No Stupid Questions, Just Smart Approaches
30 Jan 2025“You’ve probably heard the saying, ‘There’s no such thing as a dumb question,’ maybe from a teacher or a speaker trying to encourage shy folks in the audience to speak up. And they’re not wrong—Carl Sagan once said something similar: ‘There are no stupid questions, just stupid people who ask questions.’ Now, who am I to judge those asking questions? But maybe that’s why we’re so scared to ask them in the first place. Before learning how to ask questions effectively in my ICS 314 class, I wouldn’t have known how to frame my questions in a way that makes me sound thoughtful and engaged, while also making it easier for others to understand my problem and help me out.”
That said, let me walk you through how developers ask smart questions on StackOverflow.
First: Why should I care about asking questions a certain way?
“You attract what you put out,” and that applies to your actions, attitudes, and even how you ask questions. As a developer, when you ask a question, it shouldn’t be vague or lazy. For example, asking, “Why isn’t my code working?” gives no context and suggests you haven’t put in the effort to troubleshoot the issue yourself. In most cases, questions like this will go unanswered because people don’t have the time—or patience—to dig into what you’re actually trying to solve. It’s like expecting someone to read your mind, which is not only impossible but also frustrating for everyone involved. Asking well-thought-out question can often lead to receiving helpful feedback.
Case of Not-So-Smart Question
As I scrolled through Stack Overflow, I noticed that many questions on the platform lacked the concept of a “smart question.” For instance:
This is a perfect example of what not to do. Let’s break down why this post falls short.
First, the title of the post provides no context about the error or issue. You have to click into the post and sift through the code to even understand what’s being asked. The poster claims they did some research and found a problem, but they fail to explain what the problem was or what steps they took to try and resolve it. Instead, they dumped their entire code, leaving others to figure it out for themselves.
Additionally, the post includes irrelevant details like, “I’m a newB teaching myself JS using JS is sexy.” While this might seem harmless, it’s unprofessional and adds no value to the question. On a platform like Stack Overflow, where clarity and efficiency are key, such details only distract from the actual problem.
Unsurprisingly, this post received very few answers and even accumulated -3 votes, signaling to professionals that it wasn’t worth their time to engage with.
This is an example of a smart question on Stack Overflow, and here’s why:
- Clear Title: The title concisely describes the problem, making it easy to understand at a glance.
- Relevant Code with Context: The post included only the necessary code snippets, providing enough context for others to follow along.
- Attempted Solutions: They explained what techniques they tried and why those approaches didn’t work.
- Specific Question: The post ends with a clear, focused question, making it easier for others to provide targeted help.
Clicking into the link reveals just how effective this approach is: the post has 1.3 million views, 63 answers, and 944 votes. Based on this data alone, it’s clear that asking smarter questions leads to more engagement, better answers, and a higher likelihood of solving your problem.
Our Main Takeaway
After seeing the difference between these two posts, I hope there’s a key takeaway here. First, don’t be lazy and expect the internet to solve your problems or read your mind. Second, while there are no stupid questions, you attract what you put out. As we’ve seen from the two examples, putting in effort and showing a genuine desire to learn will attract professionals who are willing to help you.
AI
ChatGPT was used to refine the grammar and the clarity of my writing, however, all ideas and contents are entirely my own.