Please ask again
Posted onThis page is a list of good practices when asking for help on the internet. If I linked you to this page, it’s an invitation to ask again.
Do your research first
Don’t be a help vampire! Before you ask for a stranger’s help, try to solve your problem yourself. Read a few articles, watch some YouTube tutorials, read the manual, Google your question or ask ChatGPT.
If you ask a community for help, read their FAQ or their wiki. Search for previous threads that might answer your question. If you contact the owner of a website, check their website first.
If you show no attempt at solving your own problem, people might ignore you, or rudely ask you to do your own research.
Ask the right people
It’s okay to ask strangers for help, but if you need a lot of hand-holding, or if you need the other person to do all the work, you should hire a professional.
If you have a problem with a business, ask their customer service first. These people are paid to help you.
Get to the point
Pack as much information as you can in your first message. Don’t say hello and wait, and don’t ask to ask. If you make strangers work to figure out what you want, they might ignore you.
Ask clear questions
Describe your goal, not just the step where you got stuck. Sometimes, you took a wrong turn a long time ago. If we get you unstuck, you will just keep heading in the wrong direction. In other words, you might get the right answer to the wrong question. Tell us what you’re trying to do, in case we know a better way.
Give all the important information upfront, so that we can help you right away. If you need technical help, share the error messages, the error logs, the make and model of your device. If you ask for personal help, share all relevant information about your situation. Don’t make people fish for that information.
Tell us what you have tried so far. Have you searched for existing solutions? Have you tried any of the solutions? What happened? It helps us understand the problem better, and offer more specific solutions. It also shows that you made an effort to solve your problem, and that makes us more likely to help you.
Remember the human
Be kind and courteous. Say hello, please and thank you. Don’t just blurt your question like you’re talking to a chatbot.
Pay your dues
After you solved your problem, remember to share your solution. Thousands of people might find your question through Google, and they will be happy to find a solution.
Remember to follow up and express your gratitude to those who helped you for free. It sucks to spend a part of your day helping a stranger, and not even get a “thank you” in return.