39 replies to this topic

[soul__stealer]

This is something that has always bothered me. As someone who is actually intelligent, I get pissed off when I see people the same things over and over and over again. Things that have been answered clearly on numerous occasions. Questions that have clear answers right in front of them.

Now, this guide goes hand in hand with How not to look as stupid as you do by punkrockbigmouth. This guide is in the General Chat section. Check it.

I've put this post in this section as this is the area that most stupid questions seem to be asked. Please ensure you actually read this, as it will help you not only on these boards, but any other forums, websites you may visit. It may even happen to help you in real life. Maybe.

I present to you: How to ask questions - The Smart Way
The guide was originally written for the 'hacking scene' however I feel it holds relevance in any form of forum layout... hacking, programming, cheating etc. All the basics are there.

Some snippets from this guide which are important to note:

Spoiler

In the world of hackers, the kind of answers you get to your technical questions depends as much on the way you ask the questions as on the difficulty of developing the answer. This guide will teach you how to ask questions in a way more likely to get you a satisfactory answer.

Spoiler

The first thing to understand is that hackers actually like hard problems and good, thought-provoking questions about them. If we didn't, we wouldn't be here

Spoiler

hackers have a reputation for meeting simple questions with what looks like hostility or arrogance. It sometimes looks like we're reflexively rude to newbies and the ignorant. But this isn't really true

THIS QUOTE IS IMPORTANT FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE HERE WHO DONT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND (and yes capslock is cruise control for cool)

Spoiler

We're (largely) volunteers. We take time out of busy lives to answer questions, and at times we're overwhelmed with them. So we filter ruthlessly. In particular, we throw away questions from people who appear to be losers in order to spend our question-answering time more efficiently, on winners.

If you find this attitude obnoxious, condescending, or arrogant, check your assumptions. We're not asking you to genuflect to us — in fact, most of us would love nothing more than to deal with you as an equal and welcome you into our culture, if you put in the effort required to make that possible. But it's simply not efficient for us to try to help people who are not willing to help themselves. It's OK to be ignorant; it's not OK to play stupid.

Anyway, that's enough quoting... It mostly came from the Introduction but there are a few good points within the introduction that I missed. So please, those of you who are going to post on these forums, please read this at least once. Seriously. It will only take 20 minutes of your time... and you will learn something when doing it.

Regards,
Sou| Stea|er
(and all the other members who repeatedly answer the same questions)

Edited by soul__stealer, 06 November 2010 - 07:21 PM.

[flashraven]

You will need to make this a sticky, if not this will slowly go down the thread and 'never be found' again.

[Scot]

I feel that the people who continually spoonfeed answers to new users are enabling a generation of lazy members who refuse to read. That's why I propose everyone stop answering questions that are located somewhere else on this board.

This suggestion is now up for debate.

[Boggart]

I feel that the people who continually spoonfeed answers to new users are enabling a generation of lazy members who refuse to read. That's why I propose everyone stop answering questions that are located somewhere else on this board.

This suggestion is now up for debate.

My bad >_< I've stopped though more because I'm getting pissed off, not because I care about the future generation

[Elindoril]

I feel that the people who continually spoonfeed answers to new users are enabling a generation of lazy members who refuse to read. That's why I propose everyone stop answering questions that are located somewhere else on this board.

This suggestion is now up for debate.

I did it when the search function was dead, but now that it's alive again, people have no excuse anymore.

[Pyro699]

(8:52:46 AM) joehazley: There is a user shop ab?
(8:53:20 AM) soul__stealer: maaaaybe
(8:53:23 AM) soul__stealer: it'll cost ya
(8:53:32 AM) Pyro699: yeah, its 150$ though
(8:54:17 AM) Lunch: lol
(8:54:29 AM) joehazley: Who sells it?
(8:54:43 AM) Lunch: they r just fooling with u
(8:54:44 AM) Lunch: lol
(8:54:48 AM) Pyro699: he goes by the username gullibility

Questions like that, can easily be answered by google or other search engines... Even searching this site... TBH i don't know if we have a user shop ab... but i know if i needed to find out... i could search before i ask. IRC is full of people asking unneeded questions -.-

I agree with scot though, ive stopped answering the "duh" questions and substituted them with moronic responses.

~Cody

[Lucian]

I find it easier to just tell them the answer. It's better to deliver it early then allowing the thread to drag on with people who don't contribute anything. But I agree with Scot about what he said. I guess it would be best to just give them the answer right there then tell them to do a little research before asking. All of this within a kind a polite manner of course.

