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As a pretty big contributor to stackoverflow I feel that this is getting blown out of proportion. I'll usually go extra mile to help someone out but I like my

As a pretty big contributor to stackoverflow I feel that this is getting blown out of proportion. I'll usually go extra mile to help someone out but I like my time and the platform to be respected. I often feel that people either expect for their minds to be read or are just bad at explaining there problem. I don't think SO community has to carry the burden of teaching people how to request help - I think it's a skill you earn by trying and failing. Sure your question got closed and someone pointed you to "how to ask a question" FAQ - just reformat your thoughts try again! It hurts nobody. A lot of other issues like racism, sexism are pretty much unheard of so to me it seems like this article is very much just to pander some recent threads.

jgtrosh 8y ago
I pretty much agree with the sentiment, but it seems to me that what you're condoning (i.e. showing what was done wrong and then the culprit will try again and improve) is problematic for many newbies. Think of the many students in math class who fear the idea of being told they're wrong more than the actual problem. I enjoy building a work environment where I can be expected to be corrected and I can safely correct people, but that is not a given in a public forum. I think the answer is to enable newbies to partake in a try-fail-try cycle but in a much more forgiving/inviting environment. The difficulty is in improving/designing that without sacrificing the overall quality of the forum.
ruirr 8y ago
As all the walks in life, you find everything and every culture. On one hand you also find people who simply want answers, however do not want to make the minimum investment in time writing something decent, and then you also find kids. I have had Indonesian kids going after my linked.in or fb profile and asking me for a connection. (Sorry, no kids in my fb, except if family)

jgtrosh 8y ago

I pretty much agree with the sentiment, but it seems to me that what you're condoning (i.e. showing what was done wrong and then the culprit will try again and improve) is problematic for many newbies. Think of the many students in math class who fear the idea of being told they're wrong more than the actual problem. I enjoy building a work environment where I can be expected to be corrected and I can safely correct people, but that is not a given in a public forum. I think the answer is to enable newbies to partake in a try-fail-try cycle but in a much more forgiving/inviting environment. The difficulty is in improving/designing that without sacrificing the overall quality of the forum.

ruirr 8y ago

As all the walks in life, you find everything and every culture. On one hand you also find people who simply want answers, however do not want to make the minimum investment in time writing something decent, and then you also find kids. I have had Indonesian kids going after my linked.in or fb profile and asking me for a connection. (Sorry, no kids in my fb, except if family)