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How To Ask Technical Questions and Answers

How To Ask Technical Questions and Answers

My talk for UCSY IT Camp 2014 - How to Ask Technical Questions and Answers

Ye Lin Aung

January 24, 2014
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Transcript

  1. Hello.
    Zwenexsys

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  2. Writing & Answering
    Technical Questions
    Zwenexsys

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  3. About me
    Zwenexsys

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  4. Programmer at Zwenexsys
    http://zwenex.com
    Zwenexsys

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  5. Active User on Stackoverflow & SuperUser
    Zwenexsys
    http://stackexchange.com/users/75304/ye-lin-aung

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  6. Active User on Stackoverflow & SuperUser
    Zwenexsys
    Inspired by Jon Skeet’s (Perfect) Posts
    - Writing Perfect Question ( http://tinyurl.com/so-hints )
    - Answering technical question helpfully ( http://goo.gl/
    smRkaU )

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  7. Zwenexsys
    Let’s solve the problem

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  8. Zwenexsys
    What have you tried ?
    whathaveyoutried.com

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  9. Zwenexsys
    • Search in Google
    • Read the manual / README
    • Read the FAQ
    • Find the answer by inspection or
    experimentation
    • Reading the source code
    • Asking around
    How to solve

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  10. How to Ask
    Zwenexsys

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  11. Zwenexsys
    The Golden Rule: Imagine You're Trying
    To Answer The Question
    `

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  12. Zwenexsys
    • Write it
    • Read it through
    • Does it make sense ?
    • Is it easy to read and understand ?
    `

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  13. Zwenexsys
    Question Title
    `
    • Don’t put with the following -
    • Why doesn’t this work ?
    • Please help me.

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  14. Zwenexsys
    Context
    `
    • Provide enough information
    • language version
    • platform version
    • operating system
    • any other relevant software
    • Describe what you have tried

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  15. Zwenexsys
    Sample Code and Data
    `
    • Be standalone
    • Be complete
    • Demonstrate the problem
    • Be as short as possible.

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  16. Zwenexsys
    Spelling, Grammar & Formatting
    `
    • Split into appropriate paragraphs
    • Please write actual words ( gr8, bcoz, u )
    • Just follow your browser spell check.

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  17. Zwenexsys
    `
    How to Answer

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  18. Zwenexsys
    Read the Questions
    `
    • Read the question
    • Read the question
    • Read the question

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  19. Zwenexsys
    Get right to the point
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  20. Zwenexsys
    Sample Code
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    • Show your “working” code.
    • Put appropriate explanation.

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  21. Zwenexsys
    Answer the question and
    highlight side-issues
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    • Don’t do this because ….

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  22. Zwenexsys
    Others tips!
    `
    • Provide links to related sources
    • Care about your reader
    • Don’t “answer and run”

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  23. Zwenexsys
    • stackoverflow.com - for Programming related
    • http://stackexchange.com/sites - Q & A
    • quora.com - “Ask any question, get real
    answers from people with first hand
    experience, and blog about what you know.”
    • Email the people you think they will know
    Resources

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  24. Zwenexsys
    • More at http://meta.stackoverflow.com/
    questions/8401/where-can-i-ask-questions-
    that-dont-fit-or-are-off-topic-for-stack-overflow
    Resources

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  25. Zwenexsys
    `
    Have fun!

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  26. Zwenexsys
    `
    Q & A

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  27. Zwenexsys
    `
    Thank you <3

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