The RR Journals: Asking Good Questions
11-07-2004, 07:48 PM
#1
Not a Blowhole
Thread Starter
The RR Journals: Asking Good Questions
We had a thread on this over at www.s2ki.com, and some of the Q's asked here recently suggest that a friendly best practices post is in order.
Ever heard the acronym GIGO? It stands for garbage in, garbage out. In the context of this thread, it means that if you ask a question that is ambiguous, or lacks sufficient detail and context someone who is a subject matter expert (SME) might have a hard time providing an answer - or even worse, be unwilling to do so.
Since many questions are not conducive to pictures, precise language, and precise context, are essential. Words mean things. Try to be specfic, and use the richness of the English language - saying "My car like vibrates or whatever" sounds cool on MTV, but it is annoying to most people with some smarts.
An SME should not have to do all the legwork to pry a good question from someone - after all, you are asking someone else to help you - why should that be painful for the helper?
Let's consider a typical dumb question:
"My car vibrates - what can i do?"
Is this a good question? (Hint: No)
The helpee needs to provide the following:
1) Does it do this all the time? if not, state the conditions (at start-up, when air is cold, when air is hot, etc.)
2) Does the whole car shake, or do you feel the vibration in the steering wheel?
3) Is your rear view mirror shaking so you cannot see cars clearly?
4) Is the car making any odd noises when shaking (such as tire bump, or a mechanical screech, or a grinding, etc)
5) Have you taken the car to the Dealer - if so, what was done? Did it: help, make it worse, do nothing?
6) Have you had an accident or done something not good for the car (Hit a pothole, driven over a parking speed bump too fast - people sometimes do not want to fess up - hey, if you go to an attorney, holding back will not help you - face the music - few or no one will make fun of you).
7) How many miles are on your car?
8) Does having passengers help the problem, or make it worse?
9) If it sounds like a common problem, listen to your inner voice - do a Search first. Nothing irks an SM more than someone asking a question who has put absolutely the minimal amount of sweat into solving thier own question.
So when Road Rage, for example, gets a question (let alone a PM) that says "What oil should I use?", it should be obvious why blood pressure rises. Again, following the line of reason concept:
1) What car are we talking about? (You'd be surprised - I give an answer and the reply says "I am talking about Uncle Fred's DeSoto).
2) Where do you live?- and what is the climate (coldest temp, hottest temp)?
3) Do you want to follow the factory recommendation, or are you open to other options? (viscosity, oil change interval (OCI), and so forth)
4) What are the cost constraints, if any (are yuou a student, naturally a cheapskate, etc)
5) Do you use the vehicle for abnormal conditions? (track: road course or drag?; do you tow a boat or a Skidoo or snowmobile?)
6) How many miles do you drive a week?
7) Is it urban stop and go, suburban mix, or mostly highway?
And so forth.....
And here is another tip - don't be argumentative - it amazes me when i see a question posted, and the poster gets into a public pizzing contest with a postee. Clarifying is one thing - being a PITA is another. If you are no Einstein, would you debate him in the solution of a differential equation? Mumble under your breath, cuss them in silence, but keep it to yourself. Advice is given freely - making the service provider wish they had not engaged is not a winning strategy. And once a person gets a rep, they will be avoided like the plague.
Starting to get the picture?
Point is, SME's should not be expected to be CSI's. You are asking for help, and that help comes at the expense of time and energy by the SME - why should it be any more painful than it needs to be?
You are not expected to be an expert - because sometimes asking a question requires some expertise - but some of the basics do not, such as cold-start only, it goes away after 10 minutes on the highway, or it started after I hit that armadillo.
Self-help seems to be a dying virtue, in these days of instant Internet gratification. But asking for help does not mean people should be treated like they are Google.
Consider this post to be a friendly reminder of how to avoid GIGO. It is not meant to be coercive, pompous, arrogant, preacher-like, or anything like that.
The members, visitors (not trolls or lurkers), and moderators of this Forum are generally good people. But if you invest nothing in your question, do not be surprised when you get a snap answer, or a wise-axx answer.
And lastly, do not forget Recognition points - while I doubt any of us will get to Heaven based on RP's, they are a nice symbol of customer love. A little sugar goes a long way - SME's are people, and everyone appreciates being appreciated. It is human nature.
As I like to say, "Beware the one sentence Internet answer, bearing a grudge".
