Following up on the discussion here, I’d like to propose some changes to our help center guidelines to remove subjective language (particularly the “professional” part) and simplify things a bit, while still maintaining a high standard of quality and a clear line of what kind of questions belong here.

Quoting, briefly, for context:

Removing the requirement to be a professional means telling these users “your question isn’t appropriate as it stands, improve it by...” instead of telling them “you don’t belong here because you aren’t what I consider to be a professional sysadmin.”

So, here’s what I was able to come up with, with some details on my thought process to follow:

Server Fault is for questions about managing information technology systems in a business environment.

If your question is about:

• managing the hardware or software of servers, workstations, storage or networks
• tools used for administering, monitoring, or automating these
• deployment to and management of third-party provided information technology platforms

and is not about:

• consumer workstations or networking (which belong on our sister site, Super User)
• working with a service provider's management interface, such as cPanel
• product, service, or learning material recommendations
• product licensing inquiries or legal advice
• career, salary, personnel, employment, or formal education
• unauthorized use or misuse of IT systems

then you’re in the right place to ask your question!

(then leaving the rest of what’s there alone)

Reasoning behind the specifics..

Server Fault is for questions about managing information technology systems in a business environment.

Edited based on TheCleaner's comment below, I think this is pretty good now!

• managing the hardware or software of servers, workstations, storage, and networks, or
• tools used for administering, monitoring, or automating these, or

Basically the old “If your question is about” criteria, but condensed.

• working with services hosting or enabling your information technology

I want this one to have inclusion of blank-as-a-service types questions, but it could probably stand to be rephrased, because we still don’t want the user end of the cpanel equation.

• consumer workstations and networking (which belongs on our sister site, Super User), or

This is rephrased a bit, but basically the same as before, and with a more immediate “if this is you, go to SU” instead of that being further down.

• unauthorized use or misuse of IT systems

Condensed the last two points: licensing moved, legal advice doesn’t really need to be here, and the rest can be summarised with just this.

Edit based on chat discussion:

For replacing the "professional" close reason and covering a gap that we'd end up with after removing it:

"Questions must demonstrate reasonable information technology management practices. Questions that relate to unsupported hardware or software platforms or unmaintained environments may not be suitable for Server Fault"

This doesn't perfectly capture what we need here, because questions about fixing a busted environment are on-topic, but we don't need perfect verbal coverage of every condition (which will make things way to wordy).

Thoughts?