Question Everything?

04 Sep 2023

“There is no such thing as a dumb question! If you have a question, just ask!” - many MANY teachers

In a classroom setting, where information is not as easily accessible and perhaps being seen for the first time, there are very limited opportunities for stupid questions. The question that has already been asked is a stupid question and the question that was already answered (perhaps not as a question but in the content) is also a stupid question. Outside of those factors its extremely difficult to ask a stupid question. Regardless, many students fear ridicule or negative feedback and as a result do not ask questions that could have been quite smart.

But what about online? If you’re home and you have a question? Well, in that scenario it is much more likely you have a stupid question. With the resources available to you and modern day technology, you probably have the capability to answer that question yourself. However, with a few guidelines, you can avoid an embarrassing online blunder and make sure you are contributing positively to your community. How does one ask a smart question? It’s not quite as simple as “all questions are smart questions”, because that’s quite untrue, so let’s dive in.

Search First, Ask Questions Later

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and have people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt” - Mark Twain

Oh no! You’ve run into a problem! What are you going to do? Solving it seems kind of like a lot of work…I’m sure someone online probably knows the answer right off the top of their head! Bigger oops, you’ve now just asked a stupid question.

So what should you have done? Running into problems in every aspect of life is going to happen. However, throwing in the towel before exhausting your possibilities for solving it yourself is not just bad character, but also a waste of time for everyone else. In the context of the open source software community, how do we know when we need to ask a question? Computer work is kinda hard…you’ve been staring at this screen and you just cannot figure it out.

Luckily, Eric Steven Raymond has given us some guidelines. Before you ask, it is your responsibility to exhaust all options for getting the answer yourself. This includes looking for the answer online, searching the forum it makes the most sense to post your question to, read the manual, read the FAQ, try some problem solving and mess around with it, ask someone you are friends with if they might know the answer (obviously, this one applies only when they have experience in the field), and read the source code! Basically, if you have a way to get the information without posting the question, do not post the question before you’ve exhausted all options.

Pop the Question

Alright, you’ve now done everything you can think of to possibly find the answer. You are certain your question is not a stupid one, because you’ve done everything you can to try and find the answer, and it’s still nowhere to be found. Now what? Time to pop the question!

But wait! Even after all the work you’ve just done, your question could still be stupid if you don’t ask it the right way. So how do you make sure that you’re not wasting your time or other peoples’ time? It’s important to remember, that you are not owed an answer. You’re doing this in your free time, and so is anyone who might answer your question. How do you encourage others to want to answer your question? Raymond says, there’s a few things we can do.

Make sure you post your question in the correct forum, i.e. don’t ask a question about mammals in a forum about snakes, people will think you are dumb. If you don’t know the difference between mammals and snakes, why would I waste my time explaining something about mammals to you, even if I know the answer? Similarly, if the forum is very technical, don’t post a question that’s not technical. Intuitive, right? Find the forum that fits the question, and created a targeted post within that forum, and maybe one or two others, but not too many! You want your question to receive the appropriate amount of eyes, basically, don’t put the question everywhere you can think of, and don’t send it directly to one person. I have never met you and you emailed me your question? It’s not my job to answer, and you’re acting like it is. Now you’re ignored, doofus.

Based on your question, there may be a few special cases that apply to you. For Stack Overflow questions, you should always search first and then ask. Do not ask a question that has been asked before. For Web/IRC forums, there’s often a channel for people who are new to get help. Still, search before asking. If you’re not getting anywhere, use mailing lists, not individual email addresses.

Your subject line is very important. Be descriptive, not using phrases such as “need help” or “assistance needed” or etc. Obviously you need help, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. The best practice in subject lines is to use the “object-deviation” format. What are you needing help with, and then what is going on? It both introduces the topic to the reader, allowing them to quickly ascertain whether or not they can even help, and begins explaining the problem.

What do You Mean?

So let’s go ahead an analyze some examples, just to see all the above in action.

In this example, someone was having an issue with a JavaScript function in react. Overall, the post was well made and the community response was positive.

Positives of this post include the subject line. The subject, while it is not in the object-deviation format, does accurately summarize the issue the poster was having. Additionally, all of the code included in the post was correctly formatted (no images, could easily be copy-pasted). The post is very descriptive and allows the reader to understand what is going on thoroughly. This question could not be found anywhere else on the site, and as a result there were over 2000 views and 3 detailed responses.
In this example, the poster was having an issue with a specific error message from meteor. Overall, the post was well made and the community response was positive.

The post had a descriptive subject line, allowing people to understand the issue quickly. All related code was included, as well as the error message itself. The question was clear and concise, allowing for answers to be produced by community efficiently. Many people were able to relate to the question, so it was a well thought out and relevant question. Additionally, the question was not one that would have an answer readily available without community involvement.
In this example, someone was having an issue with table names in JComboBox in swing Java. Overall, the post was not well made and the community response was nonexistent.

The subject line of this post accurately describes the issue the poster was having. However in the description, lines such as “Please point out the mistake that I’m doing” and “Sorry if this question is already posted”. There were no responses at all to this question. The code is properly formatted and included in the post, however not enough context as to what is going on is provided.
In this example, someone was having an issue with iOS notifications. Overall, the post was not well made and the community response was nonexistent.

The subject line of this post is nondescript and makes a statement that is not conducive to an answer. The entire post in general is not very specific and ends without ever actually asking a question. Naturally, there were over 8000 views of this post without a single answer.

All Around

Overall, the guidelines for posting questions in the community are pretty intuitive. Do not post the question if you can find the answer for yourself. If you do post the question, make sure you have the right audience and facilitate involvement from the community. Create subject lines that are descriptive and easily summarize the content of your question. Communicate clearly, including only the relevant/necessary information, and do not make unbased assumptions.

Odds are, you’ll make a mistake or two along the way, but keep your chin up and use it as a learning experience! Anytime you’re new to something, you can’t expect to be perfect the first few times around. Concise and clear corrections are gifts, not offenses. If someone is taking the time to let you know, even when you screwed something up, they don’t need to waste their time communicating that to you, they’re doing it as a kindness so you can become a better developed member of the community!

“Two things are infinite: The Universe and Human Stupidity; and I’m not sure about the Universe” - Albert Einstein