[dionidium]

I can accept that questions of this type are a little messy, but there's absolutely no need to apply real-world metaphors of messiness to the web. We don't need to clean these things up. They're fine just sitting there. We're not running out of bits.

I'm sure there's some personally type that experiences a deep need to organize and delete (and it's probably over-represented in the SO community), but that's all this is. I find it highly unlikely that deleting these posts is having any effect on the quality of new questions asked.

[cruise02]

This isn't about running out of bits. The primary reason for creating Stack Overflow was to increase the signal/noise ratio for programming information on the Web. If we don't reduce the noise, then search engines have a harder time trying to find the signal. So in this sense, the metaphor of messiness does apply to the Web.

Also, this particular post is locked, not deleted. Google will still find it.

[henrikschroder]

> If we don't reduce the noise, then search engines have a harder time trying to find the signal.

Let the search engines figure that out! It's their job!

Is there any evidence whatsoever that deleting/closing questions like these make SO a better place and improves the rate with which people can find answers through search engines?

I suspect there's none.

[cruise02]

> Let the search engines figure that out! It's their job!

Ummm... right. You go ahead and keep posting noise to your site and let the search engines figure it out. Let us know how that works.

[dpark]

Search engines tend to place Wikipedia high for almost every relevant query. This happens despite the amount of useless crap on Wikipedia. Hell, how often is Yahoo Answers on the first page of results. "Noise" won't stop you from getting listed if you've got enough page rank.

[droithomme]

> If we don't reduce the noise, then search engines have a harder time trying to find the signal.

That's very nice, except much of the discussion here indicates clearly that deleted posts are not noise but are useful, valuable resources to the participants. So the "must reduce noise" explanation doesn't work here.

[cruise02]

How has that been made clear at all? I've only seen one link to an actual question here, and that one wasn't deleted, but locked (by me) to prevent it from being deleted. Raise your standard of proof.

[droithomme]

Yes, locked by you. You're not exactly an impartial observer in all this. You have comments throughout this thread attacking everyone who disagrees with you, and obstinately refusing to see anyone else's point of view. I don't know you, but based on your behavior, you've confirmed that the moderators are the problem.

[cruise02]

I locked the question because it was deleted by community vote. If I hadn't undeleted and locked, it wouldn't be visible at all. Just proves you don't know what you're talking about. I haven't attacked anyone here.