You Have a Question? Is it a Smart Question?
26 Jan 2017
Why should you ask smart questions?
Knowing how to ask smart questions is something everyone should learn to do. It helps you and everyone find a solution if there is one. When one person has a questions it is also likely for others to have the same question. By asking a smart question, it will make the ones who know the answer more willing to help. It is essential for software engineers especially, to know how to ask smart questions because vague not-smart questions may get his with RTFM (Read the Fudgin Manual) or STFW (Search the Fudgin Web). Getting clear and concise answers is what software engineers need since spaghetti code doesn’t do anyone any good.
Example of a smart question
This is a smart question. The user clearly states the problem in the subject header. In their description, they gave a 1 line summary of what they need help with. The user was not lazy to ask the question once they got the problem since they had proof of their attempts. They do not ask for the flat out solution as they ask what they can do differently. By asking what they need to do differently, they learn while doing. The replies the user received were very clear and detailed. One user even went as far as including visuals on what is happening during the process. This question asked by the user is a very smart question that can be of help to many people, which is why so many people put time and effort to answer this question.
Example of a not so smart question
This is a not so smart question. The user who asks the questions clearly has not done research beforehand as their subject header has been marked as a duplicated by themselves. They give an example piece of code and two outputs they want the program to output. Then they ask if it is possible. The user could have gotten a plain yes or no to the question they asked since they asked if it is possible. Two of the replies were to RTFM. They also got a reply of “yes, it is possible, …” by another user.
Trailing Insights
After reading How To Ask Questions The Smart Way by Eric Steven Raymond and analysing some questions on StackOverflow, I learned a lot about asking smart questions. Although much of it is common sense, there are parts where he gives examples of how one should ask questions. Raymond’s article is a very good read and I believe everyone should read this and understand it. The web is open to everyone so there will always be questions no matter how trivial. Following the steps of Raymond’s article by first doing research on the question then proceeding to ask at the right place with a good question will be of help to everyone. It will remove unnecessary spam about the same things and help people get their solution quicker.