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Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

developers.facebook.com

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Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#41

Post by scorpion032 »

cool-RR wrote: post #31
pkteison wrote: post #3

I don't see the stack overflow model as being a great fit for what facebook api developers need. The main problem I saw with facebook api was that the right way to do things kept changing, and the docs and forum didn't keep up well. You basically needed to begin facebook API work by reading the entire blog in chronological order and then keep on scanning the dev blog daily, which may work ok if you're a fulltime face…

Maybe developers should just start an unofficial Facebook Wiki.

Most people would rather ask and answer questions than maintain or update a wiki. That's what they have been doing, over at stackoverflow.

Since people are already discussing Facebook API over at Stackoverflow, they might as well make it official.

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#42

Post by scorpion032 »

andypants wrote: post #34
Simucal wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At first I figured they just created a separate SE site specific to Facebook development but it appears to just be a filter on all questions which have a tag that contains "facebook" while hiding all others.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Why not just create another stack exchange just for facebook? I mean, they've already got that system working for other topics. Putting a filter on all SO questions and slapping a subdomain on it feels like it's a solution they created in 30 seconds.

> Why not just create another stack exchange just for facebook?

If Facebook wanted to, it is not like they can't write a question-answer site or use one of the open source alternatives. This is an endorsement of Stackoverflow from facebook. Nothing more.

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#43

Post by click170 »

icebraining wrote: post #38
andypants wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Why not just create another stack exchange just for facebook? I mean, they've already got that system working for other topics. Putting a filter on all SO questions and slapping a subdomain on it feels like it's a solution they created in 30 seconds.

Well, first off Facebook API questions are still on-topic on SO, so they will have more eyeballs and therefore a greater probability of being answered. Second, programmers can keep their existing reputation, while a new SE site would put everyone back to 100. Since the topic is a subset, keeping it makes sense. I don't really see what problems this solution brings that can't be solved with a custom logo.

I agree with your second point, but your first point goes against established precedent at Stackexchange.

I mean, if it was about getting more eyeballs then I think the best way to go would have been to use tagging, so that questions would be posted to 'stackexchange' and would then be tagged with 'programming', 'codereview', 'superuser' etc and as they were tagged they would show up on the programming.stackexchange.com (and other) sites. IIUC the current way is that if I post a programming question to stackoverflow, it will get 'migrated' to programming.stackexchange. That works, but it detracts from the total number of eyes because it is removed from stackoverflow.

That design decision is something that has always kind of confused me about the Stackexchange sites.

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#44

Post by icebraining »

click170 wrote: post #43
icebraining wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, first off Facebook API questions are still on-topic on SO, so they will have more eyeballs and therefore a greater probability of being answered. Second, programmers can keep their existing reputation, while a new SE site would put everyone back to 100. Since the topic is a subset, keeping it makes sense. I don't really see what problems this solution brings that can't be solved with a custom logo.

I agree with your second point, but your first point goes against established precedent at Stackexchange. I mean, if it was about getting more eyeballs then I think the best way to go would have been to use tagging, so that questions would be posted to 'stackexchange' and would then be tagged with 'programming', 'codereview', 'superuser' etc and as they were tagged they would show up on the programming.stackexchange.…

It's about the topic of the site. FB API questions are on-topic with SO, others aren't. The Code Review is debatable since it's arguably a subset of SO, but other SE sites (like Programmers) don't really intersect that much.

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#45

Post by dreamdu5t »

alanh wrote: post #35

"We have been ignoring you developers a bit much on the existing forums, so, how about a do-over where you guys help yourselves?" Accurate or no?

Very accurate. Facebook makes it clear that they don't give two shits about developers because they're top dog and they don't have to. This just solidifies that impression.

They should improve the clarity of their the documentation and add more examples, in addition to keeping them updated... or pay a couple people to answer questions. God knows they have the money.

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#46

Post by svnk »

true_religion wrote: post #22
JeremyBanks wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it doesn't mean that, but even if it did, what user data are you talking about? The only non-public info that Stack Overflow has from (some) users is their email address and real name, which Facebook already knows.

But facebook can't associate Real Names with questions asked on stackoverflow. If they had data-sharing in place, they could.

Oh my god, Facebook will know that you asked a question on how to write Hello World in lisp!

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#48

Post by timdorr »

pkteison wrote: post #3

I don't see the stack overflow model as being a great fit for what facebook api developers need. The main problem I saw with facebook api was that the right way to do things kept changing, and the docs and forum didn't keep up well. You basically needed to begin facebook API work by reading the entire blog in chronological order and then keep on scanning the dev blog daily, which may work ok if you're a fulltime face…

That's supposed to be what the Change Log is for: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/changelog/ But yeah, they need to work on the relevancy of that content in regards to the constant changes going on.

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#49

Post by skeletonjelly »

pkteison wrote: post #3

I don't see the stack overflow model as being a great fit for what facebook api developers need. The main problem I saw with facebook api was that the right way to do things kept changing, and the docs and forum didn't keep up well. You basically needed to begin facebook API work by reading the entire blog in chronological order and then keep on scanning the dev blog daily, which may work ok if you're a fulltime face…

Maybe I've missed it but nobody has mentioned that SO allows posts to be in a community wiki format. Doesn't this reach a nice balance between the two?

Re: Facebook Partners with Stack Overflow

#50

Post by kmontrose »

skeletonjelly wrote: post #49
pkteison wrote: post #3

I don't see the stack overflow model as being a great fit for what facebook api developers need. The main problem I saw with facebook api was that the right way to do things kept changing, and the docs and forum didn't keep up well. You basically needed to begin facebook API work by reading the entire blog in chronological order and then keep on scanning the dev blog daily, which may work ok if you're a fulltime face…

Maybe I've missed it but nobody has mentioned that SO allows posts to be in a community wiki format. Doesn't this reach a nice balance between the two?

Anybody can suggest edits ( http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/02/suggested-edits-and-ed... ) without even registering.

Community wiki posts can be outright edited by low rep users, and higher rep users can edit any post.

The idea that a wiki is better for rapidly changing content is... odd, to me; it seems it'd be a wash at best. Then again I'm an SE Inc. employee, so perhaps I just don't see the difference.

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