When you’re asking for help, make sure you explain what you’re trying to accomplish

BuckWoody — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:24:09 GMT

At some time, all of us need technical help with something. Whenever you do, make sure you try and frame the question not necessarily in terms of what you want to know, but what you're trying to do. Spending time on thinking through your questions will help you get better answers, and people will appreciate that you're putting some effort into the process, and they are more willing to get help.

For instance - let's say yo're stuck on a particular SQL Server Replication issue. You're not sure whether moving the Distributor function away from the Publisher server is the right thing to do, given your budget. You could ask:

"Where should the Distrbutor go in a Replication scheme?"

That's too vague, and doesn't help others help you. Instead, this might be a better way to put the question:

"I'm setting up the design for my Replication scheme, and I have a limited budget. What are the best ways to save money in my design?"

This question goes more towards what you really want to know, and in fact, you may find out that the Distributor question isn't what you need to care about at all. Sure, sometimes you just want the phone number to a store, and you really don't need to tell everyone you're hungry, but if the question goes beyond simple facts, it's a good idea to include as much information as possible so folks can help you best.

Make it Easy for People to Help You

BuckWoody — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:17:59 GMT

OK, there are probably a dozen or more of these kinds of posts, but I’ll dive in anyway. From time to time, people send me e-mails or comments on this blog asking for help. Sometimes it’s on the topic at hand, and other times the topic just jogs their memory about something else.

Often I’m happy to help. If I know the answer without doing any research (or even if I have to do a little) I’ll interrupt what I’m doing and dash out a note with the answer. But of course I have a job (three, to be exact) and so any time I help with a question I’m lengthening my day, spending less time with my family, and so on. If you think about it, everyone that you ask (and everyone I ask) is in the same boat – when someone helps me, I am taking their most valuable asset: their time. So I learned a very important lesson very early on: Make it easy for people to help you.

So here’s the steps to follow to do that – it really isn’t that hard:

Request, don’t demand. I got an e-mail yesterday (on Sunday) where someone found a blog entry about one topic, and basically said this about another topic: “Tell me where I can find ‘x’ so that I can alter it.” Guess what I did? That’s right, I hit the delete key. If you are asking a question from a professional, you need to understand that they normally get paid – very well, sometimes – for their time. Make sure your question is a question, not a demand.
Be clear about the problem. Vague statements don’t help – and very few people have the time to dig the real question out of you. Be specific. Ask the single question you really need help with.
Keep the problem limited. “Rewrite my code for me” isn’t going to happen. “help me with this line” might. “Where do I go to find out more about the SELECT statement” is even better. If your problem takes more than a few minutes for someone to answer, then you should probably get someone on-site to help you.
Explain what you’ve already done. This, of course, means you’ve already actually done something. What have you looked up, what do you already understand, where have you looked, what have you tried?
Be polite. Please and Thank You are magic words, whether you get the answer you were looking for or not.

I’ll add one thing when you’re responding to a blog – not just mine, anyone’s. If you want to ask a question, ask it as a reply to a post, not an e-mail. The author wants to answer the question once, and it’s almost a guarantee that you’re not the only one with that question. Also, other readers might know the exact answer and help you even more. I know, you have to register, all that stuff. Just consider it the price of getting your answer.

Buck Woody : Questions

When you’re asking for help, make sure you explain what you’re trying to accomplish

Make it Easy for People to Help You