Why do you ANSWER questions in the programming forums?

Henry Minute

Yeah, like wot they said!

Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”

Nagy Vilmos

1. Why answer? What is the motivation? If I can help I will. It's the karma thing in case one day I need to ask something. 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? Pre-filtering of questions to prevent duplicates. Sorry, but less morons having access. 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? See answer to 2. Also forcing, as much as possible, questioners to mark as answered. Off the top of my head, could we stop people from asking another question until the current one has been answered? Stop idiots from deleting a question because they have an answer. 4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep? I like DD's Super-Question-Answerer-Icon_Symbol 5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion? It's okay now.

Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done.

jayart

Regarding unanswered questions, there should be a way to highlight them. Probably an automatic way of bumping them from the hundreds of post posted. I also like the idea of categorizing quetsions using beginner/middle/complex categories. Also rating the users or giving them badges (next to their names), who answered and their answeres were accepted would encourage them more to answer.

Jorgen Andersson

Chris Maunder wrote:

1. Why answer? What is the motivation?

Everyone's a beginner some time. Many of those don't even know what question to ask because they don't even know what the possibilities are. I still don't. So I try to help when I can, because that might trigger them to help when they can.

Chris Maunder wrote:

2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer?

If people could learn to fill in the subject properly. Maybe exchange the "subject" line to "Short description of your problem" and "Text" to "Details" Having fewer forums but with tagging. C#, VB, ASP.NET, LINQ and Framework should be one .NET forum and you tag what's applying to your question.

Chris Maunder wrote:

3. What would encourage you to answer more more?

Not having to work for money.

Chris Maunder wrote:

4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep?

I think that the original poster should have the possibility to tag the best answer. The voting system open to anyone is misused a lot for personal vendettas or funniest way of taking someone down. (I don't say it should be removed though, we need humour)

Rajesh R Subramanian

Chris Maunder wrote:

1. Why answer? What is the motivation?

Many reasons: The foremost reason is actually "I dunno". It's a compulsion, addiction, like Carlo said. It's also a way for me to give back to the community, seeing how much I've leeched from here. Besides that, it helps me to remember those crazy APIs.

Chris Maunder wrote:

2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer?

The questions must follow the guidelines (which does not happen most of the time). The guidelines may ask them to include the contents callstack (in case of crash). However, a typical question would be like:

"My program crashhed after I clikedab batton. PLZ anbody hlep me."

Chris Maunder wrote:

3. What would encourage you to answer more more?

Time is one factor. These days I'm more busy, but I always find my time to participate on the C++/MFC forum. You might as well consider giving us a BOB mug. :wink:

Chris Maunder wrote:

4. What, if any, recognition would be suitable for those who really dig deep?

What better than the MVP award? You might as well consider making some as the forum moderators (edit/remove or move the posts between forums)

Chris Maunder wrote:

5. What question / answer format would work best in your opinion?

That was beaten to death by someone else. (The one you voted 5 for)

It is a crappy thing, but it's life -^ Carlo Pallini

W Balboos GHB

Why answer? Part of one of my philosophies: If we all did a little more than we had to, none of us would have to do nearly as much. With that said, I also hang my head for not spending enough time in any forums (aside from The Lounge) in order to be helpful to more people. Humans are a social species, surviving best in groups - else, we're rather easy pray: slow, small teeth, no claws . . . not even much hair to get stuck in a predator's teeth. However, get a bunch of us hairless hominids together, working and sharing experience, and the predator ends up as game for us. :zzz:

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"How do you find out if you're unwanted if everyone you try to ask tells you to stop bothering them and just go away?" - Balboos HaGadol

"It's a sad state of affairs, indeed, when you start reading my tag lines for some sort of enlightenment. Sadder still, if that's where you need to find it." - Balboos HaGadol

Ennis Ray Lynch Jr

I answer when I am bored and I just so happen to know the answer. 2) Interesting questions 3) Cash, lacking that recognition from the dolt who asked the question. 4) Isn't there an MVP thing with a trophy and a sixpack? 5) Q/A

Need custom software developed? I do C# development and consulting all over the United States. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane

Kschuler

Chris Maunder wrote:

