Do we want a Stack Overflow site?

General Miscellaneous
1

With official start-up of Yii 2.0.0, I think we’re ready to have our own site on Stack Exchange network. And I would like to know your opinions about this idea.

I think, that these numbers:

  • 233,334 users in forum / site,
  • 11,474 questions tagged "yii" on Stack Exchange,
  • 300 developers were actively involved in creation of Yii 2.0.

are enough prove, that we’re able to make a mature community and we can handle having own site.

There are currently 24 different tags on Stack Overflow, that tags different questions and areas of expertise around Yii. And these are only for Yii 1.x. Think, what we’ll get, if Yii 2.0 started to roll really nicely?

Proposed Stack Exchange site – of course – won’t be any concurrence to this forum, because it has a different format. Only question and answers, no chat, no discussion, focus on high quality etc.

I’m pretty sure, that we need and want an own site at Stack Exchange network. Community (society?) of Yii developers is far bigger than communities, that already have own sites at SE (for example Drupal coders or users of some strange, not widely known CMSes). And, I’m also pretty sure, that having own site at SE will help us bring our community to a better level – since questions and answers on SE sites are always oriented toward high quality. It will, in general, help us grown a better community itself, bring more, better, high quality knowledge to the beginners in Yii and let us achieve a lot more.

I’m also pretty sure, that with release of Yii 2.0 the entire community and framework itself passes borders of what “our little corner at Stack Overflow” can offer us. With own site, we could have questions and answers that do not fit to SO. Questions about hosting Yii applications, questions about books, sites, resources etc,

Process of maturing own Stack Exchange site is complex and time consuming. But, what is most important in it, is a strong support by the community of experts. We need at least 200 Stack Exchange users, who will commit they’re willing to spare their time and hard work on maturing site, so it will grow to public beta level. And, we need approximately 1000-2000 of active users to let the site live its own live once it goes from public beta to real-life.

Can we find that number here, among 200k+ forum users? I’d like to know your opinion about this idea in general. And, if you find it interesting, I’d like to ask you for writing some commitment below (and kind or form of information, that you’re willing to spare your time for building such site and community). Because, there is no sense in even starting a site proposal, if we don’t find enough enthusiasts and supporters among our own community.

2

Hmm… that’s interesting but the thing is that many questions about Yii are actually about PHP so I’m not sure it is better to have a separate website rather than a tag at SO.

3

What difference is it supposed to make?

4

Aren’t separate stack exchange websites have content that is separate from StackOverflow? That means user won’t get info about PHP and general solutions while looking for “how do something” or “what is this message”.

5

Well… Yii is a PHP-based framework. If a question involves parts about PHP, but also covers Yii, then it is perfectly on-topic for such sister site at SE. If it is tagged "yii", but has nothing to do with Yii, then it should be re-tagged or flagged as off-topic.

I don’t propose anything around revolution. I only think, that with these numbers mentioned in my original question (see updated version), we are already grown mature to have own site. We’re part of the community (some of you are part of active creators team), that is behind one of the best, biggest and world-famous frameworks, that exist there. These are not brags or swanks. These are facts. We, as the community, are far, far bigger than Drupal users or some CMS users communities. And yet – they have their own site at SE, while we don’t have.

Over eleven thousand questions, tagged with 24 tags, about Yii does sounds like Stack Overflow isn’t big enough for us now. Take a look and many, many other SE sites, that has already gone out of beta and are full-featured network members, while having five or six thousand questions. That is – half of our current SO achievement.

BTW: This question / proposal certainly need to reach bigger audience, before we can make any decisions (no matter, if pro or against). Consider pinning it to top of this group or even to the Announcements group (regular users doesn’t have access to posting questions there). I reported my question for this purpose, but it seems, that my request was ignored. I think, this is quite very important decision / proposal, for the entire community. We can’t do nothing with two answers and fifty or so views.

6

I thought, I’ve expressed enough arguments in my question. If you disagree with them or don’t find them convincing you enough, then the only option left is to ask people that run about 30-40 sister sites at SE network, formerly separated from Stack Overflow, what is the reason behind their decision or what difference does it made?

What is the reason behind separating Drupal / PHP developers to own Drupal Answers site? What was the reason for creating Code Review, Programmers, Programming Golf and many many more? What was the reason for creating a separate site to handle questions related to some CMS?

I think, the answer in all of these questions is the same: Because community behind was mature enough to have on site, devoted only into their area of expertise. And wanted to have own site, instead of digging-off questions out of millions of others at Stack Exchange. Etc.

I’m just asking a simple question: Aren’t we mature enough or are we somewhat different, that we can’t / shouldn’t have own Stack Exchange site, while some CMSs users already have one?

7

I don’t know, how does this work? Whether questions asked before on Stack Overflow are migrated to the new site or they remain there and new site is responsible only for new questions in this area of expertise?

I asked a question about that, but since Meta sites on Stack Exchange works… strangely, we may not get an answer.

But, is it reasonable to care about this at this point? Right now, the only thing that matters, is to get enough attention from Yii community to find, if my proposal is reasonable and should be followed?

8

Ya it’s true even most of cases occur PHP related issues. by Yii tag, we can already be specify in StackOverflow that it’s an Yii related query.

9
10

Its not that your args arent convincing. I just wanted to know why we should have the other site since we have forum and SO.

Ihave no problem having SE dedicated for Yii, its a positive thing. I just wanted to know the value it will add that isn’t found in forum and SO.

If the matter is fame (nothing wrong with it) then we can go for it. But if just documentation I don’t personally see advantages.

That being said am not against the idea and if it happens to win support I will throw my cents each time I have time

Well IMHO Yii is mature and if that is criteria we can go figure … ::)

11

There isn’t even a special site for PHP so I do not see why we should create an even more special one for Yii. I would support a stackexchange page for PHP though.

12

Many question posted on stackoverflow with yii tag.

But yii forum is quite enough for posting / getting / replying question and answer.

Form newbie to now a days, I had used yii forum for question and answers…

( of course for wiki and extension also [size="2"]).[/size]

[size="2"]Its also central place for yii users and developers. [/size]

[size=“2”]From me i think its ok if we don’t have page on stack exchange. [/size]

13

I never liked - and still don’t like - how StackOverflow is being run. Yii forum is so much better. ;)

14

I don’t like SO! I found many solutions there but almost no knowledge! I prefer to keep the forum the central place for Yii community. Here I can get peoples’ honest opinion without them being worried that some a…hole will down vote them.

15

I do not use social media. I deleted my SE accounts ages ago (it was very difficult!) I ask and answer questions on #yii.

Even if you like using SE sites, Yii is better served in SO than separated from it. Establishing this kind of apartheid between using Yii and programming with PHP and in general would be like banishing jQuery questions to another web site.

16

But I think it’s not free to discuss in Stackoverflow as the forum.

17

Maybe, because this is a completely different format (Q&A) and comparing Stack Overflow to any kind of forum is just wrong?