviously well-intended, I believe such tag wiki excerpts should not be suggested (and/or approved). This post is to serve as a gentle reminder of that.
user138: Tag excerpts should at least try and give a concise definition as to the subject, and provided any usage guidance if necessary.
Therefore, you need to make sure to address a set of key points:
Is the tag name ambiguous? Will an amateur be able to understand the subject without having to research it? For example, what on earth is abs?
Can the word have multiple meanings? If yes, you need to be specific as to which meaning you want. For example, health vs safety
Are their cases when the tag should not be used?
Likewise, are their cases when the tag should be used?
Is the existing excerpt empty? Something is usually better than nothing.
In general, excerpts should provide at least some guidance, even if it may appear to be ridiculously basic. Therefore, interpretation of the rejection reason is critical:
Tag excerpts amounting to, "[tag] is for questions about [tag]" are pointless and usually rejected. Excerpts should describe why and when a tag would be used.
That's like saying, [abs]: For questions about [abs] filaments. That should probably be rejected.
This is better: [abs]: For questions about [abs] filaments - filaments that are used with blah blah printers, and are not toxic for use.
Or even better: [abs]: For questions about [abs] filaments - filaments that are used with blah blah printers, and are not toxic for use. Not to be confused with [pla] filaments. Do not use this tag if your question does not concern this filament specifically.
Obviously, I have no idea if abs is even a thing. Anyways, I hope this helps :)
| [
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/116",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com",
"https://3dprinting.meta.stackexchange.com/users/26/"
] | 2016/03/26 | [
"26: <p>I just noticed that there is a large amount of tag wiki excerpts edits in the review queue, all of which are of the form:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>X is for questions about X</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>A tag wiki excerpt should define what a term means <em>to our community</em> specifically and give <em>usage advice</em>. In particular, Stack Exchange offers the following default reason for rejecting an excerpt:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Tag excerpts amounting to, \"[tag] is for questions about [tag]\" are pointless and usually rejected. Excerpts should describe why and when a tag would be used.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>See the <a href=\"https://cs.stackexchange.com/help/tag-excerpts\">help center</a> for more details on what a tag excerpt should be.</p>\n\n<p>While obviously well-intended, I believe such tag wiki excerpts should not be suggested (and/or approved). This post is to serve as a gentle reminder of that.</p>\n",
"138: <p>Tag excerpts should at least try and give a concise definition as to the subject, and provided any usage guidance <em>if necessary.</em></p>\n\n<p>Therefore, you need to make sure to address a set of key points:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Is the tag name ambiguous? Will an amateur be able to understand the subject without having to research it? For example, what on earth is <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/abs\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'abs'\" rel=\"tag\">abs</a>?</li>\n<li>Can the word have multiple meanings? If yes, you need to be specific as to which meaning you want. For example, <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/health\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'health'\" rel=\"tag\">health</a> vs <a href=\"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/safety\" class=\"post-tag\" title=\"show questions tagged 'safety'\" rel=\"tag\">safety</a></li>\n<li>Are their cases when the tag should not be used?</li>\n<li>Likewise, are their cases when the tag should be used?</li>\n<li>Is the existing excerpt empty? Something is usually better than nothing.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In general, excerpts should provide at least some guidance, even if it may appear to be ridiculously basic. Therefore, interpretation of the rejection reason is critical:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Tag excerpts amounting to, \"[tag] is for questions about [tag]\" are pointless and usually rejected. Excerpts should describe why and when a tag would be used.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's like saying, <em>[abs]: For questions about [abs] filaments.</em> That should probably be rejected.</p>\n\n<p>This is better: <em>[abs]: For questions about [abs] filaments - filaments that are used with blah blah printers, and are not toxic for use.</em></p>\n\n<p>Or even better: <em>[abs]: For questions about [abs] filaments - filaments that are used with blah blah printers, and are not toxic for use. Not to be confused with [pla] filaments. Do not use this tag if your question does not concern this filament specifically.</em></p>\n\n<p>Obviously, I have no idea if abs is even a thing. Anyways, I hope this helps :)</p>\n"
] |
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