10

Each post or question has a small box that shows the user's avatar, name, reputation, and badge count. It would be great if geographic location was included. The level of detail would be up to the user according to things like size of country, climate area, personal privacy preferences,etc.

This information is irrelevant for most stackexchange sites, but is very useful here. many users are putting their location or climate in the questions, but it would be useful to include it automatically for times when we forget. Readers can also quickly see the location without having to re-scan the text looking for it.

6
  • How are things in Irving, TX? :) There's already location information on the user profile, if people choose to fill it out correctly.
    – baka
    Jun 11, 2011 at 20:32
  • 3
    Yes but it doesn't appear in the little box(eg. Above where my picture is)
    – winwaed
    Jun 11, 2011 at 20:53
  • 3
    IMO, people wouldn't necessarily know the climate of the asker's location. He would probably want to specify the climate anyway if it was important to the question.
    – Jonathan
    Jun 12, 2011 at 17:34
  • 2
    I think this would still be useful. Especially if could be linked to a feature to show the zone.
    – Daniel Bingham
    Jun 13, 2011 at 15:45
  • 1
    Add this feature please.
    – JonH
    Jun 14, 2011 at 14:50
  • Well in the past few days we've started to get a lot of public beta users. Excellent as we're getting a wider mix of questions; but I (and others) are beginning to sound like broken records in the comments as we have to ask climate/condition/location type questions. Most people are forgetting to include it in the question even when it is very relevant.
    – winwaed
    Jun 23, 2011 at 13:59

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
17

I don't agree. If the location is important to the question, that information should be included in the text of the question itself — or edited into the question, if it is missing. Displaying that information automatically for "times when we forget" could actually cause users to exclude that information from the question explicitly.

We resist features which make this system too much about WHO is asking the question. This site is about building an archive of knowledge for others who search out these questions. If this system starts to depend on the context of WHO is asking (rather than WHAT is being asked), the questions becomes less useful to those who come after. Consider:

  • People move
  • Users may choose to later "go private" by removing or changing that information
  • A question can be copied under Creative Commons

Yikes! Can you see the difference between this …

When should I start my tomatoes in Central Florida?

Robert Cartaino

1 Answer

Plant your seeds in mid-January. The second easiest season is Autumn. You can also grow tomatoes during the Winter if you are willing to cover them.

and this? …

When should I start my tomatoes?

Robert Cartaino
Central Florida St. Cloud, Minnesota

1 Answer

Plant your seeds in mid-January. The second easiest season is Autumn. You can also grow tomatoes during the Winter if you are willing to cover them.

I would contend that the user's flair is there to give that user a bit of notoriety and recognition… NOT to add information to the question.

1
  • 2
    -1 - I disagree with this completly, you resist to make a change to make it easier on the end user? I frequently find myself asking the originator of the question where they are from. Most people will STILL add the climate and where they are from so its just a backup. Why not have it there, that way I can answer with: "Hello Joe Smoe, being that you are from Orlando, FL here is what I recommend". Instead i have to rely on the end user stating the SAME information twice(once on the profile and once in the question).
    – JonH
    Jun 14, 2011 at 14:47
2

I would have liked to know where a person was coming from when they asked for a weed ID.

Telling a person from the UK that they've got Pigweed growing in their back yard, then editing their post to add North America to the question title makes me look like a doofus. But that may have just been because I assumed that I was right ;-).

-1

I suggest adding a location field for questions. There are questions where the location would be continent (North America, Europe, Asia) since that is the relevant data regarding pests, and there are questions where it would be climate (aridity, temperature, humidity) for plant-growing issues. One user could have different "locations" for his hometown depending on the type of question.

1

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .