- Explain what you're curious about/looking for/doesn't work/etc
- Describe what's happening, what you want to happen, and what you've already tried doing
- Provide as much context as possible right off the bat -- it saves all the back and forth asking for information
- Be explicit and precise with your question (don't just say
X doesn't work) - Include your [full] source code, stacktrace, and error message[s] (if applicable)
- Do not upload files that would need to be downloaded -- use a paste service if needed
- If supported on the platform, use Code Blocks with Syntax Highlighting (for example, on Discord with Markdown)
- Use proper spelling and grammar to ensure clarity
- If you're in a public place, and you've found the answer yourself, leave a message with the solution for others in the future
- Follow the Best Practices listed below
Asking Your Question
This site is primarily oriented towards programming questions, but a lot of it can apply for questions in any field, just ignore the programming specific segments.
Make sure that you always do/include the following in the first message whenever you ask any question:
Keep in mind:
- We are humans, helping you on our own time because we want to -- this isn't said to be mean, just a reminder for those who want to act like entitled pushy snobs.
- Be kind, politeness and good manners go a long way in ensuring a pleasant experience for everyone.
- Don't feel bad about asking a question, as long as you've made a good faith effort to solve it yourself, then go right ahead, even if it sounds "stupid" or "dumb" to you (dumb questions are sometimes some of the best, since everyone has them).
- You may get a brief and clear-cut reply with no pleasantries. Generally speaking, it's not meant in a rude way, they're just trying to get the information across as fast, clearly, and simply as possible.
- You should be patient and give people a chance to answer, don't expect an instant reply (see first point).
- An unspoken rule in many communities is for help/conversations to be conducted publicly so people who have the same issue in the future can easily find it. This means people may decline to help you through DMs.
- There may be trolls, it's sad, but it happens. Verify everything yourself and don't run commands you don't understand blindly.
Best Practices
Just ask your question.
Don't ask if you can ask a question, don't ask if anyone has experience with something,
your question may be able to be answered by anyone with general knowledge of the topic.
Just ask your question, you are much more likely to get a response.
Get straight to the point, ask your question in your first message.
Don't start off with "Hello" or "Hi" and wait for a response before asking your
question. Instead, ask your question in your initial message. Feel free to include
pleasantries in that message if you wish, but include your question as well -- don't
wait for a response before following up with the question. This ensures that your
question will get answered as soon as possible and on everyone's own schedule, without
adding additional back and forth.
Ask about your exact problem, not a possible solution.
Don't ask about a possible solution to your problem, ask about your problem itself. The
possible "solution" you're thinking of may not be the best one, or may not even work at
all. It's also generally confusing when you ask about a solution you thought of as they
might not know
why
something is being done the way it is.
For example, if someone wants to get the extension of a file, but asked "How do I get the last three characters in a filename?", the answer would not work (file extensions are not always three characters long), and you'll probably confuse the person trying to help you.
For example, if someone wants to get the extension of a file, but asked "How do I get the last three characters in a filename?", the answer would not work (file extensions are not always three characters long), and you'll probably confuse the person trying to help you.