Smart Vs. Stupid Questions
06 Sep 2018
Significance of Smart Questions
I’ve once been told that there is no such thing as a stupid question. However, there does exist a “smart” way and a “stupid” way of asking questions. Asking questions in the “stupid” way may have others think of another as a loser. In most cases, the solution to these questions are easily accessible from a simple search of the web or by reading the manual. In result, this portrays oneself as lazy and unwilling to think. However, you could ask the same question the “smart” way and avoid not look like a loser. The reason why asking questions the smart makes such a difference is because it shows that you have made the effort and actually tried to solve your own problem first. The reason this is very important to Software Engineers is because you will be able to give more information about what you’ve learned or what you didn’t understand, the environment of your program, bugs, and overall a clear and reduced problem. When your question is asked the “smart” way, it won’t seem as a waste of time and will most likely be answered.
Examples
"Not Smart"
Here is a link of a “Not Smart” Example. We could easily see that this is a “Not Smart” question. From this question, we could tell that the user has not made the effort to solve their own problem, but rather seek to obtain answer from someone else. The user hasn’t mentioned what he/she has tried and basically only asks for answer. The lack of smartness in the question also reflect in the responses. In the first response, a link to a manual on how to use regex was provided. The smartness of the question could also reflect on the amount of upvotes or downvotes. If your question has at least one downvote, it probably was not a smart question.
"Smart"
Here is a link of a “Smart” Example. This is a good example of how to ask a question the “smart” way. Before asking the question, the user described his/her goal and the error in which occurred along the process. The user displayed that he/she has made the efforts by searching and reading to get a solution. To simplify the problem further, the user provided the environment in which the problem occurred. The responses to a “smart” question provided a useful answer which helped the user solve their problem as it reflects in this example.
Takeaways
After reading “How to Ask Questions the Smart Way” by Eric Steven Raymond, I understood how to seek for help from Software Engineers, hacker, and others in the community. It is very important to read manuals, documentations, and search the Web as the solution to your problem is likely there. When you can’t find the solution on your own, it is very important to simplify your problem when asking a question. This means include the information you know or don’t understand, symptoms of your problem, the steps you tried, and any other information to get the most useful answer. As long you do your part in trying to solve your own problem, you won’t come off as a loser.