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    "reading an answer is a whole lot less effort than writing an entire question" Maybe searching for the answer first is the point where they fail. The people who have a problem with their code may have only little understanding of their problem and then also may not be able to find existing answers. Maybe using SO as help desk is the easiest option for them. It may come down to SO is not a good fit for absolute beginners. Commented Feb 20, 2020 at 8:32
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    @Trilarion I tend to think so, but I think it's worth being open to being convinced that we're wrong. However, it seems like that is not a problem SO is interested in collecting data on and studying. They have latched onto this idea of increasing engagement, which appears to me to be presupposing a solution before understanding the problem. Since explaining the "why" is now stated as a priority, I'd like an explanation of how they arrived at that solution. Commented Feb 20, 2020 at 8:35
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    engagement = ad-revenue (not saying that as if it's a bad thing - companies want to make money) Commented Feb 20, 2020 at 21:48
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    @NKCampbell I would have thought views = ad-revenue. Why do people have to add content to the site for that? Commented Feb 20, 2020 at 21:49
  • sure - but also creating new content means longer time spent on pages (ads recycle) which also drives new views from others Commented Feb 20, 2020 at 21:52
  • I'm with jpmc on this one @teresa-dietrich in that it doesn't make sense what your team deems as engagement. Commented Feb 21, 2020 at 21:15
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    @NKCampbell That's one hypothesis. Another hypothesis is that large quantities of lower quality and less useful content mean that the content people are looking for is more difficult to locate, which means lower Google rankings and thus less traffic, particularly less traffic from the people needing information. That would also imply that increased engagement would not last over time. That is the hypothesis SO was built upon. So the question becomes why did they adopt a different one as a guiding principle? Commented Feb 21, 2020 at 22:20