Asking Questions - a lightning-strike quide

Some people seem to be terribly confused about what it means to Report A Problem, or, more in general, Ask A Question. Assuming that the question is asked to someone with the intention that that someone will (help) solve your (!) problem, it is ESSENTIAL to address the following six points in your question:

• What are your intentions, i.e., what did you try to do it for?
• How did you try to do it?
• What did you expect to get?
• What did you get?
• What differed from your expectation (yes, it is really not at all obvious what the important differences would/could/should be!)
• How did this fail to help you with what you intended in the first place (yes! sometimes you don't get what you expect, but it did solve your original problem only you didn't realize this -- yet?).

Leave one out, and you'll decrease your chances of a helpful answer significantly. Leave two out, and you'll look lazy. Leave three out and you'll look stupid. Leave four out and likely as not you'll get one of two answers: 'Yes' or 'No'.

Finally, but most importantly: be nice! Demanding an answer is the surest way of not getting one...

Recommended reading:

If I didn't convince you, maybe someone else can (take some time for it, it's a good read!):

• How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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