Be taken seriously when asking for help

[dlambert]

Well done.

[NgaiHill]

Well said.

I'd like to add to #1, if you ask for help about a problem that's cropping up in your photos, post a flipping example!!!
I've seen a lot of "Why are my photos blurry?" type questions lately with no exif and no dang photo. I usually close the tab at that point, which doesn't help the OP but whats the point in trying to answer a question like that without seeing the pic.

[Doug Sundseth]

Originally Posted by NgaiHill

Well said.

I'd like to add to #1, if you ask for help about a problem that's cropping up in your photos, post a flipping example!!!
I've seen a lot of "Why are my photos blurry?" type questions lately with no exif and no dang photo. I usually close the tab at that point, which doesn't help the OP but whats the point in trying to answer a question like that without seeing the pic.

It's tempting to reply with some variation of, "Because your photos, like this question, have no clear focus and not enough detail."

I think it's well to remember, though, that people without much subject knowledge are deep in the "don't know what they don't know" space. They honestly have no idea what sorts of information is needed to diagnose a problem. ("See, when I drive, my car has this clunk ... well, I guess it's really more like a clank. Can you fix it?")

I wonder whether a Troubleshooting forum with stickied threads for "My photo is blurry", "My photo is grainy", "All my portaits look blue", and "I bought this really expensive camera and I still can't take good pictures of my kid's basketball game" would be worthwhile. It might reduce some discussions to a single link.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by metallion58

+1 on your whole post Jim.
A little clarification about this part toughs...


However, some posters have crossed the line between direct and blunt to downright rude and insulting, as we've often seen lately.

Push the pink button and flag those posts... same person keeps getting flagged and the mods will moderate.

[NgaiHill]

Originally Posted by Doug Sundseth

It's tempting to reply with some variation of, "Because your photos, like this question, have no clear focus and not enough detail."

I think it's well to remember, though, that people without much subject knowledge are deep in the "don't know what they don't know" space. They honestly have no idea what sorts of information is needed to diagnose a problem. ("See, when I drive, my car has this clunk ... well, I guess it's really more like a clank. Can you fix it?")

I wonder whether a Troubleshooting forum with stickied threads for "My photo is blurry", "My photo is grainy", "All my portaits look blue", and "I bought this really expensive camera and I still can't take good pictures of my kid's basketball game" would be worthwhile. It might reduce some discussions to a single link.

I understand the "newbie not knowing the question to ask, don't know what they don't know" scenario. I've been there before, in photography & other areas. I don't have a problem with the "Why is my photo blurry?" question, its the not posting an example along with the question that I have issue with.

If your car was clanking (and still driveable) would you take it to the mechanic so he could look at it or leave the car at home & just walk along and try to explain it to him?

[Doug Sundseth]

I'm a technical writer. I'd ignore the manuals and try to fix it myself.



No, I'd try to identify any commonalities to when the noise happened (car temperature, speed, engine speed, whatever) and give as much context to the mechanic as I could. But I've talked to mechanics when they weren't working on my car; I think I'm a better customer than the average.

If I thought that "blurry" had a single cause that I, as a newbie, just didn't know, perhaps I'd just ask the question without an example.

Of course I think it's smart to show a photo and ask for help with a specific question. (I've written that enough times to start to believe it. ) But when you're feeling overwhelmed, it's possible that you aren't as coherent as usual. I'd hope that I'd have enough empathy to be able to start from that assumption in my response.

[NathanFranke]

Originally Posted by Jim Poor

4. Do some reading before you ask! When there are three threads on the front page that all ask essentially the SAME question, it's quite obvious that you've been to lazy to do some research to help yourself. Why should we take time to help you?

The search function on the threads does suck, but Google doesn't. Typing

[keywords regarding my question] site:digital-photography-school.com/forum

will dig through the entirety of every thread ever posted to find relevant stuff. Even if you've done your due diligence, no one may know the answer to your question.

[Bruce A]

While making your post a sticky is a great idea Jim. But it won't make a bit of difference - or I'll be damn surpised if it did. A lot of new posters obviously don't read a darn thing on this forum before they rush in and post. There needs to be in large, stand-out colored letters
: Ist posters read this before rushing in and saving yourselves from embarrassment

[ArmySoldier777]

Originally Posted by Bruce A

While making your post a sticky is a great idea Jim. But it won't make a bit of difference - or I'll be damn surpised if it did. A lot of new posters obviously don't read a darn thing on this forum before they rush in and post. There needs to be in large, stand-out colored letters
: Ist posters read this before rushing in and saving yourselves from embarrassment

Lol, they'd probably still pass it up

Nathan makes a good point too. The DPS search function might suck, but Google does pretty well at searching through the posts on here. I just type in the question and throw in "DPS" in the keywords and it usually finds relevant posts on here.

Now if the last post on that specific topic was a couple years old, then it's understandable to re-ask the question. Technology can change a lot within a couple of years, therefor so do your options.