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Comment on Ask HN: Could stackoverflow.com work for other fields?

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I think so. I have a concept I'm working on that's more a request forum than a Q&A board but I'm borrowing a few things StackOverflow has implemented well (nothing unique - mainly the simple wiki revisions).

Something else to consider are the 'game' factors. StackOverflow implemented badges and they work well initially (and teach the user how to use the site). At the end of the day the things that tie you into a site are the things that make you want to keep going at it. On most discussion boards it's reputation/karma but little things like badges and medals help too.

Obviously it depends on whether the field needs/can have a question and answer platform, but I can see this discussion model working for most technical areas of knowledge.

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