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The FAQ says:

"You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face."

Really? Are we only meant to ask questions about problems we face?

Sounds like a copy / paste from another Stack Exchange site.

Update: in light of the comments below, I should add that I don't have a problem with the existence of the site (quite the opposite), just with the wording of the FAQ. Can we change that wording?

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Good point, also since this is Science Fiction and Fantasy there are going to be questions that don't have a perfect answer with a reference artical behind it - if all the questions that get asked can just be found with a 3 minute google search what is the point of this site? – boxed-dinners Jan 31 '12 at 19:21
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IIUC everything under the line is the same on every StackExchange site (meta.scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/549/…). So it is a 'copy and paste' in a way, yes. – Tony Meyer Jan 31 '12 at 21:10
@Gilles: not a duplicate, I want to change the FAQ, hence the update to my question. – Wikis Jan 31 '12 at 22:11
@Wikis Oh, I see. Even with your edit, that's not clear at all. Well, ok then, but this part is common to all SE sites, so don't hold your breath. – Gilles Jan 31 '12 at 22:22
Now on Meta.SO: meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/164436/… – Isaac Moses Jan 21 at 17:19

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

It depend of your definition of problem :

Wikipedia

A problem is an obstacle, impediment, difficulty or challenge, or any situation that invites resolution; the resolution of which is recognized as a solution or contribution toward a known purpose or goal. A problem implies a desired outcome coupled with an apparent deficiency, doubt or inconsistency that prevents the outcome from taking place.

dictionary.reference

prob·lem noun
1. any question or matter involving doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty.
2. a question proposed for solution or discussion.
3. Mathematics. a statement requiring a solution, usually by means of a mathematical operation or geometric construction.

So, if you definition is more in the line of Wikipedia, no we don't really solve any problem. But if you take it in the line of dictionary.reference, we solve some. Those problems are less practical than, say Stackoverflow, cooking or home improvement. They are also less useful since they are about imaginary universes. But they are still problems.

Peoples are puzzled by all the information that is available about Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Accessing, filtering and extracting the meaningful information is the real problem, that's why we are here.

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up vote 1 down vote

Borrowed from here.

Using the FAQ on-topic categories:

  • Plot, character, or setting explanations: my problem is that I don't understand why something happened.
  • Historical context: my problem is that I don't understand how this work fits into real-world history.
  • Behind-the-scenes and fandom information: my problem is I don't know how to get the best out of a conference, my problem is I don't know how to contact an author.
  • Story identification: my problem is that I cannot find this work that I remember loving.
  • Franchise/series reading or viewing order: my problem is that I don't know what order it would be best to consume these in.
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