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The auto-comment text for close-as-duplicate votes is very confusing, particularly for new users.

Here's a typical interaction I'm seeing associated with "Does this answer your question?"

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Reference: https://stackoverflow.com/q/58848627/283366

I'm frankly getting tired of editing these comments to make it clear they are associated with a moderation action.

I'm not sure what the problem was with "Possible duplicate of..." but this is not solving it. Can we make it clearer that the comment means something more like...

This question has a possible answer here - <link>. If so, it should be closed as a duplicate

and not some invitation for extended conversation.

Just found this answer which mirrors my sentiments and does a much better job of providing an alternate (albeit lengthy) response.

Is this open to discussion at all?

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  • 24
    Adding the feature request tag. This is a bad change and should be reverted. Now when I flag a dupe OP wants to engage in a conversation - because they think I've asked a question (Did this answer your question?) when I'm really trying to say "This question is a duplicate". It's confusing and misleading.
    – J...
    Commented Jan 13, 2020 at 15:17
  • @J... Sorry, but from what I've read on Meta SE it's very unlikely this will be changed. But at least we can manually edit the auto-comment...
    – PM 2Ring
    Commented Jan 14, 2020 at 10:20
  • 5
    "Is this open to discussion at all?" Has anything been for the last year or so?
    – John Montgomery
    Commented Jan 28, 2020 at 22:04
  • 3
    The current (new) wording seems snark-adjacent to me.
    – T.J. Crowder
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 13:31
  • 3
    and not some invitation for extended conversation. this
    – Chris
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 13:41
  • 9
    I'm in the same boat; editing every single auto-comment made when I vote to close as dupe to say more clearly "this is a [possible] duplicate of X". Very annoying.
    – TylerH
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 20:43
  • 7
    This is on our list to address. Will have more updates here when we get to it. If this is generating more work for folks when that is not the intention, we'll revisit.
    – Jon Chan
    Commented Aug 5, 2020 at 20:38
  • Just found this. Editing the auto-comment is an excellent work-around, but in my case, I didn't even see the auto-comment until I had added a similar comment. I HAPPENED to refresh the page and see that I added two comments. "I must have pointed this out ages ago", I thought, only to see that I had made the comment 39 seconds ago. :scratch head: stackoverflow.com/questions/44540197
    – lmat - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 18, 2021 at 12:38

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
76

Having the site make a request on my behalf is off-putting at best and super annoying at worst. And that's what this canned comment does: it asks something of the user and sticks my name next to it.

When I close as a duplicate, I'm not asking, I'm telling.

I would find text like, "This question is similar; please differentiate your question if you believe it's not a duplicate," more acceptable to me and more useful to the user.

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    Or even just, "I believe this answers your question: <link>". I agree with you that the comment needs to be making a statement, not asking a question. I'm not interested in starting a dialogue.
    – Cody Gray - on strike Mod
    Commented Jan 28, 2020 at 23:12
  • 4
    @CodyGray - Or "This question's answers may answer your question: <link>" Or even more: "This question's answers may answer your question: <link> Please have a look, and if it does, click the [whatever it is] link at the top of your question."
    – T.J. Crowder
    Commented Jan 29, 2020 at 13:30
  • 6
    I like the idea of alluding to questions being similar and motivating the OP to differentiate. That gives some wiggle room, but directs the action to clarifying the question instead of arguing with the voter.
    – MisterMiyagi
    Commented Aug 6, 2020 at 7:31
29

I agree with erickson that having it ask a question on my behalf doesn't sit well.

How about a direct statement, with instructions saying what to do if the voter is right:

This question's answers may answer your question: Why did the chicken cross the road? Please have a look, and if that does answer your question, click the [whatever it is] link at the top of your question to mark your question answered.

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We have updated the text of this auto-comment to say:

This question is similar to: (link to the duplicate). If you believe it’s different, please edit the question, make it clear how it’s different and/or how the answers on that question are not helpful for your problem.

