We've all seen posts where a vast amount of code has been included and someone simply says "why doesn't this work?". Normally I ignore them and certain other types of lame post, however, perhaps if a guide was written on how to ask technical questions, it would help. I'll kick off with a few suggestions of my own.
- Use plain English, with punctuation, no SMS/text abbreviations and no other rarely used abbreviations. A gamer may know that PSP is a "Play Station Portable" but others won't.
- Be precise.
Don't say things like "it doesn't work properly". State exactly what goes wrong and when.
Don't say things like "it displays an error message". State exactly what error message is displayed (and code number if one is given) and also the title of the error box if there is one.
- Be clear and concise. Consider the whole post carefully and ensure there is no unnecessary waffle but all important information is included and it is ordered logically so that someone reading it can grasp the problem quickly.
- When posting code, keep it minimal - nothing more than is necessary to demonstrate the problem, however, if it's HTML, include the doctype.
- State what you are trying to achieve. Whilst it may be possible to fix bad code, it may be better to use a different approach altogether. Without knowing what is needed and/or wanted it's impossible to give good advice.
If such a guide is compiled and presented to new members, it would doubtless be of some help. So, please add your suggestions and perhaps one of the moderators will kindly write it up and ensure it is integrated into Webmaster World.
Kaled.
