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My answer to this question may have been deemed too simplistic, but that was the entire point of posting it.

The other answers we're nice and informational, but in my opinion they breezed over the very simple question OP actually asked.

For reference, my answer was "A plug has to connect to the actual cable somehow. The other end is where that happens."

OP basically asked (paraphrasing), "what is the connector on the left of the plug for?"

P.S. My experience on other SE sites is that deleting answers that do at least attempt to answer the question is not generally correct. Honestly I would rather have my answers left to get downvoted than have a mod delete them aggressively.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I've received a downvote for asking for help. I'm not new to Stack Exchange, but so far both my attempts to answer here were deleted by mods and more than usual downvotes with no comments. Is that how this site always operates? \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 22:09
  • \$\begingroup\$ Votes here in meta have a very different meaning: they express whether people agree or disagree with your post. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nick Alexeev
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ @NickAlexeev yes I understand that, but considering I didn't make a statement, it was a bit confusing. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:41

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Here's the post in question. I'll duplicate it here for the folks who don't have the 10k visibility.

A plug has to connect to the actual cable somehow [emphasis original]. The other end is where that happens.

Here's the laundry list:

  • It's Too thin for an answer for EE.SE .
  • It's hand-wavy, with the emphasis on the word "somehow" .
  • The question already had an accepted answer.
  • At best, this was a comment. But how would which post this comment was addressed to?

p.s. The Hot Networks Questions engine had promoted this question. The question, however, didn't deserve it.

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    \$\begingroup\$ There is no arbitrary character length for answers on EE.SE and that is not a deletion reason, hand-wavy isn't a deletion reason, the question having an accepted answer is not a deletion reason. It is not a comment, it is a direct answer. And your bizarre personal reasons about the HNQ engine is not a valid deletion reason! \$\endgroup\$
    – Passerby
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 6:55
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    \$\begingroup\$ Respectfully, I don't see any length requirements at electronics.stackexchange.com/help/deleted-answers and in fact it specifically says "Answers that do not fundamentally answer the question may be removed." My answer was not a comment, it was a direct answer. The word somehow wasn't part of the answer (That was the next sentence), that was just a bit of extra logic to help OP understand my answer my answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 13:44
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    \$\begingroup\$ Thanks for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it, but considering the reasons you gave here, I don't think my answer deserved to be deleted. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 13:45
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    \$\begingroup\$ @DoritoStyle Considering the quality, it shouldn't have been posted as an answer in the first place. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nick Alexeev
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 15:44
  • \$\begingroup\$ @NickAlexeev unless you can point me to some meta then it should have been left to receive votes or user flags. I don't know of any baseline quality requirements for attempted answers. Deletion should be reserved for non-answers right? \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:43
  • \$\begingroup\$ ... and for low quality answers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Nick Alexeev
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 16:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Dorito 1. There is a limit. Answers can't be shorter than 30 characters. 2. SO is the only place I know, for purely the amount of posts it gets, that accepts minimal attempts at answering the question. All other sites on the SE network require more elaboration, and set the bar higher. This is mostly undocumented because it's site culture, not site policy. High-rep users post elaborate and full answers, and if they couldn't, post comment-answers, and thus it becomes a tradition that if what you said is an answer, but can fit in a comment, you should've commented. \$\endgroup\$
    – M.A.R.
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ @M.A.R. My understanding is that comments are for making remarks or asking clarification, not for answers. Yes, some people post "incomplete" answers in comments by their own choice (not by policy) and Yes my answer was not detailed because it didn't need to be. Even if what you say is true then there is no reason to delete the answer right? \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:45
  • \$\begingroup\$ re: "All other sites on the SE network require more elaboration" that's just not correct. Some do but not all by a long shot. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:48
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Dorito If it were me, I would've probably converted the answer into a comment, but I don't oppose the deletion. If your answer adds nothing to the thread, its existence doesn't matter, and this isn't something personal. So if you'd posted it before the other answers, it probably shouldn't have been deleted, but I don't see all the fuss about it if it was posted after at least one of the current non-deleted answers. (Can't see it in the timeline because I don't have 10k rep) \$\endgroup\$
    – M.A.R.
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 18:18
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    \$\begingroup\$ As I wrote above, the other answers were nice but overly verbose IMHO. I should have been left to the votes. It was an answer, not a comment by any definition relevant to this site. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 18:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ Although if meta proves me wrong i'm willing to accept that. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 18:21
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The answer may be curt, or a bit poor, but it directly answers the question, without Insult. It should not have been deleted. Deletion is reserved for non-answers. If anything it may warrant down votes, but it is an answer.

Unfortunately it was deleted by a mod who has a long history of ignoring SE rules of how to deal with posts, so I doubt anything will change.

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    \$\begingroup\$ If deletion is reserved for NAA, why do we get a "Very Low Quality" flag as an option? Furthermore, the very fact that answers without sources can and usually do get removed negates your argument. \$\endgroup\$
    – M.A.R.
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:27
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    \$\begingroup\$ Practice doesn't negate policy. I believe policy has been broken in this case \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ Anyway, VLC also lead to deletion, but at least then the community voted and there is no question of a mod over-reaching their responsibility. \$\endgroup\$
    – user133290
    Commented Feb 16, 2017 at 17:46

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