In an [answer to another question](https://meta.mathoverflow.net/questions/3240/should-mathoverflow-require-registration-to-ask-a-question/3245#3245) discussing possibilities how to decrease the number of off-topic questions<sup>1</sup> it was mentioned that: *Perhaps we should force a person to read the rules before posting the first question? By clicking some button "read and understood the rules".*

Something similar was implemented on some other sites, I am aware of [Stack Overflow](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/176849/new-users-required-to-take-a-tutorial-on-how-the-site-works#176852) and [Mathematics](https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/21512/show-how-to-ask-advice-before-a-new-user-asks-a-question#21721). In both cases, the user who posts a question for the first time is shown [How to ask page](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/ask/advice) and only can proceed only after confirming that they have read the advice.

Do you think something like this would be useful for MathOverflow and could possibly help to get smaller number of posts which actually do not belong there?

If https://mathoverflow.net/questions/ask/advice is going to be shown to new users before the first question, are there some improvements to this page which might make it more effective? (Perhaps stating clearly at the beginning that this site is for research-level questions? This information is displayed on [another page in the help center](https://mathoverflow.net/help/on-topic), but probably it might be worth including here, too.)

Are there some other possibilities what can be chosen to be displayed as the "welcome page" to the user asking the first question? (I am not really sure whether it is possible to use something different that "How to ask" page, but if some options are suggested and if this is seriously considered, I suppose the moderators can find out from SE staff whether it is possible.)

<sup>1</sup>Such questions are usually relatively quickly closed and downvoted - which means that eventually [roomba](https://mathoverflow.net/help/roomba) takes care of them. But still, having less such questions would mean less work for users who cast close votes or do close votes reviews. In the past some users complained about off-topic posts on the frontpage, for example: [Can the clutter of obviously off-topic questions be removed faster?](https://meta.mathoverflow.net/q/1185)