If a question I wrote has no replies, can I edit it in order to move it up on the Top Active list?

Question

If my question had limited views (say, 5), and no one had replied "so far", then moving it upwards is it just similar to having it posted just now.

In other words, if my question is not resolved, what should I do? My alternatives are:

1. Do nothing, in which case my problem is not solved and will likely not be solved (we don't like that do we?)
2. Eliminate it and then post it again (very inefficient)
3. Update it so that it gets into the top of the list (exactly like 2) but much more efficient I think)
4. Go to other forums and post it there (highly inefficient since it disperses the community and adds more repeated stuff into internet)

Can you think of more alternatives? Which do you think it is better?

EDIT: well, in fact the answer is in the Help Center, here.

Answer 1

Yes, absolutely edit it to add more information; this is encouraged and is the proper way to get a question answered!

The trick is to just not make trivial edits, add as much information as you can. Keep on editing with as much information as you can.

(You can start by linking your question in your post!)

Answer 2

Yes edit it!

As you say in your question:

First, make sure you’ve asked a good question. To get better answers, you may need to put additional effort into your question. Edit your question to provide status and progress updates. Document your own continued efforts to answer your question. This will naturally bump your question to the homepage and get more people interested in it. (https://askubuntu.com/help/no-one-answers)

If you have to do trivial edits because you have no information, then look at the grammar, style and argument of your question. There is almost always something that can be put more clearly.

Answer 3

As other answers have noted:

• meaningful edits are a good first step
• if you aren't sure how to improve your post further, asking on Meta can help (and draw eyeballs :)

But what if that's not enough? In my opinion, cross-posting to other (non-Stack Exchange) sources does not dilute anything:

• you are statistically more likely to get answer - good for you
• you can bring that answer back to AU, improving AU
• linking to your AU question can make others aware of AU as a resource
• linking to the answer at some another source can make AU users aware of that resource (i.e. that it is worthwhile)

For example, a few of my questions about VirtualBox didn't get answered here, but were answered on the VirtualBox forums. And vice versa. The AU answers are the "official" answers in my head, but regulars at either location now have the knowledge and the links.

Good alternate resources (which ones are available and actually worthwhile changes depending on the project):

• official/de facto forum
• mailing list
• IRC channel
• Launchpad questions page
• issues/ticket list (if they accept queries rather than bugs)
• email the author (for small projects)
• official/de facto OSQA or Askbot resources (heeeeathens! :D )

As you can see from this difficult-to-choose-between requires-lots-of-trawling hodgepodge, there's a reason why Stack Exchange came into being!

Important notes:

• Cross-posting on different Stack Exchanges is frowned on. It is preferred that you ask on Meta that your question is migrated. Which may draw attention to it!
• Don't cross-post from the get go. Pick your preferred resource and post there first. If you haven't got an answer in, say, 24-48hrs then cross post. If you need an answer more urgently than that, my opinion is that you should be talking to friends/colleagues/hired experts/IRC compadres. (And if you're feeling especially kind, posting a self-answered Q&A once the fire has died down :)
• ...and generally respect the netiquette of wherever you're posting.
• You can copy and paste your own words, but the words of others may be restricted by copyright. If copying from Stack Exchange, you must include a link back to the source. If copying from other sites, the copyright restrictions are typically less clear, so it's best to express the answer in your own words, and include a link to show good faith. And links are awesome anyway.
• Some answers just take a very long time to arrive. I've had non-urgent niggles answered only months later. IMHO answers to difficult or obscure questions are still more likely and easier to collaborate on in Q&A format than forums and such.

Answer 4

If a question I wrote has no replies, can I edit it in order to move it up on the Top Active list?

You are doing it all backwards! You shouldn't edit it to move it up to the top of the Active list, that's bad and frowned upon; you should instead edit to add more information, clarify the title and body, add new methods that you tried, etc. and it will move to the top of the Active list. You already discovered that by reading the help page:

Edit your question to provide status and progress updates. Document your own continued efforts to answer your question. This will naturally bump your question to the homepage and get more people interested in it.

That's the correct way. If you have nothing else to add, then try to share your question with people that might help, give your question some promotion using other means.

If my question had limited views (say, 5)

Don't feel bad, between Super User, Unix & Linux and Ask ubuntu (which are the most nearest, scope wise), this site has the lowest average views per question out the three the most recent a question has been posted. So, you might need to go extra lengths to make people see your questions.