1. Please try to indicate the nature of your request in your
subject line. "Help" is not very informative. My eye will just glide
further down the page to find someone who's prepared to tell me what he
wants.
2. "Please" and "Thank you" are always good incentives for me to help.
3. I'm much more likely to help you if I think you've already worked
hard on it. There's no point in telling me you want to know how to
write such-and-such a letter. Try doing it yourself first, then I'll
help you out.
4. Sentences without capitalisation or punctuation or using "chat" abbreviations are a real turn-off for me.
5. It's very rewarding when people post back their thanks - besides,
that way I know you've seen my answer. It doesn't have to be every
time, but once in a while is nice. |
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Thanks, John. I share your thoughts and frustration entirely!
I would add a few more guidelines to yours:
6) Start a new discussion. DON'T tag your question onto an existing (unrelated) discussion.
7) DON'T ask for free software, free books or free lessons.
8) DON'T post your email address and ask for a personal reply.
9) DON'T email or PM your question to other forum users, without invitation.
10) DON'T use "txt-spk".
11) DON'T ask "How can I improve my...?" These questions have already been answered numerous times.