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What to Ask and How to Answer Questions
First, Happy New Year to everyone here!!!!
This isn't my business and I'm not naming names but sometimes people offer very snippy, sarcastic or nasty responses when answering sincere questions from clueless people. Yes, I know they're clueless, but they're here for help in what looks like a Microsoft sanctioned newsgroup, and they should be treated with respect. They are here because they don't know the answers. One suggestion is to finally write that FAQ we've discussed that has the answers to the 10 top questions and simply refer the questioner to the answer: "Please read the FAQ at www.faq.domain.com and come back if you have additional questions after that." Now, what follows is taken from another newgroup I visit and I thought it would be useful to sha What to Ask and How to Answer If you're answering a practical question, *first* make the answer practical and *directly address the question*. Tell the inquirer how to do what they ask. Do not berate or belittle them for asking it. Follow up your answer with "...but here's something else to consider" if you feel it important to do so, *but only after you've answered their question*. Above all, if you can't answer with a modicum of respect, or without feeling somehow annoyed by the question, then DO NOT ANSWER AT ALL. I'm dead serious about this. You may have seen and responded to a question six thousand times, but the person asking has only heard it once: when they asked it. They're asking it in order to fill a gap in their own knowledge. Make your answer an encouragement for more questions, not an incentive to go away. Food for thought!!! -- Hugs, Erika |
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