TIL my friend's simple rule for asking questions changed how I post here

I was talking to my buddy Jake in Seattle last weekend, and he said he always tries to ask one specific, answerable question in any online forum, instead of a broad 'what do you think?' He pointed out that vague questions get vague answers. It hit different because I realized I was doing that here sometimes, making it harder for people to help. What's the most specific, useful question you've ever asked in this community?

3 comments

3 Comments

rivera.shane18d ago

That bit about vague questions getting vague answers is so true. I used to post stuff like "what's the best way to learn coding?" and get a million different replies. After hearing a similar tip, I started asking "what's the first project I should build after learning basic Python syntax?" The answers were way better. People linked specific tutorials and gave clear steps. It makes a huge difference.

riverb1318d ago

Wait you used to ask the "best way to learn coding" thing? @rivera.shane that's wild because I see that exact question every single day. It's crazy how just adding a tiny bit of detail like you did changes everything. People actually know what to tell you.

jones.kim18d ago

Seriously, the worst is when you ask a vague question and get a list of ten different languages to learn. Like, thanks, now I'm more lost. I started saying "I want to make a simple website that shows local weather, where do I start?" and suddenly the advice was all about specific APIs and HTML/CSS setup. Night and day difference.