Should we allow "recommendation" questions?

Question

This question was recently asked and closed: https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/6054/what-are-the-best-online-collaborative-tools

That particular question had several problems (off-topic, showed no prior research), but also fits in the the general software-recommendation category that is frowned-upon across the network as "not constructive".

We have a tag for software-recommendations that probably has many questions that would fall under this same banner.

• Should we allow these types of questions?
• What are the reasons for & against?
• If we are going to allow these sorts of questions, how tightly do we define the scope and should we update our FAQ with appropriate guidance?

Answer 1

I think I'd be okay with it if it can be paired to an actual situation — for example, over at WritersSE, there was a recent Topic of the Week about collaborating with other authors, and there were two questions posted which were very similar to this one:

How can I keep up with my co-authors' detail creation?

How do you track dependencies for your co-authors?

In both questions, there may have been software recommended as an answer, but it was an answer to a specific situation (real or hypothetical). In the GD question, if the person had said "I work at a magazine where nine people in three countries are all working on the same layout, and we need to keep track of what someone else has done. What kind of online or network workflow software is available?" I'd consider that legitimate, because there's a problem to be solved.

Answer 2

Lauren's hit the nail on the head with "... if it can be paired to an actual situation." This is broadly applicable, for example with the issue of design critiques (which I favor), typeface selection, color choice and similar questions. Questions that begin with "I'm trying to achieve [x], but..." keep the scope narrow can usually attract good answers, where generalized "What the best [y]?" questions can't.

Answer 3

I think these are inherently relevant to graphic design in that there are tons of solutions to every design question.

As an example "How do I blend these two images together?" could have tons and tons of correct answers. While we are instructing we are also recommending a particular method we've found to be most useful. You can't distinguish one from the other.