Rodasch
01-23-2011, 02:53 AM
Whether you are a bright and shiny new player or a veteran, computer savvy or technologically challenged, or somewhere in the middle, there might come a time where you want or require advice, input, or help with something to do with the game. When that time comes, and you ask for help, here's a few pointers to ensuring you have the best chance of receiving quality responses.
DOs:
1.) State the problem you are having clearly, completely, but as concisely as possible. Give all relevant information and error messages/symptoms along with what you were trying to do when you got the issue. Do not include extraneous information.
2.) Make your subject line direct, specific, and relevant. Include the basic problem description or subject in your subject line.(example: "Question regarding Lesser Reincarnation", "Problem with Greensteel Crafting", or "Crashing to Desktop issue when changing zones" would let the potential reader know what the thread is about so they can tell whether to read it and potentially reply). This also makes it easier for others to find answers to similar questions later using search.
3.) Make sure you've checked the wiki and searched the forums for the answer to be sure it wasn't answered already. if you have searched but could not find it, say so in your thread (example: "I tried searching using the terms xxxxx and yyyyy but found nothing that answered my question, can someone please direct me to the correct answer.")
4.) State what you have already tried in your attempts to resolve the issue, this will cut down on the number of replies telling you to do stuff you've already done and will help you resolve your issue faster. (example: "I have already uninstalled and reinstalled the ddo client to no avail, as well as updating all my drivers")
DON'Ts:
1.) Don't be belligerent or insulting in your subject line or message body. People are less inclined to help someone who is being insulting, arrogant, or condescending. If you're asking for help, ask nicely and with respect and most will respond in kind.
2.) Don't be lazy. Be clear in your wording, do your best to convey your message without hurting the reader's eyes. Use paragraph breaks as appropriate. Try to format the text for ease of reading. Wall-of-text is hard to read and unlikely to get quality responses. Use the space bar and enter keys when needed :)
3.) Don't express opinion as fact. Stick to the actual facts when discussing the problem you are having and the attempted solutions. If you must voice an opinion or supposition about what you think might be a problem, state it as an opinion. (example: "I thought it might be my video card, could that be the case?" rather than "It's probably my video card")
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If anyone else has any suggestions to add to this list, I welcome them and will edit it to be as complete as possible. I'm also open to change suggestions for anything I listed.
I hope this can prove helpful to people who need help in the future.
DOs:
1.) State the problem you are having clearly, completely, but as concisely as possible. Give all relevant information and error messages/symptoms along with what you were trying to do when you got the issue. Do not include extraneous information.
2.) Make your subject line direct, specific, and relevant. Include the basic problem description or subject in your subject line.(example: "Question regarding Lesser Reincarnation", "Problem with Greensteel Crafting", or "Crashing to Desktop issue when changing zones" would let the potential reader know what the thread is about so they can tell whether to read it and potentially reply). This also makes it easier for others to find answers to similar questions later using search.
3.) Make sure you've checked the wiki and searched the forums for the answer to be sure it wasn't answered already. if you have searched but could not find it, say so in your thread (example: "I tried searching using the terms xxxxx and yyyyy but found nothing that answered my question, can someone please direct me to the correct answer.")
4.) State what you have already tried in your attempts to resolve the issue, this will cut down on the number of replies telling you to do stuff you've already done and will help you resolve your issue faster. (example: "I have already uninstalled and reinstalled the ddo client to no avail, as well as updating all my drivers")
DON'Ts:
1.) Don't be belligerent or insulting in your subject line or message body. People are less inclined to help someone who is being insulting, arrogant, or condescending. If you're asking for help, ask nicely and with respect and most will respond in kind.
2.) Don't be lazy. Be clear in your wording, do your best to convey your message without hurting the reader's eyes. Use paragraph breaks as appropriate. Try to format the text for ease of reading. Wall-of-text is hard to read and unlikely to get quality responses. Use the space bar and enter keys when needed :)
3.) Don't express opinion as fact. Stick to the actual facts when discussing the problem you are having and the attempted solutions. If you must voice an opinion or supposition about what you think might be a problem, state it as an opinion. (example: "I thought it might be my video card, could that be the case?" rather than "It's probably my video card")
--------------------------------------------
If anyone else has any suggestions to add to this list, I welcome them and will edit it to be as complete as possible. I'm also open to change suggestions for anything I listed.
I hope this can prove helpful to people who need help in the future.