Being able to ask smart questions is imperative for software engineers (for things such as debugging code for example). Firstly, it saves time and resources. Clear, well-articulated questions provide answerers with the necessary context needed to understand the problem at hand, speeding up the troubleshooting process, which is essential in the fast-paced world of software development.
Furthermore, smart questions promote a culture of effective communication, knowledge-sharing and growth. They encourage meaningful discussions, where a variety of perspectives are considered. Nurturing a supportive environment, developers can improve on their programming knowledge by asking, answering, and learning from smart questions.
Here is an example of a “smart” question.
This StackOverflow post embodies a smart question. The author offers just enough background details for people to understand the problem without major ambiguities. They mention the programming language, share appropriate code snippets, and even describe the running times of their code. The author also narrates through their thought process. They explained how they thought their code worked, and were transparent in mentioning what they did to try to figure the problem out for themselves. Having others fish for information to figure out how you got to the problem you arrived at will waste time and diminish the productiveness of any potential responses.
Besides providing the essential context upfront, what distinguishes this as a smart question is the author’s clear indication of what they want answered. Many aspiring developers can mistakenly believe that vague inquiries or queries will lead them to swift resolutions. This approach can be frustrating. In this case, the author outlines what questions/concepts they are hung up on. This allows answerers to give more direct responses with explanations and information relevant to what the author wants to know.
Here is an example of a “not so smart” question.
Unlike the smart question, this StackOverflow post is quite broad and is not very fleshed out. The way it is written suggests that the author doesn’t understand the extent of the problem they are inquiring about. They don’t mention any attempts at trying to solve the problem on their own, and it gives the impression that the author is acting impulsively by turning to an online forum for help as their initial step rather than as a last resort. Consequently, the answers are general, and some of the information posited very well could have been researched beforehand by the author.
Now, combing through StackOverflow in order to find these smart and not so smart questions has helped me realize the dynamics of online developer communities. By understanding community norms and what constitutes a well-received and well-constructed question, I hope to actively engage and contribute in such spaces more effectively.