Ever heard the acronym GIGO? It stands for garbage in, garbage out. In the context of this thread, it means that if you ask a question that is ambiguous, or lacks sufficient detail and context someone who is a subject matter expert (SME) might have a hard time providing an answer - or even worse, be unwilling to do so.
Since many questions are not conducive to pictures, precise language, and precise context, are essential. Words mean things. Try to be specfic, and use the richness of the English language - saying "My car like vibrates or whatever" sounds cool on MTV, but it is annoying to most people with some smarts.
An SME should not have to do all the legwork to pry a good question from someone - after all, you are asking someone else to help you - why should that be painful for the helper?
Let's consider a typical dumb question:
"My car vibrates - what can i do?"
Is this a good question? (Hint: No)
The helpee needs to provide the following:
1) Does it do this all the time? if not, state the conditions (at start-up, when air is cold, when air is hot, etc.)
2) Does the whole car shake, or do you feel the vibration in the steering wheel?
3) Is your rear view mirror shaking so you cannot see cars clearly?
4) Is the car making any odd noises when shaking (such as tire bump, or a mechanical screech, or a grinding, etc)
5) Have you taken the car to the Dealer - if so, what was done? Did it: help, make it worse, do nothing?
6) Have you had an accident or done something not good for the car (Hit a pothole, driven over a parking speed bump too fast - people sometimes do not want to fess up - hey, if you go to an attorney, holding back will not help you - face the music - few or no one will make fun of you).
7) How many miles are on your car?
8) Does having passengers help the problem, or make it worse?
9) If it sounds like a common problem, listen to your inner voice - do a Search first. Nothing irks an SM more than someone asking a question who has put absolutely the minimal amount of sweat into solving thier own question.
So when Road Rage, for example, gets a question (let alone a PM) that says "What oil should I use?", it should be obvious why blood pressure rises. Again, following the line of reason concept:
1) What car are we talking about? (You'd be surprised - I give an answer and the reply says "I am talking about Uncle Fred's DeSoto).
2) Where do you live?- and what is the climate (coldest temp, hottest temp)?
3) Do you want to follow the factory recommendation, or are you open to other options? (viscosity, oil change interval (OCI), and so forth)
4) What are the cost constraints, if any (are yuou a student, naturally a cheapskate, etc)
5) Do you use the vehicle for abnormal conditions? (track: road course or drag?; do you tow a boat or a Skidoo or snowmobile?)
6) How many miles do you drive a week?
7) Is it urban stop and go, suburban mix, or mostly highway?
And so forth.....
And here is another tip - don't be argumentative - it amazes me when i see a question posted, and the poster gets into a public pizzing contest with a postee. Clarifying is one thing - being a PITA is another. If you are no Einstein, would you debate him in the solution of a differential equation? Mumble under your breath, cuss them in silence, but keep it to yourself. Advice is given freely - making the service provider wish they had not engaged is not a winning strategy. And once a person gets a rep, they will be avoided like the plague.
Starting to get the picture?
Point is, SME's should not be expected to be CSI's. You are asking for help, and that help comes at the expense of time and energy by the SME - why should it be any more painful than it needs to be?
You are not expected to be an expert - because sometimes asking a question requires some expertise - but some of the basics do not, such as cold-start only, it goes away after 10 minutes on the highway, or it started after I hit that armadillo.
Self-help seems to be a dying virtue, in these days of instant Internet gratification. But asking for help does not mean people should be treated like they are Google.
Consider this post to be a friendly reminder of how to avoid GIGO. It is not meant to be coercive, pompous, arrogant, preacher-like, or anything like that.
The members, visitors (not trolls or lurkers), and moderators of this Forum are generally good people. But if you invest nothing in your question, do not be surprised when you get a snap answer, or a wise-axx answer.
And lastly, do not forget Recognition points - while I doubt any of us will get to Heaven based on RP's, they are a nice symbol of customer love. A little sugar goes a long way - SME's are people, and everyone appreciates being appreciated. It is human nature.
As I like to say, "Beware the one sentence Internet answer, bearing a grudge".
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Whiteacura10 (01-23-2015)
03-21-2011, 06:13 PM
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Speaking of good questions........I have a 2006 Acura tl 5at with navigation. I am planning to replace the timing belt and water pump. I was reading somewhere here on this site that to access the timing belt it is necessary to remove the one engine mount closest to it. Is it recommended to support the engine from underneath the vehicle or are the other engine mounts be able to handle the weight? If anybody has done this job please let me know. Also i just ordered the service manual and I plan to do this job as properly as possible.
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