I have noticed a series of rather lazy questions appearing on TGO, I would say mostly from new(ish) users, some questions get put on hold and others are not. The problem is that very often these questions get an answer anyways, or some more experienced user edits them rather than the OP. I feel that in this way they have no reason to put a bit of effort in their contribution to TGO.
Should TGO be ruthless with these users and quickly close a question that shows very little effort not only in prior research but even in how the question is written? (I'm not referring to bad English, I mean incomplete, lack of meaningful details to make answers appropriate, typed in a rush like if it was a cellphone message or getting away with one simple link to other websites rather than describing a product...). Should more experienced users refrain from editing or answering these questions until they are put on hold and the OPs fix them?
Some examples are:
Sailing from the Wash, UK to France during World War II.. My problem with this question wasn't really the fact that it didn't bother to locate "The Wash", which would have taken very little time, but it obviously shows no effort in research: a simple search for "Dunkirk boats" brings up The Little Ships of Dunkirk. Even if someone didn't know anything about sailing and boats, or WW2, just reading a Wikipedia article gives a clear answer to the question. The question author not only did not bother editing it but has not shown up since. In this case it brought up an interesting subject but in principle the question itself was rather bad, it felt like it was some sort of high school assignment for which the OP needed a quick answer.
How can I prevent this canvas swag from sagging in the middle? and What's the best or easiest way to attach a loop tag onto canvas?. Two questions by the same user that show the same behavior, in one he doesn't bother describing the tent but just links a website about it. Had he bothered explaining that the sagging sides of the tent are meant to be opened and that under those there is an equally sagging mosquito net the answers given would have been more appropriate and the whole thing would have been more useful for other users. In the second question, which was clearly following the previous one, the OP shows even less effort than before. In both cases the OP received and accepted answers, which pretty much means he won't bother editing them. I would even say that this user made a point to not make an effort which makes me not wanting to edit them myself.
Am I the only one that feels like we are doing somebody else's homework if not only we take our time to answer a question but even have to edit them to the point that they would be rewritten almost completely so that they will be useful for others?
I understand the need of being welcoming to new users but, since we are putting effort and research in the answers to maintain the quality of the whole site, I don't think its wrong to demand the same courtesy from users asking the questions.
Edit following some answers, just to clarify some points: Im not scared of researching something, Im not against finding a way to help someone to improve their question, Im not against answering basic questions and Im not even against stupid questions since what can seem stupid for an experienced person often is a legitimate doubt for a beginner. If I am hiking in a group I am always willing to carry someone's pack on top of mine if they cant do so, my attitude changes when they make no effort to try to lift their pack and just expect me to carry their load every single time.
