Asking Questions

Introduction

This article was written for the Spreadsheets Discord Community, which is considerably more casual than other forums like Stack Overflow. As a result, these aren't hard rules. These are meant to be suggestions to help you get the best answers possible. If you are confused about anything, the solution is simple—ask. The helpers in the community will be more than willing to help you, as long as they feel you are receptive.

Provide Information

When asking a question, you must be prepared to share all relevant information about your problem. This includes:

  • A description of the problem. What are you trying to do and why isn't it working?
  • The big picture. What is your end goal, not for this specific problem, but for the entire sheet? Don't be embarrassed of your Pokémon sheet—in many cases this information is not only useful but necessary.
  • Screenshots. These must include row and column numbers. You should also send screenshots of the source data if applicable.
  • An editable copy or mock-up. If you are concerned about privacy, you can construct an anonymous document using this generator. Make sure that it contains a representative sample of your data. If possible, provide an expected output to compare against solutions.

In addition, if helpers ask for additional information, try to be cooperative—if they ask, it is for a good reason. This ensures that they can help you as efficiently and accurately as possible, and having everything prepared upfront expedites the support process.

What Not To Do

There are also things you should not do when asking questions. This is mostly because these behaviors are bad netiquette and may put volunteers off answering your question. As in the real world, politeness and avoiding faux pas will get you quite far.

  • Don't ask to ask. Never ask, "can someone help me with an Excel problem?" or questions of similar form. Instead, just ask about your problem—it saves everyone time. Also, don't ask about voice chat—it essentially sees no usage, and doing everything in text provides a stronger record anyways.
  • Don't cause the XY Problem. Do not ask questions about your intended solution. Ask questions about the problem you are trying to solve. It is a small but extremely important distinction.
  • Don't be vague. You might think that by abstracting things you are 'translating' your problem into language helpers can better understand. This is not the case. Be specific and use plain language.
  • Don't be impatient. We understand that you might be in a time crunch or have a deadline, but helpers also have their own lives. If you need an immediate response, you will have better luck on Fiverr or Upwork.
  • Don't spam your question. If you do not get an immediate response, do not send unsolicited pings or direct messages. If your question gets buried, you may reply to your original post, but spamming or otherwise violating netiquette is frowned upon.
  • Don't ask people to solve your homework. We can help guide you and provide resources, but we will not solve anything for you as a matter of principle—not even if you have a deadline.
  • Don't dispute with your helpers. Frankly, there's a reason you're asking for help. If they have ideas or questions, just follow along as it will give you the best chance at solving your problem.

Additional Resources

These are definitely not necessary, but may be helpful if you want to understand what makes a good question good.

  • How To Ask Questions the Smart Way
    • While far longer, the link above provides excellent examples and rationales for better question-asking strategies.
    • Originally written for Stack Overflow. What is good advice there might not be in the Spreadsheets Discord Community.
  • Getting Answers
    • A relatively short read, but provides some general tips.