Idea How to ask questions - the "smart" way

It seems such a simple thing, really, and yet people have a lot of issues trying to ask questions on the forum that get a quick effective response.

Some time ago I found a very good general guide to how people can improve the way they ask their questions.

Please see Even though many people seem to encounter the same kinds of issues, people should remember that everyone's website is different. Everyone has configured Kunena differently and everyone has their own, different versions of Joomla, of Kunena, and a unique blend of Joomla extensions. Just because you might think that your problems are intuitive - or that we know exactly what you are talking about - you can save yourself a lot of time if you pay attention to a few simple guidelines:

1. Choose carefully the category where you are going to post your question. Read the category description and make sure you follow the guiding principles for that category. If you have a "how do I do this" question, then it belongs in the Common Questions category.
2. Search the forum first. Look at the sticky posts in the category. Look at what other people have posted before to get an idea of the questions they ask and the questions that we ask in reply.
3. Use the Kunena configuration report generator. If you don't know how to do this, search for it.
4. Learn to use the Wiki
5. Please choose wisely the topic subject. Topics like "HELP" (all capitals) or "Can I do this?" are less likely to get a quick response because other people may not be interested. This is a self-help forum; everyone wants "help" - sometimes we do, too - so it makes a lot of sense if you put something meaningful in the subject topic.
6. If you get an error message, search for the text of the error message. There's a good chance that your question has been asked and answered before. If the question has not been asked before, then please put the important part of the error message text as the topic subject.
7. Please try to help other people, too, who may also have an interest in your question. Please help us, too, to keep the forum working efficiently and effectively for everyone.
8. Avoid topic hijacking. If you have exactly the same problem that someone else has had (and the solution works for them) then use the solution. If that solution does not work, resist the temptation to write " I have the same problem ... "
9. A picture says a thousand words. We understand that, for many members of the community, English may not be your native language. In these cases, it's sometimes easier to illustrate your problem with a picture.
10. Please be patient. The people who help here on the forums do so voluntarily. If someone gives you good advice, please remember to tell them (let us know if your problem has been fixed) and thank them for their time and interest in you and your problems.

Common-sense, perhaps, but I hope a few of these pointers help you to help us to help you better.

Cheers

Really good article here friend. I've been lurking around for some time before I started my account. The information that everyone is willing to share is really cool.

Thanks for throwing this post up I liked reading it.

*** Advertising, unrelated to Kunena, removed from user's message by moderator ***

Recent changes at this site now include a reminder in most of the "problem-related" categories by the inclusion of the following words in the category description/header information:

If you are having problems then, for your own benefit, it would save us all a lot of time if you would kindly post your configuration report when you ask for help from this forum. If you do not post your configuration report we will not ask you for it but you will probably not get your problem solved, either.

We cannot stress the importance of this information enough.

Generally-speaking, when we receive dozens of questions each day from members of the community and, when people only tell us the most basic information like "I am using K x.y on J! x.y" this does not really help us much. Most questions can be answered much quicker if people would include their configuration report . If you are wondering why your questions are nor answered (or if there is no response to your topics) it's because you did not include the kind of information that is included in the configuration report .

This community is about helping people to resolve their problems as quickly as possible. The more time it takes for us to obtain the information we need to help you, the longer it takes before you will get the help you require.

Everyone's site is different. With an almost unlimited number of possible ways for people to set up and configure Kunena on their website, finding the "needle in the haystack" is next to impossible if we do not even know what the "haystack" looks like to begin with. Therefore, if you think that your questions are being ignored by others in the community who might be able to help you, maybe the reason why your topics are not being given attention is because the members of the community do not know enough specifics to help pinpoint the cause of your problem.

It's a simple courtesy that we would like all members of the community to extend to one another. If you have a problem and you would like our help, please include your configuration report when you post questions about problems that you may be having with Kunena and everyone will be much better prepared with information that will probably solve your problems within an hour instead of taking several days or weeks. So, please try to remember in future, if you have a problem and you would like help, please include your configuration report .

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Regards

The Kunena Moderation Team

It's probably time to remind people about how to ask questions "the smart way" and why, sometimes, people's questions are not answered quickly (or "instantly") because of not following a few simple tips.

The first piece of advice is to consider, from our perspective, what happens when people write "I have a problem" and tell us that their problem occurs somewhere in Kunena. It's a bit like saying "my car won't start" and expecting the people who provide roadside assistance to solve their problems over the telephone simply by empathising with the phrase "my car won't start".

The first question for those us who try to answer these vague and ill-defined problems is "Is this an issue that I am familiar with?"

It is not our job to ask for more information. This is a self-help forum where people can, in the first instance, search to see if there are answers to the typical issues that confront new users. Yes, we know that people may not know all the technical jargon - people may not understand the correct "language" to use when they ask for help - and not everyone is fluent in English. We understand that and I don't want people to think that I'm criticising them because they're not as conversant with the "correct" terminology or the differences in the languages that we're familiar with. But there are some simple, ordinary tips that apply whether or not you speak English or know the precise term for a particular part of the software that you're using.

So let's start with the basics. We will not request more information if the only thing you write is "I have a problem" and you do not give us some basic information. Basic information does not mean "I use the latest version of Kunena on the latest version of Joomla"; Kunena and Joomla are changing all the time and what might have been the "latest" version in your mind may mean something completely different to someone else.

We want to avoid the frustration you might feel if no-one answers your "I have a problem" question. We are not talking about the feelings that we, as moderators of this forum, may have. While we do care about the problems you may have, we are busy, too, with matters that are just as important to us as your problems are important to you. So, help us to help you.

Number 1: You know more about your problem than we do!

Do some research. Sometimes other people have had the same (or similar) problem to you and they may have written something that will help you. Start by searching the internet - I use Google - and see if your problem has been talked about before. If Google doesn't help, then try searching the forum here.

And, of course, there's also our Wiki

Number 2: Get your facts before you ask your question!

Read the information posted in the category description where you want to post your topic. Most of the categories here have the following text:

If you are using the forum to discuss your problems then, for your own benefit, it would save us all a lot of time if you would kindly post your configuration report when you ask for help. If you do not post your configuration report we will not ask you for it but you may not receive a solution to your problem, either.

Let me say again, in case people do not fully understand the meaning: we will not ask you for your configuration report - we should not have to remind people - but if you don't give this basic information to us, you may not get your particular problem solved, either.

Sure, sometimes you don't need to give us a configuration report; sometimes it's not even possible to access the part of Kunena that generates the configuration report. We understand that. I'm not trying to imply that we're going to ignore your problems simply because you did not follow some "rule".

Number 3: Try to imagine yourself looking at your question from our perspective when we see it for the first time.

Here are some useful resources:

• How to ask questions in a forum!! Newbees and exp. people pay attention!


• How to ask questions the smart way


• How to ask Good Questions on Technical and Scientific Forums

In conclusion, we who moderate this forum at this website are not complaining about or criticising the quality of the questions. We, who try to help others, are not feeling frustrated because people may not know how to ask questions in the "right" way. There is no right or wrong way to ask questions ... but the responses that people may get - including no response at all - may not be the responses they were hoping for.