Re: Opinion Based
I think this one confuses everyone.
What I think the rule intends: we do not want answers that are simply opinions. We want answers that can be distinctly judged as being right or wrong. If your question cannot have distinctly correct answers then your question is bad.
What other people use the rule to justify: Your question could have more than one answer, and which answer is best is opinion, therefore the question is bad. Basically we are going to shut down your question because we're afraid it might invite opinion based answers. A question that invites 15 different ways to do a thing, all of which work, is not necessarily a bad question. (Perhaps it "needs more focus" but I'll address that in a second.)
It's the difference between "what color of socks is best" and "what sock material is the best insulating for cold weather". Both can have multiple answers. Some would VTC both question as "opinion based". Really only the first is opinion based, because it can have no answer that is not 100% opinion. The second can have more than one answer, and they may all be right, given certain conditions.
Some would still close the question thinking that more detail would eliminate the opinions, but in doing so they actually ruin the value of the question and the answers. We don't want 50 nuanced, hyper-specific questions about socks, all of which are so specific to the asker that they are of no value to anyone else. An array of solid answers detailing information relevant to cold weather and sock materials is of good general use, and more valuable for everyone.
Possible replacement wording:
Yours:
This question is asking for personal opinions that may lead to discussion or debate rather than objective solutions that can be supported with facts and citations. Not all subjective questions are off topic, so be sure you can identify which should be closed and which are in scope.
Mine:
Answers to this question are likely to be based primarily on subjective personal opinion not supported with facts and citations. While a question may invite multiple answers or ideas, it shouldn't lead to debate and argument.
