Guest Blogger: What makes a good question?
Whether you’re a Yahoo! Answers veteran or a newbie, after a short time exploring the site you’ll come to realize one of the basic truths of Answers:
In order to receive good answers, you need to provide good questions.
So what makes a good question?
A good question is articulate, to the point, and contains all the necessary information and/or background that the potential answerers need.
Of course, the definition of “relevant” information varies among the different categories, and some questions require specific details… You’ve probably thought of them when you were composing your question.
But just in case, here are some general guidelines:
- If the question deals with automobile maintenance and repairs, include the make, model and year of the car. Same goes for electrical appliances.
- If you’re asking for help with the identification of a wild animal or plant, please indicate the corresponding geographical location (country, state or province, etc).
- Providing a geographical reference is also vital if you’re asking about legal matters or financial issues, such as taxes.
- Computer problems? Don’t forget to mention your Operating System and software version number. If it’s a hardware problem, then make and model are essential.
- If you’re looking for help with Physics, Chemistry or Math topics please include the full details of your problem (specific conditions, additional factors, etc.).
- Asking for recipes? You can mention which units you use (pounds or kilos? Liters or ounces?), thus you’ll avoid getting indications that are harder to understand.
If you remember these recommendations, they’ll help you to get better answers.
The above is based on my personal experience, but I’m just one user. So what about you? From your experience on Yahoo! Answers what are your top tips for getting great answers to your questions?
If you are interested in guest blogging for Yahoo! Answers please email y_answrs_favorites@yahoo.com.
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My criteria for a good question:
1. Has complete enough info to allow someone to answer it.
2. Is succint.
3. Asks something you genuinely want to know.
4. Isn’t easily answered by a 5 second search of the internet or already resolved questions on Answers. So many identical questions have been answered so many times before with great answers…….check out the resolved questions before wasting your (and our) time!
What makes a good question?
•Proper grammar
•Straight to the point with no babbling/off topic information
•Serious questions that aren’t from kids asking people to do their homework, or asking if they are pretty.
•Questions of substance
•Questions posted in the correct category
•Questions that have not been asked many, MANY times before
Nice job, Cali
Use of the searchfeature before asking the question is a good thing.As this keeps questions from becoming redundant.
I think a good question is the one that is really a question:
1: it must be a question with so detailed information.
2: it shouldn’t be just for chating,or useless information like AM I GOOD IN THIS PHOTO?!
3: it must be the one that isn’t repeated,people must at first search,and if they can’t find their related question,then ask a new question.
I have seen more than one question that was clearly fed through a translator. It is nearly impossible to understand this type of question.
Thanks! I’ve always liked good questions!
Anything that doesn’t involve Justin Beeber, “am I pretty/rate me”, memories of 1988-2005 (yes, you, Randy), or a myriad of other inane juvenile nonsensical claptrappery.
A good question should also be short. I’ve seen hundreds of answers where it was clear the answerers did not read past the 5th line. So that may be the limit for holding another’s interest.
I don’t like questions that make you open a link (usually a news story) to find out what the question is actually about. In a few weeks the story is off line and then it makes even less sense.
Greetings, Cali.
I get the same person asking the same question over and over expecting to get a different answer.
I like it when people get directly to the point.
I like it when they have references but it is not a must.
I hate very one sided opinions.
Also it helps to personalize the question and not make the person feel completely stupid when asking the question.
Questions that catch my eye:
When they attempt to influence by emotion/attitude/behavior
Dont give the full question, draw them in and fully explain in the details.
Is this a question or an answer ?
i have to remember that not all people are as old as me. they might not even remember some of the things i am talking about. also, some folks don’t answer your questions, but use your question area to commit to your answerers. i learned to be nice to them too. i don’t get a lot of answers, but i have always had someone answer mine. i think that is nice.
What bugs me most is when someone asks a question and then insists every possible answer is wrong. People have insisted they replaced their entire car one part at a time, nothing works, and none of the replacement parts could possibly be defective. I have also seen answer in the legal section quote the relevant law AND provide a link to the legislature that enacted the law, only to be told they were an idiot, because the person asking didn’t LIKE the answer
There is no such thing as a guideline to coming up with a good question that’ll get lots of answers. I’ve seen good questions with lots of answers, yes. But at the same time I’ve seen poor questions with lots of answers. And I’ve seen good questions go relatively unanswered.
Getting lots of answers seems more tied to peak traffic hours on Y!Answers. So many of the truely good questions that went relatively unanswered are asked really early in the morning or really late at night. At these times there are people on, but not enough interested in answer the question to do so.
Good questions need to contain all the information in the least number of words possible so that the answerer doesn’t get bored of the question and thus doesn’t complete reading it…
I would like to give life in prison to anyone who posts a question using phone text spelling and grammar. Someone else already mentioned grammar and spelling, which is really important. But nothing drives an active answer-er like me nuttier than to see a question written like a text message, with the stupid abbreviations.
Generally, instead of answering these question, I mock the question-er for their childish behavior. Very satisfying.
Great job keep on ,I am glad to be here.
There are questions that have a straight, universal answer (If 4x+16=8-2/x, what is the first step to solving?) which should have enough details to be answered. Then the questions with different sorts of acceptable answers. (What to wear to a funeral besides black?) I personally like them better. Gives me a chance to be creative.
To me, a good question is one that we aren’t penalized for asking. Who likes losing points?
toate bune