G'day:
After all the shenanigans on Stack Overflow y/day (more of the same as last time, except a more egregious example), I've decided I can't really support Stack Overflow as a venue for the ColdFusion community to seek help. Stack Overflow is more interested in demonstrating how "good" Stack Overflow is (according to a yardstick I don't agree with) than they are in actually helping people - all people - and that's not something I can get behind.
That said, I still want to help people get their questions answered, so I will continue to answer questions over there.
I will definitely not actively recommend Stack
Overflow as a place to get or give help on though.
What I will do instead is to encourage people to use the Adobe ColdFusion forums for their ColdFusion or general CFML questions, or the Railo Google group for their Railo-specific questions. Or similarly the OpenBD Google group for questions specific to that.
There are also some framework-specific forums out there:
Plus some communities on Google+ where people will help out:
There are more, but those are the two I notionally subscribe to... I haven't quite got the hang of Google+ yet though, TBH, so my participation is minimal. There is also a move to consolidate all the CF-centric Google+ communities into one, so perhaps the ColdFusion Developers one is the best to join (it's got the highest membership).
Some people ask quick questions on Twitter. I think that's a bit daft give the limited nature of it, but people do get their questions answered, without the judgemental attitude that comes with Stack Overflow.
Or just ask me direct, and I'll answer 'em, to hit up the rest of the community if I don't know the answer.
Like I said, I do not expect this "statement" (such as it is) here to have any real world effect... especially because I'll keep helping out on Stack Overflow anyhow and that's about the most effect I have in the context of Stack Overflow. And obviously "well don't let the door hit you on the arse on the way out" is a completely legit reaction to article.
I guess I just wanted to air my disappointment in the Stack Overflow policies of being obstructive to newbies, or people less clever or articulate, or less au fait with English; and the the community's focus on self-congratulation and being special, rather than just crack on and help the people who need help. It's a really misguided attitude.
It doesn't need to be like that, as the many many other Q&A forums out their demonstrate.
Silly people.
Righto. I'm off to the forest to free my nuts off for 15km or so. It's a bit nippy in east London today.
--
Adam
