How to answer a question on the internet

Mostly common sense, but easily forgotten (taken from here):


Almost every day someone teaches me something new and hopefully I can help others by sharing that knowledge. This is really rewarding but I have noticed some pitfalls I and others have made in this process so thought I’d try to write down some dos and don'ts. Whether you’re a cubical monkey, a construction worker, a forum moderator, or just someone that likes helping people I think these guidelines can be helpful in keeping you helpful when being helpful.

Don’t tell the person to use search
Not only did they probably already use search and just didn’t know what to search for but every person that searches and finds this response will think you quite silly for not understanding how searches actually work. You are basically telling the world that you have never heard of Google.

Don’t insult the questioner and don’t assume they are stupid
As satisfying to you as it may be to insult the new guy for not knowing something you once didn’t know this isn’t very helpful and shows you in a bad light.

Don’t second guess their question without first answering it
While it’s helpful to pop the “why” stack to get to the root of an issue don’t assume the person hasn’t already done this.

Going back to the search issue, even if the person asking the question could be better served by approaching the problem differently this question will be found by people in the future that really do need to do the thing you are avoiding answering.

Most importantly if you don’t answer them they will probably just ignore you since they will view you as unhelpful; but if you answer the question and then try to see if they could be better served with a different solution you’ve not only helped that person but the multitude of people that will come across the question and your helpful answer.

Don’t answer a question you don’t know the answer to
You might think this doesn’t need to be said but you need only look at all the Yahoo “Answers” that begin with, “I don’t know the answer but…” If your “answer” starts with you saying you don’t know the answer then cut down on the noise and don’t reply. Which brings up the next point…

Don’t answer if you’re not going to answer
If you’re not going to provide an answer help cut down on the noise and keep your comments to yourself. Unless your reply directly addresses the issue and helps move along the discussion to finding an answer it’s best to not add to the noise.

Don’t assume someone is a “newb” just because they are new to your neck of the woods
The “new” person that just joined your board may be new to you but they might also have a PhD in computer science and you just might be able to learn a thing or two from them. If you treat everyone you meet with respect you can only benefit.

Don’t say, “I’ve said it a million times”
The person asking the question doesn’t know you so how could they possibly know what you’ve said a million times? Since they probably already used search and didn’t find your million answers it’s probably how you’re answering the question that’s to blame.

Also this might be a sign you’re getting frustrated and need to take a break…

Do take a break from answering questions if you’re getting frustrated or grumpy
If you find yourself getting frustrated when helping others it’s time to take a break. There’s no point in getting upset. Helping others is a positive thing but we all feel grumpy sometimes so if you find yourself being short with others take a break.

Do fully quote the answer and give a link
Even if the answer is found on the same site you should always fully quote it and then give a link. I can not tell you how many times I’ve found “answers” that were just dead links.

Do use full, working examples
There’s nothing more frustrating than finding an “answer” that is incomplete or doesn’t work in isolation. If your answer involves a complicated system that requires a lot of dependencies make sure that those dependencies are understood but try to isolate the answer to as fine a grain as possible. Do not assume the person knows something you did not state in your example, they probably don’t.

Do remember the person asking the question is a human being with feelings
I like to think of the person I’m helping as my grandmother and I treat them with the same respect I would afford her. I would never snap at my grandmother nor would I insult her.

Do understand that sometimes you will be wrong
As diligent as you are sometimes you will be wrong. Which is actually pretty cool because when you find out you’re wrong you just learned something new; make sure you’re open to that lesson.

Do know when to cut your losses
Some people just can’t be helped but more often they can’t be helped by you. That’s OK. For whatever reason if you find you are not effectively communicating with someone and you’re at the end of your rope it’s OK to just politely say you don’t think you can help them anymore and move on.

Do be happy that you helped someone
Helping someone is a gift you received and are able to share without losing. How awesome is that?

Good read, it should be stickied to the noobs corner subforum.

Great guidelines.

The high IQ, low EQ subforum might be a better place, though

Good read.

Unfortunately kindness is something often lacking on the forums. I've been charting responses to posts made with varying degrees of kindness/hostility for some time now as part of a project for how people relate to others on the web.

One of the curious parts of these numbers is that so far kindness often attracts an excess of negative responses, as those with a particular point of view seem to feel it necessary to correct the kindness with their personal perspective. While negativity also encourages negative response, kindness, if viewed by reactions charted, actually seems less likely to generate any sort of response at all than negativity, and more likely to provoke a strong negative response than outright negativity itself...

Exclusively when compared, negativity actually generates more positive responses (via this forums rep system) than positive feedback does by a factor of four to one.

The internet seems to be a very hostile place.

Magyar_Republic said:

The internet seems to be a very hostile place.

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That's because they hide behind the mask of their Forum/Internet Egos.
Other than that, people like venting on people they don't know physically.

As for the actual topic, a very nice guideline that many more people should at least take note of.

hmmm, 'fraid i expected a punchline at the end, i sort of read it as "dont" unless you are an expert in the field and have a library to hand.

Ze-Tomb Raider said:

That's because they hide behind the mask of their Forum/Internet Egos.

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Yes, I think so, partly. But also I think in some cases it is that the other side of the conversation is also covered by a similar mask. It's easy to forget there is another person with feelings behind the post that you are replying to. I liked the line he wrote about imagining you're responding to your grandmother when writing a post.

[edit: Well, I guess you say a similar thing. What, you expect me to read your posts before replying to them?! ]

Jimmy B said:

Yes, I think so, partly. But also I think in some cases it is that the other side of the conversation is also covered by a similar mask. It's easy to forget there is another person with feelings behind the post that you are replying to. I liked the line he wrote about imagining you're responding to your grandmother when writing a post.

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Scary thought, since both my grandmothers are dead. If one of them starts asking questions I would probably piss myself, then yell like crazy and run .