Don't ask to ask, just ask

dontasktoask.com · 321 words · saved by 5 readers

Every now and then, in online chat rooms I hang around in, someone pops in and says something in the lines of, Any Java experts around? This is bad form, for several reasons. What the person is actually asking here is, Any Java experts around who are willing to commit into looking into my problem, whatever that may turn out to be, even if it's not actually related to Java or if someone who doesn't know anything about Java could actually answer my question? There are plenty of reasons why people who DO have the knowledge would not admit to it. By asking, you're asking for more than what you think you're asking. You're asking people to take responsibility. You're questioning people's confidence in their abilities. You're also unnecessarily walling other people out. I often answer questions related to languages or libraries I have never used, because the answers are (in a programmer kind of way) common sense. Alternatively, it can be seen as.. I have a question about Java but I'm too lazy

Every now and then, in online chat rooms I hang around in, someone pops in and says something in the lines of, Foobar123: Any Java experts around? This is bad form, for several reasons. What the person is actually asking here is, Foobar123: Any Java experts around who are willing to commit into looking into my problem, whatever that may turn out to be, even if it's not actually related to Java or if someone who doesn't know anything about Java could actually answer my question? There are plenty of reasons why people who DO have the knowledge would not admit to it. By asking, you're…

Don't ask to ask, just ask

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