I used to think you had to ask a perfect question to get a good answer, but now I just start typing.

After getting stuck for an hour trying to phrase a question about fixing my garage door opener, I finally posted 'garage door goes up but not down, help' and got the right fix in 20 minutes, so has anyone else found that being less formal gets you better help faster?

3 comments

3 Comments

caseys522mo ago

Finley's right about people seeing the same problem a lot. I see this everywhere now, like when I just tell the doctor "my knee hurts when I run" instead of a long medical story. They know what to ask next. The simpler you start, the faster they can cut to the real issue.

joseph_hart1mo ago

Reminds me of when my neighbor asked me how to fix his lawnmower last spring. He spent fifteen minutes telling me about the weather and the grass type before he got to "it won't start." I had it figured out in two minutes once he said that. @caseys52, you're dead on about doctors too. Last time I went in I just said "my shoulder clicks when I lift things" and the nurse had me moving it around before I even finished the sentence. They don't need the whole backstory, just the punchline.

finley_lopez982mo ago

Wait, you spent a whole hour trying to ask about a garage door? That's wild to me. I get overthinking a work email but a forum post? I just blurt out the problem now. The people who know the answer have seen it a hundred times, they don't need a perfect story. Your example proves it, you got the fix because you just said what was wrong.