4
$\begingroup$

I have a question that is doing well and a number of people are actively working on it.

I have been very strict about what constitutes an answer. You have to get all of the clues and explain them.

Because of this, all the activity is in the comments.

Problem

My puzzle is disappearing down the ratings. I've got people already working on it but I want new people to see it. It's disappearing because of the way it is set up.

Question

  1. Given the above, how can I keep my puzzle current. I don't want to make arbitrary changes to it although I suppose I could.

  2. Have I understood the mechanics correctly? Is a steady stream of comments insufficient on its own to make the puzzle stay current? Note: This will be even more important in a future puzzle I have planned.

$\endgroup$
2
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Consider putting a bounty on it. If you don't have much rep then you could ask on chat if a high-rep user is willing to bounty it - if it's a good puzzle then someone will probably be willing. $\endgroup$
    – A E
    Commented Aug 14, 2015 at 7:34
  • $\begingroup$ Ah well. The great McMagister came out of retirement to solve the unsolvable, and your problem disappeared! $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Aug 15, 2015 at 17:51

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5
$\begingroup$

Yes, your observations are right. The activity page rewards puzzles being edited and getting answers fast and often. Puzzles that are difficult and clear sometimes fall into the depths even when people are actively working on them.

Unfortunately, I don't see this changing on a technical level. SE is not designed for challenge-based sites and so doesn't try to manage incentives for content creators.

I'm not sure what the etiquette is on editing your questions mostly to bump it back up. I think it's justified in some cases, but if everyone did it, we'd have an arms race and be back to where we started.

$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ +1 nice and concise, and easy to understand. if only i could understand your mathy puzzle answers like i do this one! :) $\endgroup$
    – JLee
    Commented Aug 13, 2015 at 17:48

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .