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There seems to be a bit of low-level confusion with questions about location-specific information. Specifically, most askers omit it. Whilst for some things it will be irrelevant or only vaguely relevant, for many things it is germane to the question. Obvious examples would be questions about building regulations or electrical work, but it's important even on questions where the climate comes into play, such as where the ground freezes regularly.

Could we add a FAQ item to make it extremely obvious to all that this forum is read by people all over the world, not just in their state or country?

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    I've updated the FAQ with a section asking to include their location within the question.
    – BMitch Mod
    Commented Sep 21, 2012 at 23:22

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I would suggest that we directly encourage people to put their region in their profile. This should be in the FAQ.

In the top section (What kind of questions can I ask here?) I'd suggest the following line be added to the bottom:

"In order to receive the best quality answers, it is important that you indicate your region. DIY questions, more than other questions on other Stackexchange sites, very often depend on local building and electrical codes. Please take the time to update your region in your profile [link to edit profile]"

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What about some tags to specify region that is relevant?

This is an example of a question that is depending on the region:

How can I detect reverse polarity on an ungrounded receptacle?

Where I live the electric plugs are symmetric (Schuko), and polarity isn't an issue at all.

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    Would anyone follow or filter questions with a "regional" tag? I know many of the other sites are trying to kill "meta-tags". I think US, UK, Macedonia, etc tags would be problematic.
    – Steve Jackson
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 17:01
  • @SteveJackson: That's a good point. It could work if there were tags for a specific type of regional aspect, like wiring/outlet standards, but that's hard to define and maintain.
    – Guffa
    Commented Jan 20, 2012 at 18:51
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    I don't think tags are the answer. I think people need to think about the issue and try to mention it in their question. Comments on the question by other people that add this information seems to work, too, I've noticed.
    – staticsan
    Commented Jan 22, 2012 at 23:14

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