Re: Notes Status, 24899 total

On 15/08/2020 19:02, Ben Ramsey wrote:
> Perhaps the time of user notes in the PHP manual has come and gone, and
> maybe it would be best to direct folks with questions to the `[php]`
> tag on Stack Overflow. Better yet (maybe), each manual page/section
> could specify a unique tag for that part of the manual, which would
> make it easier to link users to the answers they’re looking for.


Hi Ben,

I would be very cautious about pushing Stack Overflow as a replacement 
for all user notes, rather than a supplement to them (or to something 
else). It's very easy to lead users into posting questions which are not 
welcome on Stack Overflow, leading to a lose-lose situation - the user 
is frustrated, Stack Overflow users have more moderation to do, and the 
blame falls on php.net. This is common enough that there is an official 
help page about it: https://stackoverflow.com/help/product-support


I think there are two closely linked problems with user notes right now:

* It's not very clear what their purpose is. There is a long list of 
things _not_ to do when you enter one, but no summary of what they 
_should_ be for.
* There is no active moderation. The rules on the submission page aren't 
enforced, suggestions aren't incorporated into the manual, and out-dated 
and massively downvoted comments are never deleted. I've actually no 
idea who has the ability to moderate them, or how that process is 
supposed to work.


Rather than getting rid of notes, I think we should look at how to 
improve that process. For instance, as we move towards git for the 
manual itself, we could have a system where a PR could list the notes 
that it makes redundant, and automatically delete them once approved. 
Then we could embrace edit suggestions as comments (rather than 
directing people to the bug tracker), and encourage people to raise a PR 
incorporating those suggestions.


Regards,

-- 
Rowan Tommins (né Collins)
[IMSoP]