Getting an answer is not always an easy task. I’ve had people tell me I am “brilliant” when able to help them find a solution to their web design or troubleshoot their computer. I won’t dispute the fact that I am smart (I hate it when people downplay intelligence. If you are intelligent, you need not be ashamed of it.) I’m not talking about IQ points here either. My “intelligence” is the result of hard work and an intense desire to learn how things work. I also know how to get answers and get them fast. My suggestions are geared toward getting technical answers, but can be applied to just about any kind of research. Here are my tips:
1. Ask. Yep – just ask. Someone out here in cyberspace probably already knows how to solve your problem. They won’t be randomly emailing you anytime soon, so you need to make yourself known. Find a forum that specializes in the area you need help in. If you have a medical question, don’t post it in a geek forum as you are likely to get the wrong kind of instructions for resuscitating your hard drive. (Please be sure to follow the forum etiquette and do search for answers before you post. Oftentimes the answer is already there if you take a moment to look for it.)
2. Ask again. No, I do not mean *bump* your thread in the first forum. Find another forum, blog or social network and ask the same question. It’s not hard. Copy/paste is your friend here. And if you are one of the smart folks using a bookmark or tagging system, you can track all these threads in a group for easy reference. ;)
3. Google. Now you’re probably asking why didn’t I start with Google. Shouldn’t Google (or any search engine) be the first step? Well yes and no. I usually start with a simple Google search and if I don’t find a precise solution within the first 5-10 results, I start with step #1 above. But forums can often be faster than Google and here’s why…if you start with a forum (again, search before you post), you will need to wait for a reply. This buys you time to really scour Google, and if you’re fortunate enough to have found an active community, you may have a reply within a few minutes of posting. However, your Googling is not wasted time. You will need your research for the next step.
4. Follow up. This is the most critical step in finding a solution fast. As you are waiting for a reply and working your way through the rabbit trails on Google search, start noting bits and pieces of info you pick up that may be related to your problem. Oftentimes, technical folks like us don’t reply to your post because we just don’t have enough information to go on. If you follow up and post what you find in your research, it tells us that you are actively involved in trying to figure it out (you will score major brownie points for that) and you may post some data that triggers our brains to cough up the solution.
5. Share. The most frustrating thing that happens when searching for answers in the Internet is finding a blog or forum post that describes your problem to a “T”. You click on it and scroll down only to find a single follow up post by the original poster that says “Nevermind, I fixed it.” That is the point where I bang my fist on my desk and ask my monitor “WHAT? WHAT DID YOU FIND? HOW DID YOU FIX IT?” Arg. Don’t be so rude. Once you find your answer and solve your problem, go back to all of the blogs and threads you posted on and post the answer! Again, copy/paste works wonders here and if you bookmarked them all it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to do this – tops. Posting your answer will save someone else hours and hours of searching. And someday, someone else will do the same for you.
PS – the Girl Talk Forums are back up and functioning, so feel free to start posting questions in there. ;)
