Yes, there are dumb questions
24 Jan 2023
Yes there are dumb questions
Many people have the misconception that there are no dumb questions. However, this is not the case and there are questions that you should not be asking. As software engineers it is important to communicate effectively and to do that we need to ask the right questions. It is important how we convey the question and if the question is a valid one. We should at least do a google search before posting a question because chances are someone asked the same exact question as you.
Tips on how not to write bad questions:
- Do some research before you ask
- Don't be vague when asking questions
- Use smart headers
- Give as much useful information when asking your question
- Be precise about the issue
- Don't ask questions because you are lazy.
Example of a Bad Question:
Bad Question
for index in range(0, 10, 2):
print(index)
As you can see the question got negative votes meaning people did not like it. The OP was very vague about his/her question. It even got closed because the question needed more details and needed clarity. OP asked why their output wasn't asking and didn't even explain what the code was.
Example of a Good Question:
Good Question
What is the difference between .size() and .length ? Is .size() only for arraylists and .length only for arrays?
The OP asked a great question about the difference between size and length methods in java. It was a good question that most people probably asked in their head. The OP was concise yet explained in detail what they knew and didn't know. The responses answered the question and it probably helped many people who clicked on the post.
So lets go over what you should do:
As stated earlier it is important to look up the question beforehand. It is not that hard to do a simple google search or try and find the exact question you have that has already been answered. Many people get irritated with this because people don't want to see the same question get asked over and over again. Also, when asking questions don't be vague for others to help you they need to know exactly what the problem is and if you do not properly address it you will leave others confused. It is best to be short and concise that way people can understand the problem and help address it as soon as possible. You still want to give as much useful information as possible just make sure you are not giving out any redundant information. To catch viewers' attention make sure to have smart headers. Having a generic or bad header will probably lead to fewer views thus fewer people helping you. At the end of the day don't ask questions because you are lazy they are not going to do your homework and they are not magic genies. You should take the time to solve the problem and if you get stuck then you ask for help