Asking for help | |||
| A lot of people ask for help in the forums without really knowing what to write. Here's some advice that will help you get the right answer quickly. email english personal info capitals smilies replies search section PMs interrupting equipment connections problem history tests location understanding gender reading polite questions feedback piracy words | |||
| POSTS Anything you type publicly on a discussion forum is called a "post" or a "message". It is not an "email". A forum message is "posted" not "sent" or "emailed". DUPLICATE POSTS Do not post your question more than once. Duplicate posts can result in someone wasting time answering a question that's already been answered. It also results in two threads, neither of which contains all the information. Forum moderators can merge threads but they won't thank you for creating extra work. SUBJECT Type a meaningful Subject line. The typical beginner will type "Quick question" or "Advice please", or "Hi there" or "Help me!!!" or "I need help" or "Help needed" or "Panny fault" or "Anybody else?" or "Any Answers?" or "Quick question" or even his/her own name!" This won't attract people with knowledge of your specific problem so you might wait a long time for a useful reply. You might never get one. The message Subject line should be meaningful. For example. if you are asking a question that relates to a piece of equipment, include the make and model number:
Easy, isn't it? Now everyone can see at a glance exactly what your problem is. But be sure to copy the model number carefully! If you have a Sangoo TXY-Z456 and you type "sango txyz-456" (lower case) or "SANGOO ZTYX465" people may not recognise it at a glance. Copy it exactly as it's printed. Now, in your message you should include as much information as possible, but note.... YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS You should never publish your email address for all the world to see. There are bad people in foreign countries who "harvest" email addresses and sell them to companies who will then send you viruses and unwanted advertisements for drugs or equipment to make your w;ll;e larger. PERSONAL INFORMATION Be careful what you give away. People can see a list of your previous posts and accumulate little bits of information from each one to build up a complete picture, which could lead to "identity theft" or stalking. You might even give away your location by mentioning in separate posts "My nearest supermarket is Waitrose in Abingdon" and "My TV reception is bad. What aerial do I need for postcode location OX14 3HX?" and "My age is the same as my house number" and "I had a wild party on my 23rd birthday last year" and "My Honda Jazz is more economical than my dad's car". Now we know how old you are, what car you drive and exactly where you live! ENGLISH Most forums have rules about this. Type in normal English. This makes it easier for everyone to understand. If you use "txt-spk", abbreviations, or mess up your spelling, grammar, punctuation so it looks like a 5 year old typed it, then some people won't bother to read your question. Even if they do, they may not fully understand it. If one of those is the person with the answer, you just blew it. (If you suffer from dyslexia you should say so but preferably get someone else to correct your message before posting it - otherwise you'll waste everyone's time). In addition, many members take exception to lazy people who can't be bothered to press the SHIFT key at the beginning of a sentence, add a full stop at the end of a sentence, or check their spelling and punctuation. This often leads to harassment and a thread full of insults. To avoid inviting such disruption PLEASE type your messages carefully with normal punctuation, grammar and spelling. This is especially important when discussing technical subjects. Remember that your post can be seen around the world. Why embarass yourself by typing like an infant? DON'T TYPE IN CAPITALS - this represents shouting and will be construed as rude. It's also more difficult to read so people may not bother. Type normally, beginning each sentence with a capital letter and ending with a full stop (or a question mark or exclamation mark). Use apostrophes and commas where appropriate. Turn your spell checker ON. Several web browsers have these as standard or as plug-ins. (Standard in "Safari" and a plug-in for "Firefox"). This will highlight obvious typing errors. If you need some help with your English there are some useful tips here. SMILIES Don't fill your post with "smilies". It irritates a lot of people so you'll get less helpful replies. Use them sparingly.
REPLIES
If you reply to a message you should quote ONLY the relevant sentence or paragraph. Don't quote the entire message. If your reply to a short message is directly after it, then there's no need to quote it at all. Doing so simply forces everyone to do more scrolling AND fills up the server space more quickly! If you DO quote something, it should be positioned ABOVE your post, not below it. If you want to make text appear in a "quote box" simply put [quote] in front of it and [/quote] after it.
