160

I would like to know if there is any way to thank this website.

Because, for example, out of over 5 questions, I have received 4 correct answers quickly here.

This website is the most active I have ever found, so I want it to last as long as possible and thank the founders. I don't have much money, but I would still give $5 if I could or help in any other way that I can.

5
  • 59
    To add onto what derp pointed out, you should also start voting up answers you find helpful once you get enough reputation. This is the correct way to thank the users who write these answers. Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 20:33
  • 39
    In short, pay it forward. Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 21:45
  • I previously started a website where you could post questions and offer a cash reward. No one really cared about the cash. It seems that people just have a built in sense of contribute now and ask later. In other words, pay it forward. Commented Aug 26, 2014 at 22:21
  • Buy an ad that says, "Thanks!" Donate cash. Participate. Commented Aug 27, 2014 at 13:59
  • 1
    Possible duplicate of Stack Overflow helped me with my problem: on which network can I share my success story? Commented Aug 4, 2016 at 1:44

3 Answers 3

139

Your question is very similar to this one, which was asked earlier this month.

I'll reiterate the general sentiment here:

  1. Upvote questions and answers that help you.
  2. Downvote/flag low quality and useless content.
  3. Continue to post good questions and answers.
  4. Participate in the community.
  5. Participate in the community.
  6. Participate in the community.

The reason why this website (and the network as a whole) works is because there is a core set of active members on the site that helps moderate and continue the flow of good questions and answers of lasting value.

You could, of course, contact Stack Exchange about sponsorship opportunities, but if you really want to ensure that this site continues to function, the best way is to continue to participate in the community. As you gain reputation, you will gain access to privileges that will allow you help us make the site better. By asking and answering questions, you're already helping out, but upvotes and accepts ensure that people continue to help you find information and ensure that you can continue to be an integral part of the community.

The best way to control the direction of the site is to be active here on Meta, as well, where we make key decisions and interact with the people who run this site to help them ensure that it's working in the best way it can for all of us.

I'd just like to personally thank you for not being one of those disgruntled new users and recognizing that this site is not in an irreversible, spiraling, apocalyptic downfall.

8
  • 55
    You forgot one: 6. Participate in the community. Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 21:05
  • 8
    Of course: how could I be so forgetful? Commented Aug 24, 2014 at 21:05
  • 40
    You forgot to mention "downvote low-quality questions and answers". Downvoting is just as important as upvoting. Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 1:07
  • 1
    this is known as Pay it forward Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 7:25
  • 2
    Am I the only one who is reminded by Point 4 to 6 to the line "Don't talk about the fight club"? Maybe this site also doesn't really exist and instead is merely a creation of Jon Skeet's mind. Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 18:32
  • 1
    this site is not in an irreversible, spiraling, apocalyptic downfall. Hey, cool - no dv for that; there is hope ;-) I remember ealier this year I decided that I need rep so I can upvote answers that were better than the accepted one; feels like yesterday.. Commented Aug 27, 2014 at 0:50
  • 4
    What about 7. Turn off AdBlock? Doesn't quite feel as good as the others, but pretty practical. Commented Aug 27, 2014 at 14:29
  • @jpmc26 Yes, that certainly helps. Commented Aug 27, 2014 at 19:55
32

You can show gratitude and help by identifying duplicate questions. Certain questions, like high-resolution timing on Windows, are asked over and over and over again. Most new simple questions on Stack Overflow are very likely duplicates, but the current incentive structure does not allow them to be closed.

You don't yet have enough reputation to cast close votes, but it is very helpful to:

  • Leave comments on a question as to which it is a duplicate of. Optionally, also indicate why you think it is a duplicate. Later, this very much helps voters when they decide if a question is really a duplicate or not.

  • For very frequent duplicates (FAQs), propose changes to the corresponding major tag wiki to list the canonical question (by way of suggested edits). This helps in identifying duplicates in the future. For instance, the tag wiki for C# has a section, "FAQs", for this purpose.

4
  • 3
    Why do you need to leave comments? At 15 reputation, that is enough to flag questions as duplicates, which automatically leaves the comment and puts it into the review queue. Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 7:39
  • 1
    @Cody Gray: I don't know; wouldn't it overload the moderators to use this mechanism on a larger scale? Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 7:59
  • 4
    Not the diamond moderators. Close flags (for one of the standard closure reasons) go into the close vote queue, viewable by all 10k users. (At least I'm relatively certain that's how it works. The review features have changed a lot over the past several months, and I haven't the time to keep up with all the changes.) Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 8:04
  • 1
    @CodyGray since 2013-07-02 Flags to close a question are no longer shown in the moderator only queue. Feed into common close queue instead (FWIW about 1/3 flags that contributed to my marshal badge at MSE were from dupe-close flags when I was under 3K there) Commented Aug 25, 2014 at 10:16
8

In addition to what the other answers mention, I suggest to help curate this site (Stack Overflow / Stack Exchange). You can do this after you gain sufficient experience and get enough reputation to obtain certain curation privileges. For this, in order to get more reputation (and gain more experience in the process), continue posting good questions and answers.

For example, after 500 reputation, you gain access to the review queues, and you can thus help curate questions and answers. Please help keep the site useful. Leave the Stack Exchange site better than when you found it!

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.