How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

For new forum members and those who keep asking the same thing without searching, please refer to this before making a post or creating a new thread. It will help.

P.S. If you're only here for apps like Wazapp, then be patient and don't ask unnecessary questions; It's clearly marked "beta".

Before You Ask:

Before asking a technical question by e-mail, or in a newsgroup, or on a website chat board, do the following:

- Try to find an answer by searching the archives of the forum you plan to post to.

- Try to find an answer by searching the Web.

- Try to find an answer by reading the manual.

- Try to find an answer by reading a FAQ.

- Try to find an answer by inspection or experimentation.

- Try to find an answer by asking a skilled friend.

- If you're a programmer, try to find an answer by reading the source code.

When you ask your question, display the fact that you have done these things first; this will help establish that you're not being a lazy sponge and wasting people's time. Better yet, display what you have learned from doing these things. We like answering questions for people who have demonstrated they can learn from the answers.

Use tactics like doing a Google search on the text of whatever error message you get (searching Google groups as well as Web pages). This might well take you straight to fix documentation or a mailing list thread answering your question. Even if it doesn't, saying “I googled on the following phrase but didn't get anything that looked promising” is a good thing to do in e-mail or news postings requesting help, if only because it records what searches won't help. It will also help to direct other people with similar problems to your thread by linking the search terms to what will hopefully be your problem and resolution thread.

Take your time. Do not expect to be able to solve a complicated problem with a few seconds of Googling. Read and understand the FAQs, sit back, relax and give the problem some thought before approaching experts. Trust us, they will be able to tell from your questions how much reading and thinking you did, and will be more willing to help if you come prepared. Don't instantly fire your whole arsenal of questions just because your first search turned up no answers (or too many).

Prepare your question. Think it through. Hasty-sounding questions get hasty answers, or none at all. The more you do to demonstrate that having put thought and effort into solving your problem before seeking help, the more likely you are to actually get help.

Beware of asking the wrong question. If you ask one that is based on faulty assumptions, J. Random Hacker is quite likely to reply with a uselessly literal answer while thinking “Stupid question...”, and hoping the experience of getting what you asked for rather than what you needed will teach you a lesson.

Never assume you are entitled to an answer. You are not; you aren't, after all, paying for the service. You will earn an answer, if you earn it, by asking a substantial, interesting, and thought-provoking question — one that implicitly contributes to the experience of the community rather than merely passively demanding knowledge from others.

On the other hand, making it clear that you are able and willing to help in the process of developing the solution is a very good start. “Would someone provide a pointer?”, “What is my example missing?”, and “What site should I have checked?” are more likely to get answered than “Please post the exact procedure I should use.” because you're making it clear that you're truly willing to complete the process if someone can just point you in the right direction.

Source: http://catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html#before

Edit: On THIS forum, in any given thread, there are FIVE options for searching right in front of you. These can be seen in the screenshot below. Please use these options before actually asking questions or posting.

http://flickcabin.com/files/2027_x6zma/maemo.JPG

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

Great idea pal :)

How long will it be before someone asks a question about your opening post?

E: Answer - not long, I just did it DOH :rolleyes:

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

I vote that this should be made into a Sticky thread...Please report your post to mods for them to do so :D

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

^ well, if you put it that way.. how many "new" users are gonna read this anyway? :D

But hopefully it should help everyone. Maybe I should tag it with every app name.. then this show up in the search result as well xD

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

have fun... :D

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

Added an "informative" screenshot :P

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

sorry for the OT but couldn't resist it :D

Mr. Scouser at 10men you still keeping trust? :p


Edit: This could be made into some kind of licence that all devs post on their first post of announce threads...Just like they link the GPL they should link this with the title; Need Help?

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

Extra 'stay-here-forever-scratching-one's-head' option added...

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

Let me give a bit of a counter-point. On the Pierogi thread, I want people to go ahead and ask their questions at the moment they have them. Even if the question has been asked before! As you say yourself,

I like to consider myself a "skilled friend". :) And, I mean, what's the point of having a forum in the first place? Creating barriers that keep newbies from ever dipping their toes in and asking that first question is not a way to keep this community alive...

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

... so far.... :eek:

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

sure, by all means. This was mostly directed towards huge threads which have REPEATED posts of "i installed bt its nt working on my fone........ plzz... help.. here's my no/email/teddy bear"

^ and you see the number of posts by these people is just that.. 1. There are moderators on the forum for a purpose.. If you allow anyone to say anything, it'll be bad, to say the least.

other forums have proper discussions and stuff.. not because people talk whatever they want, but because they aren't discussing an unsupported platform which the "open source" community is trying to keep alive.

a warez forum is different than this one; when there is actual development and discussion going on, the last thing hard working devs need is people whining about how their work isn't what they wanted.

if newbies have any questions about how the app is made or how to contribute or just anything that is not complaining, then go ahead. That's what forums are for.

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

Certainly, there are always going to be people who gum up the works with junk posts. But my suspicion is that these people aren't likely to read or follow a list of rules to begin with. :) But if someone is frustrated with my app, I want them to go ahead and post that first "I'm frustrated with your app!!!" message, even if it contains no other information. With luck, I'll eventually be able to get enough information from the user to help improve my program...

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

Yup! :)

I guess since we're all humans (most of us anyway.. I have a suspicion that dumpystig is a bot :P).. We need reminders about how to behave with others. The post in general can be useful in other real life situations as well.

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

glad to c someone mature enough to just explain and help this place

Honestly Ithank you all and I have been self sufficient in doing things successfully and making things I want work! Do not get y some people cannot follow instructions....!

Re: How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
 

I agree...just post whatever related honestly y'all Imean this is a"dead" end so if Adonis no one is here actively why be hard on new folks is like a empty business *****ing of no customers... But hey management don't run of the new walk-ins then


Much love

Ns