'hostile and insular reputation and a tendency to give a poor first impression' - this. as a beginner coming from a programming background, I have asked some bad questions that deserved their fate - but the atmosphere here has dissuaded me from asking more that could have been better, or contributing otherwise. I think there is a wealth of expertise here and it's a shame to see it used mostly to delete stuff that isn't considered 'professional'. I'm glad this is changing and that from the other answers, alot of others think it should change too.