are you asking for help properly?
07 Sep 2017I used to see missing pet poster in the bus stop when I was waiting for the bus. Most of them had big “MISSING PET” head line with the pet picture in black and white that I can’t even distinguish whether it’s a cat or a dog.
Imagin if you saw this poster and spotted a dog that is crossing the road without anyone? Would you try to lure him? If it was me, I would try to see if he is familiar with human contact and if he’s not, I would let it go, otherwise, I would probably try to help him but I’m not doing it for the owner, I’m doing it for the piteous dog. I mean, look at the poster. I could barely tell what it is and it doesn’t say where they lost him.
asking for help isn’t something you could do lightly because you are the one who needs help and a person who is helping you isn’t your full-time solve-your-problem. When you ask a large group of people for help, one thing you should know is they are nothing to do with your problem. I know it sounds mean and selfish but it’s the truth. If you ever had asked for help and didn’t get the help from anyone, you should think back whether your question was dumb or not specific.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30902811/enable-automatic-formatting-for-java-in-visual-studio-2015
I found this question on StackOverflow. It has over 3k views with one answer that has with -4 points. I clicked this question it only because subject line was stupid. I mean really, if you have the programming background, you should know that Java doesn’t run on Visual Studio which it made by Microsoft which competes with Oracle which has the license for Java. It didn’t make sense at all. I clicked the question to see what he is asking for help.
The guy downloaded Java extension for Visual Studio 2015 which published by Sam Harwell. His problem with this extension is that it doesn’t seem to have IntelliSense. This guys post had 3k view but it has only one answer and it’s not even proper answer. The guy who answered gave him a link that could lead to site where Java extension could be found which already linked in the question. The problem is many people, like me, who saw this dumb subject line, clicked the post and walked away. that’s why the post had 3k but has the poor ridiculous answer. so I’m going to advise few thing you should consider before posting a question.
First, please check the website thoroughly. The guy who made this Java extension posted Q&A and he even answered most of the problems that people are having. Best way to find your answer is from its website. I clicked the linked he put in for the extension and there is project details with 31 open issues link on the right side. I found the same problem he is having and the guy who answer was the developer who made that extension and even he answered on the day it uploaded. According to the date, the problem that has been solved is found on May 19, 2015 and the guy who asked on StackOverflow, post his question on Jun 17, 2015. and the answer he needed was right front of him. I know you want the answer right away but be patient and try to look at the website for the answer because the problem you are having could already be found and solved. Please look website thoroughly it would save your time and it is where you could find most accurate answers.
Second, be specific on your head line. the views from people who don’t know about the problem, like me, can’t help you fix the problem. To maximize skilled people’s attention, write a short and specific term of the problem. For example, my headline for the problem would be ‘Visual Studio 2015, Java template extension IntelliSense - enable’. I seem the same but it more specific and clear about the problem. This way, you would eliminate unneeded attentions and answers and this would attract more people who know about Java extension for VS and you would have a higher chance to get a proper answer or help. also, people who had related problem would give you an advice.
At last, elaborate the symptom. You are asking for help because you couldn’t find the solution and it means you have tried to fix the problem and didn’t work. there could be more than one way to solve your problem and people might suggest you to try their method. If you just say ‘please help me solve this’ why would they bother to tell you the solutions that might go down to 10 paths? so you need to elaborate what the problem is and what you have tried so far. that would make the problem so much easier to answer for people who know those stuff.