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A comprehensive guide to high quality posts 03-01-2018, 07:12 AM
#1
This forum has grown substantially over the last couple years, and with that we've started to get fragmented in our posts. It's becoming ever harder to find what you're looking for when you post, and it's lead to many people asking the same question multiple times, people not getting their answers, and member frustration. In an attempt to alleviate these issues I'm writing this thread. I want to be clear, this isn't a hate thread, the goal is to solve that problem. So how do I write quality posts you ask? I have 5 basic principles for this.
Principles of a quality post
1. - Write in plain, clear English, using complete sentences
This stems from our very first rule, which is titled Post Etiquette and begins with the text "You may not make short, . . . posts. . . . Your posts must also be legible, have decent grammar, and be in English.". Now, this rule isn't as blanket or as strict as it implies. You won't be banned if you use a fragmented sentence or misspell a word, that would be foolish, however you can aspire as if it were such. Writing your posts in full sentences and complete thoughts not only will make you appear as intelligent, but will also aid other members in understanding what you're saying.
2. - Provide as much information as you can when asking a question
Please remember this is not StackOverflow, Reddit, or the likes, this is a forum. Forums are a place to share and discuss ideas, and many of the ideas discussed here are quite complex. If you have a problem and you need help from the community, we are very happy to assist you, but we won't be able to unless we can understand what you're asking or what you need help with. You will find the best and most prompt responses to your threads if you can describe it in complete detail when you make the initial post. If you do not, members will need to draw that information out of you before they can help you, and many members may simply ignore your thread entirely. This concept also applies to guides and tutorials--If you are incomplete when you explain the topic at hand, members will need to ask for clarification or more information in the replies, and as the thread grows larger those may get buried and members will need to repeat their questions. By being complete and clear, you will ensure that your post remains on topic for longer, and you won't have to answer the same question multiple times.
3 - Explain the points you make if you are describing a topic or writing a tutorial
If you are writing a tutorial--a type of post written for the sole purpose of teaching members something you know--you should be very detailed in your approach. In tutorial writing, there is no such thing as too much information, our maximum size for a post is quite large. Remember that many of our members will be new to what you are describing, some of them may be seeing this topic for the very first time, when you write a tutorial you will want to cater to them just as well as the seasoned members.
4 - Be humble, and don't be afraid to ask questions
Nothing will repel members from your thread more than being arrogant. Be humble, this is a learning community, if you are an expert you should be aiming to make others experts as well. A high quality thread will never shoot another member down for not understanding or not knowing enough information, but rather provide them with resources they can use to get up to speed. The same goes the other way, high quality posts can be made by members with no experience in a subject as well. Never be afraid to ask questions, don't pretend to be all knowing and argue points you don't understand, ask questions so that you can understand and then offer your points as a contribution. If you ever feel that your question may go unanswered, or your tutorials not be read just remember that this is a growing forum, new members come here every single day and most read quite a few threads before emerging from the shadows. Even if you don't believe people will understand the content of your threads right away, that shouldn't discourage you from posting them. Someone else may later post threads that bridge the gap, or maybe members will arrive that have the base knowledge required. Bottom line is, if you have a thought or question, post it, but be respectful to those around you when doing so.
5 - Use all resources you have, including other posts here on SL
This is the most important one of all in my eyes. If you've ever been on a forum or exchange before, the concept of the search utility should not be new. For most however, this extremely powerful tool is often neglected, and it contributes a severe amount to post fragmentation and member frustration. If you're having trouble, it's understandable to jump straight to the section that it pertains to and make a thread asking for help. Often you may get your answer that way, but you could improve on that philosophy and potentially get your answer a lot quicker by using the search tool. Many of the problems that members have here are common ones, they've been asked many times, and most of them have been answered. By using the search tool, you can determine if your question has already been asked, and from there you can see what the responses have been. If your question hasn't been answered, but it's very close or related to a different question that was asked, it may be more beneficial to reply to the post that it's most similar to and ask it that way. If you do this, as time builds these threads will become mini tutorials for certain tasks, or even a FAQ. The search tool here at SL is extremely powerful, it can pick up on threads that are similar to what you're requesting, and even if they aren't what you were looking for, reading them will help grow your knowledge-base. Many of our members have gathered up all of their knowledge and created FAQ and helpdesk threads, you should look at these as well, they're incredible resources. This seems most pertinent to the Social Engineering section. With this section, many threads are the same question, differing only in the target. For most cases, these can all be lumped together into one thread, you should take these types of scenarios into account. Determine the subject, the question, and the category when you are searching. If you can't find it already posted somewhere, then please make a new thread and describe everything, following the above four principles. If you see a case where a member is getting frustrated because they can't figure something out and they've created an extra post, do some research on their behalf and link them to threads that may have already answered their question.
Here's some example thread links from common questions about SE:
Skryptec's Social Engineering Panel
Returning the wrong product
Amazon refunding tutorial
receipt forgery
Serial number generator
[Question] Amazon account policy
Reshipping
I simply did a basic search based on what I laid out in this paragraph, it took me less than 2 minutes to read through these threads and select a few that may be helpful to you.
Remember, if you follow these principles, your posts will be written nicely, helpful, and less frustrating to other members and yourself. It can be frustrating to ask a question and then have it buried by new threads and nobody ever answers it, but it can be just as frustrating to see the same question asked in different context a number of times. Reform starts small, and it starts with you. Our members respect members who have a track record of writing quality posts, and we would much prefer you write neat and high quality posts, than if you wrote 50 posts a day. Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great experience here--happy posting.
