Is This a Dumb Question?

For programming newcomers, asking the right questions is a difficult challenge. We have all seen posts written by people who do not know enough to elaborate on what they want beyond the basic “What is…”, or “How do I…”, or “Why does this…”. These kinds of questions are not dumb questions by themselves, however not showing proof of effort in the form of a body detailing prior effort to understand the problem makes it so.

Thus far, I haven’t really thought about what objectively makes a question a smart one, the kind of question that draws you to answer it without directing the poster to a manual or google. The document How to Ask Questions the Smart Way proved to be very informative about the right and wrong ways to ask technical questions. Honestly, I wish I had read this document earlier! Not only was it a humorous read, it taught me how to get what I want from the internet.

Looking at a smart question

The question found here is a great example of a smart question. The title illustrates the problem immediately and you might even be able to answer the problem before looking at the details. The user isolates a small chunk of code that is relevant to the issue at hand. The user also explains his thought process process, approach, expectation, and actual result in a very compact way. This question follows most of the guidelines detailed in the How to Ask Questions the Smart Way document, and because of it, makes it easy for responders to respond with helpful and detailed information.

Looking at a not-smart question

Here is an example of a not-smart question posted to StackOverflow. The contents are small enough so I can paste them here:

Why does 2 % 3 = 2 and not 1? [closed]

Why does 2 mod 3 equal 2 and not 1?
How many ever '2 mod 3' I put in between, it is printing 2 as the answer. Please can anyone explain this behavior

It is clear from the text that the user did not bother to look up what the “%” operator does in JavaScript. User did not display any effort towards understanding the problem before asking user’s question. Although the user did get an answer for his question, the question was downvoted, and got a couple of sassy responses.

Importance of asking smart questions

You are more likely to get what you want and better help others who stumble across your posts if you ask smart questions. Asking the smart way definitely will help you gain a better grasp of your own problem, and prevent you from looking like a “loser” (as described in HTAQTMW). Aside from potentially getting more thought out answers for your question, asking the smart way helps you help yourself, which alone is an invaluable skill that everyone should try to develop.