> Please don't follow the advice of this column. Be patient. Encourage anyone and everyone to ask questions, even if they're "duplicates" or "easy to answer". U

> Please don't follow the advice of this column. Be patient. Encourage anyone and everyone to ask questions, even if they're "duplicates" or "easy to answer". Use the Socratic Method (ask questions that lead to more questions). Actually teach people things. That's the thing though, this is advice for people asking questions, not answering them. If you are advising someone on how to ask questions on the internet, telling them how to avoid being called a "luser" is very good advice! He actually does give advice for people answering questions at the end, and he definitely encourages them to be more gentle and helpful. But it is important not to waste the time of people who are providing what is essentially complex technical consulting for free. BTW, this is also good advice for asking questions in a professional setting. Not being someone who needs to be spoon-fed information is always going to make you more respectable.