3. What would encourage you to answer more more?

I didn't read all of the other comments to this, so maybe someone else has suggested this already. Often when going through the questions in the forums the person who posted the question did not give enough information for anyone to answer it. Perhaps instead of (or maybe in addition too) having a Message Type of Question, this could be broken down into different types of questions. Like, my program is getting an error message or I can't figure out how to write a certain bit of code or my code is not doing what I want it to. These different types would then have an extra space prompting the user for extra data. When it's an error message it would prompt the questioner to enter the error message. When it's related to code it would prompt the user to enter that code. And maybe this feature would be optional or only appear to users who have posted under a certain number of posts or something like that. In any case, my main thinking is that the screen where users type in the questions would be a good place to make some changes that would promote better or more answerable questions.

fred_

1. If it's not someone asking me to do their homework, we all get "stuck" at different times. When I was a single person contractor, this place was my "peers" to depend on when I needed help. Paying it back. 2. Perhaps moderate questions to eliminate the "plz hlp ugnt" I have no desire to do my own reserch questions. What would remain is people in genuimne need. 3. Less time finding real questions. 4. Dunno 5. Dunno

Judah Gabriel Himango

Chris Maunder wrote:

Would something along those lines be welcome here?

Absolutely.

Religiously blogging on the intarwebs since the early 21st century: Kineti L'Tziyon Judah Himango

ely_bob

X = (some language or other common programming style issue, gdi+ etc..) Can we get an email or page that would allow us to say I know how to do X if you have an X related issue I would be willing to get an email every other day/daily, weekly etc. of some questions that maybe I could answer.. that I may look over and see if I can answer.:confused:

MidwestLimey

Getting back to you for number 2 (that really doesn't sound right): We each have areas of expertise, or areas of interest. It would perhaps be usefull for those of us so inclined to be able to subscribe to certain 'channels', be they keyword/pattern driven or just from a forum that show up in a personalized question list or lists. The ability to filter by member would help reduce abuse, also.

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Fabio Franco

Well, I don't know if it applies here because most of questions I answer are on MSDN forums. But, here I go! 1. I answer to get points and raise my status. It also feels good, specially when my answer is followed by compliments. 2. I never really looked at specific questions I could answer, but well phrased questions help. And one important thing is divide by categories, this way I could see only questions in my area of expertise. In MSDN case it is Windows Forms General. And I rarely saw beyond the first page of questions. 3. Rewarding points, status. If I get to a higher rank I should have access to specific benefits. Now what those benefits those will be I don't know. But I have a few suggestions: - Access to a forum of the top ranks of the CP. There I could ask questions, get involved in decisions of CP. Get first hand on news, changes, betas related to CP. Etc - Be eligible for prizes only higher ranks can participate. - If I was looking for a job, my rank should make a difference when the employer is a CP partner, or it is CP itself. These are all motivating. But I think the status would be the greates motivation for all. That is just my opinion though. 4. I think I answered this on question nº 3. Also, like in MSDN, a list of the most helpful people should be always visible, it really felt good when I saw myself in first place there. And of course, prizes to the most helpful is a great motivation, so it could be a periodically contest. 5. Same as MSDN's. Points when you get your answer marked as solution. Regards, Fábio

smcnulty2000

Pardon my ignorance on anything I'm going to suggest that is already in place. I just haven't been to the forums here enough to know all about this place. Pardon me also for the length, since I don't have time to write a shorter reply. 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? I don't do that here. Yet. I only read this place for the articles. Honest. But where I do/did it (tek-tips) I do it because I have an ego that needs a polish (the activity not the language, country or sausage) now and again. I also do/did it at boardgamegeek.com. Same reason. I feel better about my abilities when I provide an answer that works for a person who is pulling their hair out. This improves my confidence. I do get a small emotional bump for helping a fellow human relieve their suffering but that's usually after the fact and isn't enough enticement on its own. Reason B; the same reason I go to any forum; so that I can be a better writer. Someday I'll put it to better use in some book form. Reason C: I was once able to point a potential employer to my posts to show how good I was at providing answers, documenting my ideas, helping people without a need for ca$h to compensate, to show that I wasn't just a guy who claimed he could do the work. This went in tandem with other tools I used in the interview of course. Reason D: Brain needs exercise. Skills need exercise. Every problem I solve sharpens a skill I didn't use that day on my other problems. Reason E: Usually there's no pressure to actually answer, unlike work where the requirement is to get an answer even if one doesn't, or worse can't, exist. That makes a forum a less stressful use of my skills. 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? I haven't studied your forums but it looks like it has subcategories for the articles but not the message threads. Ability to subscribe as a 'problem solver' for specific forums and subforums. But instead of an email you go to your own page and you have activity listed on each forum that has something going on that you subscribe to. An asterisk might be enough or maybe a number of posts since you last logged in. 'Problem solver' subscription would also be good for someone trying to learn a particular technology even if they can't solve problems yet. 3. What would encourage you to answer more more? Hard to say. See my answer for #4 below. But I agree with the comment about more technical domains being included. My t

