6

In this question the OP states that she has a power converter, and link to a photo of something she says is similar but that is not what she bought years before, so we don't really know what she owns, we can just make hypotesis: the linked product is not a power convert but a plug adapter.

But, again, we don't know what she owns and we cannot know unless we get a photo of it or a word of god or psychic powers, still the question has been edited multiple times -by someone who is not the OP- to ensure that it refer to a plug adapter and not a power converter.

I feel that this is deeply wrong, it totally arbitrarily changes the question bases. Why has it been allowed?

7
  • 2
    @pnuts: the problem is that the image was accompanied by a clear saying about the fact that she doesn't know if it's exactly the same thing and that she has not the box anymore. I can understand answers pointing it out, I can understand comments asking for clarification, but in the end answers should answer the question and not the question be adapted to the answers.
    – motoDrizzt
    Commented Sep 15, 2016 at 10:00
  • 1
    when in doubt, flag as "unclear what you are asking" and ask them to upload a photo
    – mts
    Commented Sep 15, 2016 at 16:52
  • some questions are so badly written, than, it's hard to deal with subtleties, such as, whether one is slightly "changing the meaning". "I feel that this is deeply wrong" .... nothing can be "deeply wrong" with something so confused that it's all neither here nor there - you know?
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 20:15
  • @JoeBlow we already have three tools that have been implemented in the site to help with a confused question: comments to ask for clarifications, flags to signal "not clear what you are asking", and answers where we can give opinion on the matter asked, even stating different possibilities. Questions are OP's properties, and changing their meaning so that you can answer and gain upvotes it's absolutely, deeply wrong...as no one is forcing you to answer to questions you find unclear, if you can go past it and answer another.
    – motoDrizzt
    Commented Sep 26, 2016 at 20:25
  • "Questions are OP's properties" (unfortunately) that is absolutely not the case on SO. questions are very much SO's fixed and firm property. (you can't even delete your "own" question in most cases, if you happen to want to).
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 3:16
  • motoDrizzt: I agree with both you and @JoeBlow. On the one hand, this is a community site, and we are supposed to edit other people's questions to improve them as long as it doesn't go contrary to OP's intentions. In this case, I agree with you that we should have clarified with OP rather than edit directly. Also, I don't think people here are editing to "change their meaning so that they can answer and upvotes". People are mostly trying to be helpful. Please note that the edit here turned out to be correct, OP did have a plug-adapter. But I agree, clarifying first is much better.
    – Fiksdal
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 16:36
  • @JoeBlow I'm not sure I follow. Anyway, I don't want to discuss this anymore.
    – Fiksdal
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 21:08

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

I was the one who edited.

I agree that it was unreasonable to edit it that way.

Here's the main reason why: At the time of editing there was already an answer that clarified that her device was most likely a plug-adapter, not a voltage converter. My edit made that answer seem less useful, which is not good. Edits of OP should, as a rule, not invalidate answers.

Moreover, I agree with your idea that we should have sought clarification from the OP rather than just look at the link and then assume. It's indeed not impossible that she might have had something that looked like that, but was instead a very compact voltage converter.

Anyway, it's all edited back now, and everyone are happy.

6
  • Indeed, great job trying to save a very poor question, good one.
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 20:15
  • @JoeBlow What do you mean?
    – Fiksdal
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 20:16
  • 1
    I for one approve of your original edit. Cheers
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 25, 2016 at 13:29
  • unrelatedly, this exchange is a reminder of how common sarcasm is in communication these days: almost the norm. my first comment looks exactly like I'm being sarcastic. (TBAC I was not in the slightest being sarcastic, just making a straight statement.) Funny world!
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 25, 2016 at 13:38
  • 1
    @JoeBlow Yeah, true. Sarcasm is often difficult to detect in written communication. I didn't really mistake it for sarcasm, though. I got confused since you used the word "indeed" which indicated to me that you agreed with my answer. And my answer says my edit was bad. Then you went on to say that the edit was good. This was what confused me. Anyway, it's all clear now.
    – Fiksdal
    Commented Sep 25, 2016 at 13:43
  • 1
    LOL true enough
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 25, 2016 at 13:47

You must log in to answer this question.

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