Today I've found the following question: How to store Map in sharedpreferences. It was unclear, but then it was edited. The edit didn't make this question a good one, so it shouldn't be reopened.

On the other hand, the OP clarified what he wants to do and there is an exact duplicate on Stack Overflow.

I believe, we mark questions as duplicates more for the future than for now. What I mean is, that when someone finds this question, he'd have a clear link to the good answer. He's less likely to browse comments to look for a link.

I'm saying that, because I can only add the link in the comment. Is it justified to flag for moderator attention, to let the moderator to mark it as a duplicate? Is moderator allowed to do that?

This question is really low quality, but I'd like to know the correct procedure for the future - one day it might be helpful.

  • 3
    So, the edit doesn't make it "unclear"? Or does it? In the end, what matters is that low quality questions are closed. Re-opening them just to close them for a different reason seems counter-productive to me. – Cerbrus Aug 29 '17 at 11:00
  • @Cerbrus exactly! The question is if mods can work it out – xenteros Aug 29 '17 at 11:00
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    tl;dr raising a flag to ask a mod to dupe close something is likely to be declined... While technically a mod could reopen and close as a dupe - it's not something we're really needed for. There's not really any harm in leaving it closed as is (okay - it's not quite a good a signpost as a duplicate closure, but it avoids the fragmentation of answers) with a comment or maybe even bringing it up in a chatroom with people with the know-how to distinguish if it's a good and valid dupe that they're happy to use their votes for. – Jon Clements Aug 29 '17 at 11:09
  • @JonClements so you would consider a discussion in Close Votete Reviewers chat room, right? – xenteros Aug 29 '17 at 11:10
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    Yup, or if it's about Python then the Python room (etc.. etc..). It may be people are aware of even better dupes or identify edits that could be made and get other bits tidied up at the same time (maybe comments that are no longer needed could do with a tidy up - maybe there's some answers that are worthy of upvotes to bring them above others... maybe maybe maybe....) – Jon Clements Aug 29 '17 at 11:13
  • Related (possible duplicate): meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/347897/… – Cody Gray Aug 29 '17 at 11:19
  • @CodyGray it's related, but it's not a duplicate because there is no answer and I can't give bounty on meta – xenteros Aug 29 '17 at 11:39

As several commentators have already pointed out, because it is already closed (with -11 at this point), there doesn't seem to be anything to gain by reopening and closing again as a duplicate of another question. It goes from one close reason to another with the same ultimate effect. And in this case, it hasn't really been edited into a good Q/A question anyway. Reopening would actually be counterproductive to the site.

In this case, you will provide the most help to that user by leaving it closed and posting the link to your duplicate target in a comment that elaborates on why that link might be able to help him out.

  • 3
    "with the same ultimate effect" -- No, not the same effect. – user743382 Aug 30 '17 at 10:08
  • @hvd I'm not following what you're getting at. If the question is marked as duplicate it will not be auto deleted, but if it is just closed it would? – SandPiper Aug 30 '17 at 13:13
  • Exactly. If it's a good question, it would actually be worth re-opening only to immediately close again, just so that it doesn't get deleted. (But you say it's still not a good question, so it doesn't apply in this particular case.) – user743382 Aug 30 '17 at 13:31

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