I've recently visited Chat, specifically the Stack Overflow Lobby, however, I was unfamiliar with the rules and expectations of the chat room. Does the Lobby follow the same rules as Stack Overflow and I must ask Programming/Software engineering questions, or is it more open? Can I ask about Stack Overflow itself, or other sites in the network? Are there different rules there that don't exist in the Q&A area of the site? Are there a definitive set of rules?
1 Answer
The Stack Overflow Lobby (SOL) (alongside the Stack Exchange Lobby (SEL)) was created by Stack Overflow Inc. Admittedly, guidance from the company on its expected usage has been limited, so the respective communities have taken this on board a little to try and direct the 2 rooms in a direction that fits them. Please note that this answer is specifically about the SOL, and guidelines about the SEL may differ. Unlike other rooms in Chat, the Lobbies do not require a user to have 20 reputation to participate, and anyone can send messages (although you still require 20 reputation to send images).
Topics
There's no set topic in the SOL, it's not specifically about Stack Overflow (SO) for example. That, however, doesn't mean that "anything goes", and topics should mostly be central to what SO is about, or about SO itself. Conversations can still be friendly and we don't discourage banter nor completely off-topic conversation per se, however, it's also not the best place to ask "how do I bake a cake?", or "How do I fix my broken bike wheel?"; if you arrive in chat and immediately start asking questions that aren't really Stack Overflow related you're more likely to be referred to a different community.
Coding questions are allowed, however, bear in mind that Chat isn't well designed for in-depth Q&A. If you have a short coding question, and can provide a small code snippet, or error, to compliment that question then it is more likely to be well received in the chat. Please do start your problem by explaining it first, and then provide the relevant code/error(s). Asking a question, followed by a very large block of code, or where a lot of back and forth between you and other members of the chat is needed, are likely to end up less successful; for longer problems consider creating a question or create and/or inviting the users to a different chat where you can have in-depth discussions.
Code and error dumps, without any explanation or context, are disruptive to the chat; these will most likely be removed and thus you won't get help on the issue. Remember to explain the problem first.
Always Off-Topic
Some topics are not acceptable in any context. This includes things like:
- Looking for employment (a job)
- Recruiting employees or contributors for your employer or coding project
- Begging for money
- Requesting users to make contact (with you) off-site (such as Email, Instant Messaging)
- Attempting to find a romantic partner
Conversation
Like mentioned above, there isn't a set topic in the SOL, so if the conversation does move to things off-topic for Stack Overflow naturally, then that's fine (excluding some subjects, such as those listed explicitly above). We welcome a friendly and welcoming environment. Please ensure that you are courteous to your fellow chat users. Use inclusive terms when referring to others, and treat others like human beings; don't send a message that looks like you're trying to prompt an LLM/AI for an answer as these are often poorly received. Such messages may also be removed. Please also remember that users in chat aren't a replacement for your favourite Search Engine; we're all happy to help but finding your answer may be just a simple search away. If you don't understand the results from your search, or its been unsuccessful don't be afraid of asking.
If you do need to ask something, don't ask to ask; just ask your question. Asking questions like "Can anyone help me?" or "Does anyone know Javascript?" are more likely to not be answered, as the we don't know if we can help you without knowing what the problem is, so the users don't know if their skill set can help you. You are far more likely to find success by introducing your problem from the start.
Do use the reply feature if you're responding to someone's message specifically; this makes it much easier for others to understand the flow of the conversation, and the user you are replying to will be notified. Don't, however, just ping users to grab attention, especially if they haven't been active in chat recently.
Messages must be in English; content not in English will be removed. Messages that contain nonsense, or appear to intentionally be disruptive, will also be removed.
If you ask a question, and you've not got a response, please don't feel you need to resend the message again shortly afterwards; the lobby can be quite busy at times and at others very quiet. Sending the same message repeatedly is more likely to result in your latter message(s) being removed; if you aren't getting an answer in chat then perhaps you should be using the Q&A part of the site, where your question will more likely be seen by SMEs and also will have more "resilience". (If you haven't yet, please remember to read the tour before posting your question.) If a significant amount of time has passed, there's no harm in asking your question again, but consider writing your question differently, rather than resending the same message verbatim; if you find yourself looking to do this a 3rd time, then it's likely that you would be best seeking help a different way (such as in the Q&A format, or in a chat specifically about that subject matter).
If you are posting a code block, please also make sure to use the "fixed font" button. After pasting your (multi-line) code into the text box, a fixed font button will appear; click this to make your message be sent more like code. For some languages (such as Python) this is especially important.
Please don't ask users to move a conversation to a different space external to Stack Overflow, such as email or an instant messaging service; this would be seen as requesting personal (contact) information from users, and such requests we will be removed (as will if you share your own contact details). If you wish to talk outside of the Lobby, please use a different room.
Starring
Chat has a "star" feature. Though this is similar to a "like" feature, it also means that the message will be displayed for all users in a more prominent position. As such we ask that users star messages that are truly useful to both you, and others. Stars are cleared often by the ROs in the SOL from messages that they feel may not be need to be starred and shown more prominently. If someone says "Hi" to you, please don't use the star feature to say "hi" back; starring a message doesn't notify the user that sent the message in any way.
Moderation
The SOL is mostly moderated by the Room Owners (ROs); their names appear in italics. Staff and Moderators do visit the room as well, who in addition to showing their name in italics have a diamond (♦) adjacent to their name and their username will be a pale blue (different to the visited link blue). Please do adhere to the advice from these users as well as the guidelines outlined here; failure to do so may result in you being kicked from the SOL. Repeated kicks will result in you being unable to re-enter the Lobby for longer periods of time, and may result in further action from the Moderators for severe or repeat offences.
If you notice a message that you feel breaks the Code of Conduct, please use the flag system. For example, if a user has entered and is advertising their website/product and isn't contributing to the conversation, you should flag this; the flag icon appears on the right of the message when on hover over it. Once the message has enough flags it will automatically be deleted and further action(s) may be taken against the user. If you feel a user is being disruptive, but isn't breaking the Code of Conduct you can ping one, or more, of the ROs, and if they are available they will be able to take action.
FAQ
- Can I Direct Message another user in Chat?
No, there is no direct messaging service. If you have 20 or more reputation, you do have the ability to create your own chat and invite that other user, however, note that this chat will be public. Note that these users can also invite users with less 20 reputation as well, however, users with less than 20 reputation cannot do anything more than view the room, - Can I earn reputation in Chat?
No, actions in chat do not earn you reputation. For details on how to earn reputation, see the help center - Is there a help article on Chat in general?
Yes, Chat has it's own FAQ page, which includes details on how to flag, format messages, and other useful features. - Is Chat a new feature?
No, chat has been around for more than a decade, but has previously required 20 reputation or more to participate.