My vague question led to a totally useless answer

Now I see why being specific matters when you ask for help.

4 comments

4 Comments

Isn't the burden sometimes on the person answering to ask for clarity? A vague question can still be a starting point for a helpful conversation if the responder engages a bit. It feels like a two-way street to me.

torres.nathan1mo ago

Man, watching this back and forth is like seeing two people argue over who should open a door for the other. Just walk through already! If a question is vague, maybe throw them a bone and ask for more info, but don't expect mind readers on the other end. It's the internet version of 'you first' 'no, you first' while the door stays shut. We could fix this in seconds if we all tried a little harder, but where's the fun in that? lmao

thomasb411mo ago

Yeah exactly, the door just stays shut while they keep talking. I've seen jason_knight's point too but sometimes you gotta just... ask what they mean.

jason_knight1mo ago

Wait, you think the burden is on the person answering? That's wild... the person asking knows what they actually need help with. If they can't be bothered to explain it clearly, why should someone else use their time to dig it out of them? It just feels lazy to expect the helper to do all the work.