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    Does this also apply to self duplicates? Because this comment still looks like I am mocking OP, by referring to usually non-existent answers on their previous question.
    – gre_gor
    Commented Jun 28 at 14:43
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    While this answer currently has some upvotes, there is significant uproar at meta.stackexchange.com/questions/401000/…
    – tripleee
    Commented Jun 28 at 15:04
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    Shouldn't it be "edit the question to make it clear how..." or "edit the question, making it clear how..."?
    – tdy
    Commented Jun 28 at 18:45
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    @tdy or "...edit the question; make it clear...", or "edit the question. Make it clear...". The current punctuation is definitely incorrect, though (it's a comma splice).
    – Ryan M Mod
    Commented Jun 28 at 21:46
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    A truly terrible move. This auto-comment puts words in my mouth that I did not mean to say, which I find offensive and inappropriate. When voting to close as duplicate, I am neither surmising that the questions may be similar nor expecting the OP to edit anything. By casting a close vote I am stating that I am positive this is a duplicate. I would have left a mere comment otherwise. Please revert this change. Like others have noted, it will simply deter people from close voting.
    – GSerg
    Commented Jun 30 at 17:14
  • After being exposed to this for a few days it is objectively worse than ever. Either post the message from Community so as not to attribute a bunch of garbage to me or just roll it back to "Possible duplicate of <link>"
    – Phil
    Commented Jul 2 at 1:35
  • Can this be changed to delete the last clause? As it's currently written it encourages duplicate questions "because I didn't understand that other one's answers". I also disagree with this text being autogenerated for gold badge holders.
    – David Maze
    Commented Jul 5 at 10:49
  • 5
    @DavidMaze for gold badge holders the lifetime of the message that is autoposted is in milliseconds. I don't see why that's a problem.
    – VLAZ
    Commented Jul 5 at 10:50
  • While I don't necessarily think this is optimal, I think it's good that this is pissing off the people who think they're "telling" the OP it's a duplicate and the OP shouldn't get a say in the matter. They are wrong in thinking this and the new text does something to address the incorrect opinion they have about their role.
    – N. Virgo
    Commented Jul 6 at 8:53
  • Perhaps it would be good to put "automated comment:" or something at the start though, to address the complaint that this is putting words in people's mouths, which is valid.
    – N. Virgo
    Commented Jul 6 at 8:56
9

I had no idea they changed the wording, mostly because I'm a moderator so I never get to leave these comments anymore. That looks like a significant improvement over the old wording, honestly — I find myself saying something along the lines of the new wording fairly often, when I'm electing not to use my binding vote. "Possible duplicate" sends an unpleasant message to users that they either wasted their (own or the community's) time, or broke the rules, by asking their question, even though that was never our intended message. If anything, I found myself frequently having to change it before I became a moderator, and frequently eschewing it when composing comments manually after.

I agree that the current wording doesn't make sense in the middle of a conversation like this, though. It only really makes sense as a standalone question, or less commonly as a conversation finisher in very limited contexts. If you're finding yourself having to change this message frequently, I would support another change to the default text, but I don't have any suggestions.

I also agree with ImportanceOfBeingErnest that this comment simply doesn't make sense when generated in conjunction with a binding vote (as I said above, I take the time to write a manual one when I elect not to use my vote). Apparently the system leaves these comments up now instead of deleting them as soon as it posts them with binding votes. I get that closing and opening are both temporary states that can be toggled at a whim, but I really don't think the mechanical song and dance needs to happen in the first place.

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    ""Possible duplicate" sends an unpleasant message to users that they either wasted their (own or the community's) time ... by asking their question" - of course, this is often true.
    – Mark Amery
    Commented Jan 13, 2020 at 15:52
  • 4
    Avoiding unpleasantness at all costs is a paved road to hell. Can we just give out a welcome kit with peril sensitive sunglasses and a course of methadone instead?
    – J...
    Commented Jan 14, 2020 at 11:54
  • 4
    Such "possible duplicate" comments can have a pedagogic value; next time, an affected user may spend their time in searching the site before posting a question…
    – aschipfl
    Commented Dec 4, 2020 at 10:04
5

It fits well when the question is unclear, but seems to be a duplicate. I mean, if I need to pick a close reason, might as well pick the most constructive one, but ask to be safe.

But as you said, in most cases it's unnecessary. If I'm voting to close, I'm making a statement, not asking a question.

However, flagging to close, for users with less than 10k rep, is a bit different, so maybe flags could generate the question verbiage, and votes could generate the statement verbiage? Just an idea.

On that note, maybe it would be useful to allow 10k+ users to flag for closure, instead of being required to vote, but that's another topic.

Lastly, just to add my proposal for the verbiage:

It seems like this question has already been asked and answered: <link>. If this answers your question too, please <click some button to accept the duplicate>, otherwise [edit] your question to clarify what's different.

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Does this answer your question?

Reading this, after flagging a question, has several positive micro effects.

The haste in interacting within the topic is decreased, resulting in a more welcoming and empathic participation. I think by taking a step back and asking yourself whether this specific question in doubt is really a duplicate, encourages the close-voter to put one more moment of effort into understanding the OP's requirement. Instead of instantly shutting down a question, a new path of communication and finding a solution is given chance to develop.

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  • 9
    How does reading an automatically posted comment phrased in the form of a question cause any of the things you mention to happen?
    – Cody Gray - on strike Mod
    Commented Feb 26, 2020 at 2:00
  • @CodyGray the same reason as why placebos work.
    – Daniel W.
    Commented Feb 26, 2020 at 2:30
  • 12
    I'm sorry, I still don't get it. Placebos work because you believe that they work, which is enough to overcome psychological symptoms, some of which may even be causing physiological ones. I don't know what in the world that has to do with a comment phrased in the form of a question. Are you saying that if I believe hard enough that the question is a duplicate, then it will become one?
    – Cody Gray - on strike Mod
    Commented Feb 26, 2020 at 2:59

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