[Noitidart]

HAHAHA this is good but hilarious at the same time.

I asked pyke if he's sticky it before i even posted. Wasn't gonna waste my time writing it up and posting if it was just going to disappear. It's already been pinned.


I'm quite happy to give people answers, even if the question has been asked and answered before. Sometimes I will actually give them the answer, othertimes I will link them to the original answer. Either way works.
The thing is this. I don't like doing it for those who ask their question in a stupid way, or cant be bothered to even attempt to look. For those who look like they have made some form of attempt, or have managed to find an interesting way to ask a smart question.... I dont mind answering them at all.

Thanks man I really appreciate you willing to give out that info. Everyone isn't as savvy as others in searching and finding information. I also try to be like that and give the answer whenever I do know.

[Plunk]

The only time I don't answer a question is when myself or someone else has already answered the question, IN THAT THREAD. If you're too stupid to read through the thread that you clicked on to find an answer to the question asked in the first post, when the last page is all people saying thanks for the answer, then you don't deserve it.

[12markkram34]

Nobody reads stickies.

[Faval]

Nobody reads stickies.

^This seems to be the truth...kinda like EULA agreements, people click and ignore.

Edited by Faval, 09 November 2010 - 07:01 AM.

[luvsmyncis]

I clicked that link and all the text was black and there were no pictures. Now, I'm no Einstein, but I have a feeling people who are stupider than me are not going to be able to make it past the revision history.

[SatansCamaro]

True. Everbody's lazy....

[jcrdude]

When I'm feeling inspired to answer a stupid question, I try to answer with a link to the answer or a quick note of where to find the answer.

Hopefully when questions are answered in such a way it enables the asker to see what I did to find the answer and find it next time themself.

[marcheva]

nice way of telling everyone the right way. gj =)

[Blackout]

Nobody reads stickies.

That's true. Stickies get a reply like every 3 days LOL.

[Ladida]

That's true. Stickies get a reply like every 3 days LOL.

Are we supposed to reply to them? As guides, they seem pretty straightforward, and don't require a response. The best way to gauge how many people are reading would probably be to check the number of views from day to day.

[Domehades]

laziness leads to stupidity questions

[vurty]

Rule: If you have to think to yourself "Is this a dumb question?" Don't ask it.
That should eliminate dumb ones

[eatsrainbows]

I feel that the people who continually spoonfeed answers to new users are enabling a generation of lazy members who refuse to read. That's why I propose everyone stop answering questions that are located somewhere else on this board.

This suggestion is now up for debate.

I don't completely agree with this. It depends on the circumstances. If it's someone who knows this website well and constantly asks questions that have already been answered because they are too lazy to look, then yeah I agree that you shouldn't waste your time and effort. But I'm still really new to this site and hack/cheating in general. On my first day I asked a dumb question and people were kinda rude, but one person explained to me nicely that I need to look it up first and ect. I wouldn't have known that otherwise (how could I?) and if they hadn't told me then I would probably still be doing the same thing So I think a good way to handle it is to do that. (maybe have a message typed up & ready, saved on word and just copy paste haha)

[Tech]

Cool thread and one of a kind! thanks!

P.S. Now I know which questions to answer ;] lololol

[GarenaMaster]

Lazy gj

[heyhey223]

You managed to find this site didn't you? I am assuming you managed to come across it while searching for something.

Don't kid yourself in saying you didn't know you should look for the information first before asking the question. When you want to know something do you always just ask people or do you have the capacity to look up the information yourself?

Don't get me wrong, many of us ARE willing to help. We just get tired of repeatedly answering the same questions again and again. Now I guess we COULD go and make a word document with our responses, which we would then need to open, and find the relevant response to a previously answered question... Or use the forum search feature like the person should have done to start with

I probably have no idea what im talking about, but judging from your comments id say you have very little tolerance for ignorance. Problem being the majority of the world are idiots. And unless you can tolerate annoying little things like stupid people posting the same questions and answers again and again, or ignorant people not knowing how to when to search for things on there own, you will spend you entire life unhappy over something unavoidable. There will always be greater and lesser persons then ourselves, and there will always be lazy, stupid, ignorant people who's sole purpose is to drive us crazy.

[pkdust]

Well so much for the saying of "there's no such this as a stupid question." >_>