Yesterday I review several years old question with zero answers, voting to close them, which started a debate with perl1234 and gre_gor.
I voted with this explanation:
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's a year old question with no answers.
And perl1234 commented:
not being answered is not a valid reason to close a question. I've answered questions that were years old. Just because nobody had an answer at the time the question was asked doesn't mean it should be closed. The sad thing is that if you would just make a little effort to look at these questions you're trying to close you would have found valid reasons for closing many of them
Well, I'm really wanting to close them because they are low quality post, but that is subjetive criteria, and I thought better to backup that with a objective parameter. Hence, "one year old, no answer".
Of course, not every year old, no answer question is a low quality post. That's why I read everyone one of them and vote to close the most evident culprits.
I think this a best place to explain what I'm doing and reach a community consensus about how to proceed.
Rationality
The problem with Arduino SE is too many low quality posts, which is evident when you also visit other sites, like Electrical SE or Bicycle SE (long time member there).
There are several markers that identify a low quality post:
- First post by a newly create user.
- From user that never returns to Arduino SE for a year or more.
- No answers, no comments.
- No sketch, no schematic, no product identification, poorly written question.
- No effort in finding a solution (Arduino SE, Google).
- Obvious lack of minimal training in electricity and/or programming.
- Demands for complete solution (sketch and/or schematic).
If a question has had no answer for a year or more, it will never have it. There is no point in keeping that question in the site, because even the OP has no interest in the answer.
How to deal with it
The problem is that low quality post isn't one of the reason for closing post, and the other reasons are not fit for the purpose.
A too broad question can be restricted. An unclear what you are asking can be clarified. An off topic can be migrated, and low quality post generally are not duplicated, nor opinion-based.
A low quality post is beyond redemption. There is noting you can do to improve it. They aren't even wrong.
And the question is: What we do to filter out low quality post?