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Can I delete my own question ?

Will it undo the damage to my reputation that has been done ?

Can I close my own question ?

I just posted one, and the immediate response was uniformly negative.

I do realize that this observation comes from an initial and small sample.

Still, it was an eye opener for me, and I want a good reputation same as everybody.

Hey, I thought I was contributing a good question. Oh well, I tried.

Can I delete it before others start voting it down ?

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    There are parts of your question that were very relevant to the site. "What are some tactics to discuss personal finance with a partner?" (This example isn't concrete enough to get a good answer, but the concept you brought up is important.)
    – MrChrister
    Feb 28, 2013 at 16:35

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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Yes, you can delete it. In most cases the reputation goes away.

You cannot force your question closed. If you can vote to close you can place one vote, but it requires four others to agree.

But it's preferable in most cases that you edit your question to make it better. If you're not sure how, ask for help in the comments (you can always comment on your own questions).

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  • Okay, I just clicked delete. Then I got a popup of sorts indicating that I had "voted" to deleted. I'll learn about this place and try to do better.
    – User.1
    Feb 28, 2013 at 14:38
  • I seem to remember on one of the other sites the ability to retrieve previous versions. Is there a way that I can get the prior text so that I can post it elsewhere on non-stackExchange sites where that kind of post might be welcome ?
    – User.1
    Feb 28, 2013 at 14:41
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    @User.1 There's a link near where it says "Edited" .. click the date & time link and you'll see the history for the edits. Click the little arrow next to the revision number you want to see (e.g. 1) to expand it, if it isn't expanded already.
    – Chris W. Rea
    Feb 28, 2013 at 14:48
  • @ChrisW.Rea Just clicked on my User ID, saw this, You have not asked any questions so I guess I undid my damage, and lost the data in the process. I think my reputation is back to where it was, so, oh well. Thanks anyway
    – User.1
    Feb 28, 2013 at 14:54
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What you experienced is a reaction to a long, sauntering post with no clear question in it. Such posts are likely to be down-voted and (if not edited) eventually closed as either "not constructive" or "not a real question" because it isn't evident to others what, exactly, you are asking.

When asking a question, it's best to be specific and concise.

Endeavour to make your question as short as possible – but no shorter; i.e. don't leave out relevant information; do leave out lengthy opinion on the matter. You are here to get answers, not to initiate a lengthy discussion on multiple subjects.

I also suggest using a meaningful, summarizing question as title for your more detailed question. "Romance, Marriage, Financial Debt, And Psychology" is not a question. When the title is not a question, we need to go looking for what the real question is. If the question body itself is long and possibly unclear, can you see the problem?

Don't be discouraged. Learn & edit. Most of us got here the same way.

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