ask.blankdvth.com Open in urlscan Pro
2a06:98c1:3120::3  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

How to Ask Efficient Questions

A collection of resources compiled by blank_dvth

Effective

Efficient

Clear

Concise

Succinct

Specific

Good


BEFORE YOU ASK

Here is a list of things you should do yourself prior to asking someone for
help. There's a chance your problem can be solved by yourself! If you don't, you
run the risk of annoying the other person and getting sent right back here.

 * Try It Yourself: If your question is "Can I X", try it yourself (if
   possible). If you're having an issue, try and debug/find fixes for it
   yourself (where applicable), maybe you'll figure it out with some effort.
   Take a look at this flowchart, it sounds obvious but works quite often.
   
   
 * RTFM: Look at any applicable documentation
   There's a chance what you're looking for is already in the
   documentation/manual of what you're using.
   
   
 * Read the F.A.Q.: Check any "Frequently Asked Questions" that may already be
   listed.
   Many sites/services/products have a F.A.Q. section somewhere in their wiki.
   Check it, your question may be one of them.
   
   
 * Google It: Search for your question using a search engine (such as Google or
   DuckDuckGo)
   Search engines are extremely powerful tools. There are a lot of people in the
   world, and the chances of one of them having already had your issue is
   extremely high. Which means it's equally likely someone has already asked
   your question and gotten an answer. Many questions can be answered by simply
   searching for it online.
   If you ask one of these simple questions before searching for it, you might
   just get sent a LMGTFY link by the annoyed recipient.
   
   

If you weren't able to find a satisfactory answer after having gone through
these steps, now is the time to ask someone. Make sure to follow the good
practices listed below while asking! It'll make your own experience, and that of
the person you're asking much better.


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:

 1.  Explain what you're curious about/looking for/doesn't work/etc
 2.  Describe what's happening, what you want to happen, and what you've already
     tried doing
 3.  Provide as much context as possible right off the bat -- it saves all the
     back and forth asking for information
 4.  Be explicit and precise with your question (don't just say X doesn't work)
 5.  Include your [full] source code, stacktrace, and error message[s] (if
     applicable)
 6.  Do not upload files that would need to be downloaded -- use a paste service
     if needed
 7.  If supported on the platform, use Code Blocks with Syntax Highlighting (for
     example, on Discord with Markdown)
 8.  Use proper spelling and grammar to ensure clarity
 9.  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
 10. Follow the Best Practices listed below

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

Don't Ask to Ask

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.

No Hello

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.

The XY Problem

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.


RECOMMENDED GUIDES

Here's a list of guides (in no particular order) that cover asking questions
overall, various aspects of effective question-asking, and/or specific types of
questions (e.g. programming). I recommend you give them a read! (this site is
designed to be an overall summary/collection of links to other sites, not an
actual guide)

Getting Answers

Mike Ash

Platform: General Majority: Programming Length: Long

Getting Help on IRC

Workaround

Platform: IRC (Partly) Length: Short

How do I ask a good question?

Stack Overflow

Platform: Forums (Stack Overflow) Majority: Programming Length: Medium

Asking Good Questions

Python Discord

Platform: Discord Majority: Programming (Python) Length: Medium

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

Eric Steven Raymond

Platform: General Minority: Programming Length: Very Long

This website contains assets (text, images, etc) sourced from various other
linked websites. Copyrights belong to their respective owners.