Before jumping into this post, you should probably read post Next steps for open-ended questions that describes changes released today that provide a path for integrating open-ended questions on Stack Overflow.
We tried to guide that expansion by building a new area of the site (Discussions) and by creating other branches of the primary experience (what’s been referred to as “Opinion-based content” (OBC)), but neither of those ended up in a good place. Despite their drawbacks, we saw promising usage of those formats — users asking and answering these types of questions, and users organizing them and making sure their quality adheres to reasonable standards. And we have a pretty decent sense of the kinds of things (good, bad, and ugly) that we’ll see.
We are sure that the community can do a better job guiding this than we have, provided you have all the tools you’re accustomed to. And I don’t just mean curation options and moderation features. I also mean the ability to work together and figure out how to sift the pearls from the sand via the policies and guidelines FAQ. I mean the innovative thinking that built and maintains a world-class spam management & control system (Charcoal). I mean the generous efforts that still churn out helpful tools (Stack Apps) from an aging and poorly-documented API. I mean the dedication that keeps you coming back here every day (even if it’s only to tell us what we’re doing wrong). All of that is what Stack Overflow needs right now.
We look to you for guidance on what comes next. We are here to support you. An AMA* with some members of the team supporting you is a quick look at the team that you’ll be hearing from, and a chance to ask them some questions.
