Let's get critical: Dec 2013 Site Self-Evaluation

Question

We all love The Workplace Stack Exchange, but there is a whole world of people out there who need answers to their questions and don't even know that this site exists. When they arrive from Google, what will their first impression be? Let's try to look at this site through the eyes of someone who's never seen it before, and see how we stack up against the rest of the 'Net.

The Site Self-Evaluation review queue is open and populated with 10 questions that were asked and answered in the last quarter. Run a few Google searches to see how easy they are to find and compare the answers we have with the information available on other sites.

Rating the questions is only a part of the puzzle, though. Do you see a pattern of questions that should have been closed but are not? Questions or answers that could use an edit? Anything that's going really well? Post an answer below to share your thoughts and discuss these questions and the site's health with your fellow users!

Answer 1

I had a lot of trouble finding most of these through google (private browsing mode) without using absurdly specific search terms (virtually copy-pasting the question title). Several of the questions were very specific to the asker (rather than generalized advice) which made them poor resources even if they were stumbled across.

Maybe others will disagree, but this review was an eye-opener to me on the importance of making sure that the questions are good and general, and that answers focus on the more general problem rather than the specific person asking. If I were coming in from Google on several of these, I would assume it was a forum of some sort, rather than a resource to get straight answers.

Once the review is finished, I'll post my detailed results.

Answer 2

Final Results

• How to handle and engage employees in a secretive company culture?

  Net Score: 5 (Excellent: 8, Satisfactory: 5, Needs Improvement: 3)

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• How to determine in an interview if people enjoy working for the company or the work they do?

  Net Score: 5 (Excellent: 8, Satisfactory: 4, Needs Improvement: 3)

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• What comprises pay package?

  Net Score: -1 (Excellent: 2, Satisfactory: 12, Needs Improvement: 3)

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• To be a successful new manager, must I stay competitive against my reports?

  Net Score: -2 (Excellent: 3, Satisfactory: 10, Needs Improvement: 5)

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• How to work with some who has a dramatically different pace of work?

  Net Score: -2 (Excellent: 3, Satisfactory: 8, Needs Improvement: 5)

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• Getting a reference from a hostile work environment

  Net Score: -2 (Excellent: 1, Satisfactory: 12, Needs Improvement: 3)

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• Should I mix different professional aspects in my LinkedIn account

  Net Score: -3 (Excellent: 2, Satisfactory: 10, Needs Improvement: 5)

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• How can I stay focused and enjoy work when I am the only member on a team?

  Net Score: -4 (Excellent: 2, Satisfactory: 8, Needs Improvement: 6)

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• Am I hired for a job after completing new hire paperwork?

  Net Score: -6 (Excellent: 0, Satisfactory: 10, Needs Improvement: 6)

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• Leaving a job: how to erase my "footprints"?

  Net Score: -7 (Excellent: 1, Satisfactory: 7, Needs Improvement: 8)

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