dpminusa

Here are some quick thoughts. A lot of your questions above may be problematic with the open style of your Forums. 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? The question is interesting. A chance to learn yourself. You have the same problem. It is defined adequately to pursue. You have had and resolved the problem yourself. Empathy for the person and their situation. 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? Enhanced search tools. More categories to search on. A problem rating system (beginners, intermediate, advanced). A suggested question and answer template and guide. Something suitable for posting or maybe an online template format to enter into as a starting point. 3. What would encourage you to answer more? Some forums I use have a rating system for participants. You are given a status indicator by your posts based on the number of questions and replies you contribute. http://form.joomla.org[^] has over 100,000 active members. The tone to their site is very friendly. They moderate it continuously to keep it so. Topics are moved to other categories to get better attention. Thread posters are not always sensitive to that. 4. Recognition? A Code-Project Author Logo for their sites that changes at certain levels? Member rating and title change as suggested above. Some sites use a point feedback system to modify this. Most visitors like some visual recognition. 5. Q&A Format? Easy to complete, open-format template with sections for: o Problem overview. o Environment (Platform, Language(s), IDE, Tools, Statement/Construct/Technique, Databases/Sources) o Sample code with comments o Sample output with errors and comments. How to recreate the error. o What has been tried to debug already. Author and 3rd party comments given. Maybe this could be pasted into a post at completion and used as open text after. Have you considered using something like bugzilla. I use that on Activestate. It seems to have the basics that are easy to use. I am not sure how much Activestate has tweaked it. There is a problem definition intro and open discussion after that. They send update emails periodically, even if you do not check regularly, to keep you interested. 6. Random thoughts: a) For the new visitor, or persons with visual impairments (like me), MAKE THE REPLY LINK A BIG BUTTON rather than a tiny line in the m

Rob 2 0

As someone who participates in a few forums, the issue is not only about those who post answers not doing a good enough job. It is also about unrealistic demands of those asking the questions. 1) Those who post a large body of code and saying no more than "it doesn't work - tell me why". When asked for more clarification, they turn around and accuse others of "disrespect" - after all, their question is quite clear and obvious. Yeah, right! 2) Quite a few questions asked are already addressed thoroughly in FAQ lists that most forum sites have readily available (as dedicated sections, sticky posts, etc). When a pointer is given to the FAQ, quite a few reply that they haven't (or won't) read the FAQ as they want a more personal answer or consider the FAQs a waste of their precious time. 3) Posting of homework questions, without making any attempt of their own. This is probably the most common concern, despite the fact most forums or newsgroups have an explicit "no homework" policy. Those who CAN answer are well aware that the most important part of homework is the learning that comes from trying to do it. When that is pointed out, again, there are accusations of disrespect. There are all sorts of similar concerns that regular forum contributors experience. People who contribute their time freely do actually look for some sign that the people seeking help are worth the effort. As to your questions. 1. Why answer? What is the motivation? The motivation is satisfaction of helping people who are genuinely trying to learn. Those people, rare as they are, do sometimes emerge. Seeing them develop offers satisfaction. Being told by people that they are entitled to have their poorly written questions answered does not cut it. If people want a useful answer, they need to put in the effort to ask a useful question. 2. What would make it easier to answer, or easier to find questions you could answer? Finding questions I can answer is not a problem: finding questions I am WILLING to answer is the problem. I look at subject lines and the grouping of questions (eg in particular forums) and simply ignore any that don't seem worthwhile (eg "HOMEWORK", subjects that I know are in the FAQ, "Help required!!! Urgent!!!"). Not many make it past that filter. My second filter is looking for subject lines in reasonable (not perfect) english expression on topics I have an interest in and discarding SMS or L33t style abbreviations. That number is manageable. Once I get to that point, I

sketch2002

I'm not going to address everything, but I see a common thread (although admittedly I only read through the first five or ten responses). That is, "the more concise and easy to read the question is, the easier it is for me to answer". To that end, perhaps it would help to have a method of posting a rephrase of the OP's question. That would allow someone who is able to decipher the question, but unable to answer it, to put it into terms that the rest of us could understand more readily and cut down on the work required to answer.