R Public FAQ

A few frequently asked questions in the R Public chatroom

Visit the R Public chat room website for more details

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1. Can I ask any R related question here?

Answer 1. You are most welcome to ask any question

Follow the simple steps mentioned on the main page. Additional guidelines include

  1. Do not be a help vampire. See The Help Vampire Problem
  2. Use a code pasting service for long codes. If you are familiar with fiddles, then R-Fiddle is your friend here.
  3. Format your code properly. This can be done by selecting the entire message and clicking on Ctrl + k or by clicking on the fixed font button next to the area where you type your message.
  4. Do not annoy those who try to help you. Using excessive @ pings is pushing the user to answer your question which might lower the chance of you getting an answer.
  5. If you don't get an answer do not ask the same question again and again. It'll be a futile attempt.

Question 2. I have asked a new question on the main site, Can I link it here?

Answer 2. No, Please Don't

Do Not link your recently asked questions here. Wait for a day or two before linking here. This is because

  1. The users of the room will already have taken a look at your question as we all keep an active tab of the incoming [r] questions.
  2. The users of the room will have an undue advantage over the other general answerers as they have an oppurtunity to chat with you.
  3. Depending on your question, it may recieve a flood of downvotes and close votes.

Question 3. Can I help moderate the [r] Stack Overflow tag here?

Answer 3. Depends on you

There are other rooms that are set up with the sole thought of moderating tags in general and the [r] tag in specific. A few of them are gallery rooms where you need permission to post. In R Public, the modertion practice is quite limited and is not on the room agenda. The sole purpose of the room is to help new users with their R related questions. However the following are permitted

  1. If you are a low rep user and do not have access to the other rooms then you can certainly drop a link here. Depending on the severity the link may be moved to other rooms. In such a case you will get a room invite notification. Kindly ignore that.
  2. If you are unable to understand a question, then you can ask here. We will gladly help you to either understand that problem or close that question as unclear.
  3. NAA/Spam/Offensive answer links are allowed as they need quick and immediate attention. However do not one-box such answers as they remain in the transcript forever.

R PUBLIC