Choose an appropriate forum or group. Don’t ask for beekeeping advice in a Mack truck forum. Each forum has some raison d’etre, so choose one that discusses topics similar to your query. Most forums will have an FAQ or an “About” link to help to identify its focus.<\/p>\n

Use a meaningful subject line<\/h4>\n

Ask good questions, beginning with a descriptive title or subject line.<\/p>\n

“Help needed!” or “Urgent help required”, each of which I have seen too many times, are useless. “Windows XP QuickLaunch toolbar disappeared” is a good subject line. It provides sufficient information to identify the problem, making it more likely that the right person will read and respond.<\/p>\n

Be clear<\/h4>\n

Describe, succinctly, what has occurred. Explain what you were doing leading up to the issue at hand. List the steps that you have tried and their results.<\/p>\n

Details<\/h4>\n

Include pertinent details, for example the operating system, software version, hardware details if relevant, etc. It can be useful to state such things at the top of your message. This may be brief or lengthy, depending upon how much information you think respondents would need to know. Here’s what I placed at the top of a recent post I made regarding an Internet Explorer issue:<\/p>\n

Windows XP Home Edition, version 2002, Service Pack 3
\nInternet Explorer 8
\nNo third-party toolbars or plugins<\/p>\n

When posting for assistance in the group for SquirrelMail, a webmail application I use on my WebHostingBuzz VPS hosting account, more detail is required so I place a block at the top of each post to clearly identify the environment. Here’s just part of that block from an old post:<\/p>\n

SquirrelMail 1.4.15
\nPHP 5.2.9, SuPHP module, Zend Optimizer
\nDovecot 1.1.11 (in a cPanel release)
\nMaildir mail storage format
\nMail is stored in \/home\/webaccountname\/mail\/mailusername\/
\nApache 2.0.63, cPanel virtual web hosting account
\nESMTP Exim 4.69
\nIMAP Server Address: 127.0.0.1
\nSMTP Server Address: 127.0.0.1
\nServer side sorting is enabled
\nServer side thread sorting is disabled
\n… etc.<\/p>\n

Describe symptoms, not your theories<\/h4>\n

Identify your goal, what you are ultimately trying to accomplish, rather than the step that you assume you need. For example: “How to I set a cronjob to pipe my mail to SMTP?” will have folks scratching their heads about why you would ever need to do such a thing. “I want to have incoming mail saved in my inbox and also forwarded to another address” tells people what you’re trying to accomplish, so they can recommend the best solution.<\/p>\n

Writing matters<\/h4>\n

I’ve seen too many posts that are more than half a page long consisting of only a few hugely long sentences in a single impenetrable paragraph. Make it easy for someone to read your post, and you’re more likely to receive a reply. Bulleted lists or short-form points can help make lists of facts quickly readable.<\/p>\n

Incomplete or incoherent posts may just be ignored.<\/p>\n

Be polite<\/h4>\n

Remember that most forum members are unpaid volunteers. They are not required to help you, so rudeness or impatience will get you nowhere.<\/p>\n

I’ve been on both sides. I provide help in forums, and I have benefitted from help offered by others. I continue to be amazed at how, after struggling with some arcane computer problem, I receive help from a stranger who provides the solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether trying to fix a computer problem or make sure a souffle rises, many people now turn to on-line forums and news groups. There are ways to increase the odds of finding the help you seek and having a good experience. There are no stupid questions? The old adage, “There are no stupid questions”, may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,134,74],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n