Here is a suggestion. When users vote to close a question citing "it is too broad", the question should be put on hold only after number of "close" votes exceeds the number of votes on the question and its answers.
For the purpose of this, answers should be given appropriate weightage, especially up voted ones. For example, each up vote on an answer can be given 5 points to respect the time and effort spent for writing answer that is worthy of an up vote.
I actually tend to disagree.
There are more reasons why some questions are flagged as it is too broad:
It is very generic (e.g. 'How to reverse?') and it would require a long time (and quiet a bit of work) to (properly) answer it.
The enquire is unsure about what we wants to know due to a lack of prior knowledge. Deducing the correct question can be an exhaustive quest.
There are resources on related sub-issues.
The question may be completely opinion based (e.g. 'What is your favorite color'?)
One broad question may be the duplicate of several old, more specific topics. This leads me to belive that the 'too broad' flag serves as a kind of warranty to the user. It makes sure that:
The enquire is interested in the topic and has done some research on its own (e.g. looking for old questions). He / She may even know the problem.
I see how some questions deemed to be too broad may yield terrific answers, but motivating this kind of questions would degrade the discussion culture.
I agree. In my experience, one moderator will say it's too broad, another will say it's too narrow, and we get nowhere.
