6
$\begingroup$

Some Stack Exchange sites are clearly closely related to each other. For example, "companions" of the physics Stack Exchange site might include:

While we don't want to discourage people from asking questions on the physics Stack Exchange site, we ultimately should want questions to be asked wherever we can expect them to find the highest quality possible answers. Oftentimes that's here, but sometimes this simply isn't an appropriate setting for their question (resulting in removal), or the people who would best be suited to answer that question just more commonly frequent one of these "companion" Stack Exchange sites.

$\endgroup$
22
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ As you may know there is a guide on how to be on topic with questions, which also includes the following text: "If your question is not specifically on-topic for Physics Stack Exchange, it may be on topic for another Stack Exchange site.", there is also a way to flag questions as belonging to another SE site -- which I find lacking in that it only allows to either mark it as a Math.SE / Meta question, I don't know if your question is about that though. $\endgroup$
    – Amit
    Jun 5 at 19:51
  • $\begingroup$ I had missed that there were links on that page. Perhaps we could expand upon that selection? Right now, only a few specific alternative SE sites are recommended. $\endgroup$
    – Logan J. Fisher
    Jun 5 at 19:59
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Oh, I see what you mean now. Yes probably it won't be a bad idea to add a few more examples of "off topic" subjects and the relevant SE sites where they will be considered "on" topic. $\endgroup$
    – Amit
    Jun 5 at 20:03
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Also Astronomy. There was an earlier incarnation of Astronomy.SE, but it was shut down, and its posts were migrated to Physics.SE, see physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/1248/123208 $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Jun 5 at 20:11
  • $\begingroup$ (cont) The new Astronomy site has been alive & well for several years, but astronomy questions are still on-topic on Physics.SE, see physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/13227/123208 However, we have different rules over at Astronomy.SE. Eg, our homework policy is more lenient, and we don't mind questions involving coding astronomical software. Many Physics.SE regulars with an interest in astronomy are also active on Astronomy.SE. $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Jun 5 at 20:11
  • $\begingroup$ A bit of a tangent, but recommending specific non-SE resources might also be nice. Sites that provide detailed explanations of concepts, simulators like those made by PhET, etc. Helping users identify trustworthy sources of information is always a good thing. $\endgroup$
    – Logan J. Fisher
    Jun 5 at 20:12
  • $\begingroup$ @PM2Ring Added astronomy SE to the post. Thanks for the suggestion. $\endgroup$
    – Logan J. Fisher
    Jun 5 at 20:14
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ Diamond moderators can migrate a question to any other site on the network — raise a flag to request it. There is a limit to the number of migration targets which can be available to regular users in the close dialog. That limit might be two (which for us are Physics Meta and Mathematics). If the limit is more than two, we can have a conversation about whether another site in particular is a good fit. $\endgroup$
    – rob Mod
    Jun 5 at 20:22
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ The general network policy is to be very cautious about adding automatic migration targets. It's generally preferred for mods to handle migration manually. But please only recommend migration for good questions, and preferably only when you are an active member of the target site, so you know what's on-topic there. $\endgroup$
    – PM 2Ring
    Jun 5 at 20:25
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Related: physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/5690/2451 , physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/4144/2451 , physics.meta.stackexchange.com/q/13037/2451 and links therein. $\endgroup$
    – Qmechanic Mod
    Jun 5 at 20:30
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ In re migration: in the last 90 days, there have been 44 migrations away from Physics, most of which have gone to Math (30). In the same time period, about 4600 questions were asked on this site. A whopping ~1% migration rate isn't worth thinking too much about. In any event, many users add individual comments to such cross-subject questions along the lines of "Might ThisOtherSite be better suited for this question?" $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Jun 7 at 15:01
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I'd like to move this question away from the topic of migration. That wasn't my intent. There are plenty of posts that fit in well-enough here that might have been better elsewhere, but aren't worth migrating. That's not the point. I'm interested in making sure users find the best stack site for their question to begin with without need for intervention. $\endgroup$
    – Logan J. Fisher
    Jun 7 at 15:04
  • $\begingroup$ @LoganJ.Fisher I'm interested in making sure users find the best stack site for their question to begin with without need for intervention That sounds actually impossible. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Jun 7 at 15:21
  • $\begingroup$ Impossible for every single user every time? Yes. Pushing a few here and there in the right direction is certainly possible though. $\endgroup$
    – Logan J. Fisher
    Jun 7 at 15:22
  • $\begingroup$ Impossible 100% of the time. You would need some sort of program that can read the content of a post (before submission to the site!) and determine the subject matter of the post, then find a way to categorize content across several sites and determine topicality at each of those sites to be able to "push" the relevant site. If SE is going to go AI that route, I'd rather see auto-close of content instead of auto-migration/recommendation. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Jun 7 at 15:35

0

Reset to default

You must log in to answer this question.