It's acceptable to quote more than once and to add your comment below. This often helps to make it clearer. SEARCH Before you post a question, use the forum "search" facility to see if it has been asked and answered previously (it probably has!) Be sure to state that you used the search facility and DO mention the search terms you used which didn't lead you to an answer, otherwise someone is certain to tell you to use the search facility. FORUM SECTIONS Put your question in the most relevant forum section. DON'T post it in more than one section - that causes confusion and is against the rules of most forums. PRIVATE MESSAGES (PM) The PM system is for exchanging private information and NOT for asking questions that could be put in the open forum where everyone can read and reply. If you want a quick reply from the widest possible audience, DON'T use the PM system to pester one individual (who might be on holiday anyway). INTERRUPTING Don't jump into an existing discussion and interrupt it by asking a question unless it is really REALLY relevant to the existing discussion and won't interrupt it. Start your own post instead. EQUIPMENT Write the make and model of your equipment. This is usually on your User Instruction booklet and on a label underneath the equipment or printed on the rear panel. Occasionally it's on the front panel. If you merely type "it's an Amstrad", that's not very helpful. Satellite TV: Write the type/size/shape of your dish. It's probably a 50cm oval Sky minidish if you are in the UK. Say what LNB is fitted. Read the label if you can get to it. A photo is helpful. Upload a photo to your web site. (If you don't have your own web site there are plenty of sites that let you upload a photo. See below). Terrestrial TV: State what aerial you have, where it's located and which transmitter it's pointing at. If you can't do that, count the number of elements and give a compass direction. A picture would be helpful. You can upload your photograph easily to one of these sites: If any other equipment is involved (TV, VCR) give the make and model number. CONNECTIONS Describe how your equipment is connected. Have you used a Scart or an RF cable to connect your Digibox to your TV set? If Scart, have you selected "PAL" or "RGB" in the picture menu? How is the VCR/DVD connected? PROBLEM Describe the problem that you are having. Explain the symptoms. Don't try to guess the cause - just describe what you see and hear. State when it happens. Is it affected by the temperature, time of day, specific button pushes or anything else? HISTORY Describe when the system was installed, when the symptoms first appeared. Think about what might have changed that could cause the fault - even if it doesn't seem very likely. TESTS Explain what tests you've carried out. If the Digibox might be faulty then, as a minimum, you should connect it to a friend's dish/aerial to see if the same symptoms remain. Tell us the result of the test. Is it faulty after being left off for several hours to cool down? Is it faulty when it has had time to get hot? Check your menu settings. Is the software the latest revision? Are all menus set to their default values? It takes only seconds to change something. Maybe your baby-sitter did? Maybe you left the remote control within reach of a child? LOCATION Where are you situated? It makes a difference if you are outside the main satellite footprint or terrestrial transmitter range. Where is the equipment located? Is it in a closed cabinet? Is it hot to the touch? Where is the dish/aerial located? Are there trees or other obstruction in the line of sight? UNDERSTANDING State your level of understanding. If somebody gives a technical reply that you can't understand, you just wasted their time and yours. GENDER To avoid embarrassment and misunderstandings, be sure to state your gender unless it's obvious from your name. If in doubt we assume you are male. READING State what you've already read on web pages and books. If you've eliminated some possible fault causes, say so (and explain your reasoning). Presumably you've read ALL my pages here so please mention that. POLITE Don't criticise somebody who takes the time to reply - even if the reply may not seem nice or helpful. You'll discourage others from replying and you'll be the one who loses. Usually posts which you might interpret as sarcastic, critical or unhelpful are actually intended to be helpful or humorous. A person who seemingly criticises your lack of knowledge might be the one with the answer. Take all posts in good humour and posters will reciprocate. Once you turn nasty, you might score points, but you've blown it. QUESTIONS If somebody takes the trouble to ask you for additional information, please provide it. Don't question why they need it or write an essay explaining why they don't need it. They will lose interest and you've blown it. FEEDBACK If you ask a question it's only polite to check in periodically and acknowledge that you've read the answers. Also, if you DO find a solution to your problem, please post a message describing what it was, for the benefit of others. PIRACY Don't ask questions like "how can I get Sky Movies for free?" MIXING UP WORDS You can cause confusion by using the wrong words. Examples below: | |||
| What is an aerial? It's a bunch of metal sticks. |  | ||
| What is Ariel? It's a brand name for washing powder. |  | ||
| What is Arial It's a computer typeface (font). | | ||
| Also please read the excellent page here: | |||
