Just Asking Questions
A collection of my favorite commentary on asking technical questions:
No Hello
Please don't say just hello in chat
...
So despite best intentions, you're actually just making the other person wait for you to phrase your question, which is lost productivity (and kinda annoying).
Don't ask to ask, just ask
The solution is not to ask to ask, but just to ask. Someone who is idling on the channel and only every now and then glances what's going on is unlikely to answer to your "asking to ask" question, but your actual problem description may pique their interest and get them to answer.
The XY Problem
The XY problem is asking about your attempted solution rather than your actual problem. This leads to enormous amounts of wasted time and energy, both on the part of people asking for help, and on the part of those providing help.
How do I ask a good question?
https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask
- Search, and research
- Write a title that summarizes the specific problem
- Introduce the problem before you post any code
- Help others reproduce the problem
- Include all relevant tags
- Proofread before posting!
- Respond to feedback after posting
- Look for help asking for help
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
So, while it isn't necessary to already be technically competent to get attention from us, it is necessary to demonstrate the kind of attitude that leads to competence — alert, thoughtful, observant, willing to be an active partner in developing a solution. If you can't live with this sort of discrimination, we suggest you pay somebody for a commercial support contract instead of asking hackers to personally donate help to you.
If you decide to come to us for help, you don't want to be one of the losers. You don't want to seem like one, either. The best way to get a rapid and responsive answer is to ask it like a person with smarts, confidence, and clues who just happens to need help on one particular problem.