‘Be prepared’ before seeking help

[Merlin_Magii]

Seeking help can be frustrating – for BOTH parties – but it needn’t be! There are several things you can do to make it easier and less painful for quick and effective help to be offered.

1. Be Prepared Before Starting Your Request

Before you start typing, make sure you're well prepared to explain your problem. The better prepared you are, the less time you'll spend answering subsequent diagnostic questions from those willing to help. The exact things you should have ready will vary depending on your problem but here are several to keep in mind: It’s a good idea to write a note of the highlights given in this briefing and then make notes (as fully as possible) of your observations of your problem – for example – what were you doing immediately before the symptom showed itself?

* If you have an error message: What's the exact error message on your screen?

* If you don't have an error message: What exactly is your computer doing? "It just doesn't work" isn't very helpful – your helper doesn’t have a crystal ball !

* When did the problem start happening?

* Did anything else happen at the same time the problem started? (i.e. a blue screen of death, smoke coming from the computer, virus warning, etc.)

* What were you doing shortly before the problem occurred? (i.e. updating your anti-virus program, saving a picture, downloading a music track from a peer-to-peer network, etc).

* What have you already done to troubleshoot the problem?

* Has the problem changed since it first started happening (i.e. computer shuts off more frequently, error message appears at a different time now, etc.)

2. Communicate Clearly

Getting clear help is all about communication. The entire reason for your query is to communicate to your helper what the problem is and for them to communicate back to you what you need to do to fix your problem. The person who elects to answer you might be miles away geographically. You'll prevent a lot of needless confusion and frustration if you describe things calmly and clearly.

3. Be Thorough and Specific

You may be well aware of the trouble your computer has been having but the helper is not. You have to tell the whole story in as much detail as possible. For example, saying "My computer just quit working" doesn't say anything at all. There are millions of ways a computer might not "be working" and the ways to fix those problems vary tremendously. Try to step through, in great detail, the process that produces the problem.

If your computer won't turn on, for example, you might describe the problem like this: "I hit the power button on my computer and a green light comes on the front of my computer and on my monitor. Some text shows up on the screen for just a second and then the whole thing shuts off. The monitor stays on but all the lights on the front of my computer case turn off. If I power it on again, the same thing happens over and over."

4. Repeat the Details

Another way to avoid confusion when communicating is by repeating what the person(s) you're talking to is saying. For example, let's say your helper(s) advises you to "Click on x, then click on y, then select z." If that hasn’t resolved the problem and you have to follow up with a further posting it can help if you confirm the steps you took “Okay, I clicked on x, then I clicked on y, then I selected z but such and such happened but the problem persists." This is not as silly as it may sound. By receiving clear confirmation of each step by you, your helper can be confident that you completed each step as asked and you're confident that you fully understood what was asked of you.

5. Don't Get Emotional

No one likes computer problems. Getting emotional, however, solves absolutely nothing – all it does is lengthen the amount of time you have to describe your problem and receive effective help - which will frustrate you even more.

Try to keep in mind that the person you're talking to didn't design the hardware or program the software that's giving you problems. He or she is there to help solve your problem based on the information given to them by you.

6. Don’t make the same posting in different areas

Don’t make the same posting in different areas – multi postings will quickly earn you considerable disfavour with the moderators!

Don’t post a new problem on someone else’s “thread” – start a new one of your own. This is a bad habit that has moderators gnashing their teeth in no time flat!

[leofelix]

Thank you Merlin_Magii
every member should read your post before asking for help.
I'm going to make sticky the thread you started

[Merlin_Magii]

*bows low courteously*

I thank you leofelix. My pleasure. I am flattered.

I have compiled a range of "Merlin's Briefing Notes" on a wide range of subjects for my clients and adapted this one for here in the hope it may make life easier for moderators.

[leofelix]

Thank you again for your efforts
really appreciated

[JayCub]

Thank you Merlin_Magii it's much appreciated, and well worthy of sticky, as it only helps to enhance an already fantastic forum.

[LizardMan]

This is a good post, thank you!

[johnshaw1917]

Very helpful post Merlin_Magii! Thank you.

[leofelix]

@ Merlin _Magii
you are really the Merlin The Wizard I was looking for and an example to follow.

May I ask you what is your opinion on Flooding and why some forum users (usually newbies) should avoid to post over and over, blindly, and with no experience in regards to what they are "copying and pasting" ehr sorry, I mean, talking about?;-)

I'm sorry for my poor english

Thank you again

[princeaniket]

wow..
your a bomb dear..
very good xplanation.. yeah..

three lines are very very important t0 explain

* What were you doing shortly before the problem occurred?

* What have you already done to troubleshoot the problem?

* Has the problem changed since it first started happening (

[KaYaN]

Great post Merlin_Magii.! All members must read this.
It's nice Leo to make this sticky