Principles of a quality post
- Write in plain, clear English, using complete (or nearly) sentences.
- Provide as much information as you can when asking a question.
- Explain the points you make if you are describing a topic or writing a tutorial.
- Be humble, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
- Use all resources you have, including other posts here on SL.
1. - Write in plain, clear English, using complete sentences
This stems from our very first rule, which is titled Post Etiquette and begins with the text "You may not make short, . . . posts. . . . Your posts must also be legible, have decent grammar, and be in English.". Now, this rule isn't as blanket or as strict as it implies. You won't be banned if you use a fragmented sentence or misspell a word, that would be foolish, however you can aspire as if it were such. Writing your posts in full sentences and complete thoughts not only will make you appear as intelligent, but will also aid other members in understanding what you're saying.
2. - Provide as much information as you can when asking a question
Please remember this is not StackOverflow, Reddit, or the likes, this is a forum. Forums are a place to share and discuss ideas, and many of the ideas discussed here are quite complex. If you have a problem and you need help from the community, we are very happy to assist you, but we won't be able to unless we can understand what you're asking or what you need help with. You will find the best and most prompt responses to your threads if you can describe it in complete detail when you make the initial post. If you do not, members will need to draw that information out of you before they can help you, and many members may simply ignore your thread entirely. This concept also applies to guides and tutorials--If you are incomplete when you explain the topic at hand, members will need to ask for clarification or more information in the replies, and as the thread grows larger those may get buried and members will need to repeat their questions. By being complete and clear, you will ensure that your post remains on topic for longer, and you won't have to answer the same question multiple times.
3 - Explain the points you make if you are describing a topic or writing a tutorial
If you are writing a tutorial--a type of post written for the sole purpose of teaching members something you know--you should be very detailed in your approach. In tutorial writing, there is no such thing as too much information, our maximum size for a post is quite large. Remember that many of our members will be new to what you are describing, some of them may be seeing this topic for the very first time, when you write a tutorial you will want to cater to them just as well as the seasoned members.
4 - Be humble, and don't be afraid to ask questions
Nothing will repel members from your thread more than being arrogant. Be humble, this is a learning community, if you are an expert you should be aiming to make others experts as well. A high quality thread will never shoot another member down for not understanding or not knowing enough information, but rather provide them with resources they can use to get up to speed. The same goes the other way, high quality posts can be made by members with no experience in a subject as well. Never be afraid to ask questions, don't pretend to be all knowing and argue points you don't understand, ask questions so that you can understand and then offer your points as a contribution. If you ever feel that your question may go unanswered, or your tutorials not be read just remember that this is a growing forum, new members come here every single day and most read quite a few threads before emerging from the shadows. Even if you don't believe people will understand the content of your threads right away, that shouldn't discourage you from posting them. Someone else may later post threads that bridge the gap, or maybe members will arrive that have the base knowledge required. Bottom line is, if you have a thought or question, post it, but be respectful to those around you when doing so.
5 - Use all resources you have, including other posts here on SL
This is the most important one of all in my eyes. If you've ever been on a forum or exchange before, the concept of the search utility should not be new. For most however, this extremely powerful tool is often neglected, and it contributes a severe amount to post fragmentation and member frustration. If you're having trouble, it's understandable to jump straight to the section that it pertains to and make a thread asking for help. Often you may get your answer that way, but you could improve on that philosophy and potentially get your answer a lot quicker by using the search tool. Many of the problems that members have here are common ones, they've been asked many times, and most of them have been answered. By using the search tool, you can determine if your question has already been asked, and from there you can see what the responses have been. If your question hasn't been answered, but it's very close or related to a different question that was asked, it may be more beneficial to reply to the post that it's most similar to and ask it that way. If you do this, as time builds these threads will become mini tutorials for certain tasks, or even a FAQ. The search tool here at SL is extremely powerful, it can pick up on threads that are similar to what you're requesting, and even if they aren't what you were looking for, reading them will help grow your knowledge-base. Many of our members have gathered up all of their knowledge and created FAQ and helpdesk threads, you should look at these as well, they're incredible resources. This seems most pertinent to the Social Engineering section. With this section, many threads are the same question, differing only in the target. For most cases, these can all be lumped together into one thread, you should take these types of scenarios into account. Determine the subject, the question, and the category when you are searching. If you can't find it already posted somewhere, then please make a new thread and describe everything, following the above four principles. If you see a case where a member is getting frustrated because they can't figure something out and they've created an extra post, do some research on their behalf and link them to threads that may have already answered their question.
Here's some example thread links from common questions about SE:
Skryptec's Social Engineering Panel
Returning the wrong product
Amazon refunding tutorial
receipt forgery
Serial number generator
[Question] Amazon account policy
Reshipping
I simply did a basic search based on what I laid out in this paragraph, it took me less than 2 minutes to read through these threads and select a few that may be helpful to you.
Remember, if you follow these principles, your posts will be written nicely, helpful, and less frustrating to other members and yourself. It can be frustrating to ask a question and then have it buried by new threads and nobody ever answers it, but it can be just as frustrating to see the same question asked in different context a number of times. Reform starts small, and it starts with you. Our members respect members who have a track record of writing quality posts, and we would much prefer you write neat and high quality posts, than if you wrote 50 posts a day. Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great experience here--happy posting.
(This post was last modified: 03-02-2018, 02:57 PM by phyrrus9.)
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