Tips For Providing Great Answers

[GarenT]

Here are some great tips to use when you are answering questions.

We love having you as part of our community forum.

Do No Harm
Don’t break something on someones computer. If you have suggestions about doing something in the registry for example, please include instructions on how to back it up first.

Be Nice
Try to keep a friendly tone and refrain from making personal attacks. Absolutely no flaming. We are building a community and while we don't all have to agree on topics, we do need to keep things civil and polite.

Be Patient
Try to remember that even though the answer may be obvious to you, it may not be obvious to others. It is even possible that your intermediate steps may not be obvious - you may need to break them down as well. Even though you may feel an answer has been provided, you may need to show how friendly you can be by providing further help if required.

And depending on the frustration the original poster is having, you may have to be extra patient and friendly with them.

Read The Question
Make sure you understand what the poster is asking before posting a reply. Read the question carefully and give it some thought. Explicitly state any assumptions you make. If you don't understand a question, it's OK to ask for clarification (nicely.) Sometimes people make mistakes, and you can point those out to them. But it's important not to assume that the poster is incompetent.

Read The Answers
Sometimes you'll come upon a question to which you know the answer, but the question has already been answered. What to do? You should always read the existing answer and think about it. If it's a great answer, you might just move along. But if the answer omits some important details, you might reply and add the missing information. If you think the answer is wrong, you can reply and say so -- nicely. The important thing is to read the whole thread before getting involved.

Admit When You Are Guessing
Nobody knows everything. There are even some things which no one knows. If somebody asks a hard question, it's OK to guess at an answer. But please, please, let them know when you're guessing.

DejaVu All Over Again
If you know that the question has already been answered in another thread, politely direct the original poster to that thread or suggest a search phrase that that can use with the search facility.

If you have more suggestions, please let me know and I'll add them to the list.

[groskin1]

I realize that the economy is bad and that HP has to cut back on tech support, but we're all having problems. And getting solutions from others who have had to work out the problems is obviously not working here.

Where's tha 800 # for tech support? We need live people with expertise - or better yet, make a product that doesn't need tech support!

[DavidPK]

Hi,

I think getting solutions from people who have worked out the problems themseleves has a lot of benefits.  The solutions offered often detail the process by which they were reached and are explained without unnecessary 'technobabble'.  From my own experience of using and contributing to the forum, there are plenty of experts willing to answer a wide variety of problems.

DP-K

[GISCHARU]

Parabéns,

Meu filho você aprendeu direitinho a lição agora você pode criar a comunidade turma dos ratos kkkk

Beijos fica com Deus.

[fatkidinside]

I think it would be better if HP forum does have chat functionality as well just suggesting.

[kumarasn]

hi in my laptop wifi is not working led wifi is blinking on

[qualitynet]

Be patient is the best way  any communication. It makes things positive.