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How (Not) to Ask Questions on the Internet
Strategies to finally make people answer your technical questions
Have you ever asked a question on the internet (on Twitter, Reddit, Stack Overflow) just to have it completely ignored?
Lately, I have received many questions about cybersecurity via email and Twitter DMs. And honestly, I am guilty of ignoring quite a few of them. The unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of people online asking technical questions and a much smaller number of people answering questions. When it comes down to it, there is simply not enough time to answer every question in detail.
However, there are things you can do to help people help you on the internet. This is a PSA on how to ask better questions.
Before You Ask
First, before you ask, consider if the question is even worth asking! There are two types of questions that you should not ask:
- Questions that have already been answered
- Questions you can try to answer yourself
Has the question already been answered somewhere else? Can the question be answered by a simple Google search? If so, you will save yourself a lot of time by simply not reposting the question again. For example, here are a few questions that you should not be asking on the internet because they can be answered with a quick Google search:
- How can I become a pentester/developer/hacker?
- How do I install Python on my computer?
- How do I find the JavaScript source code of a website?
You can find tons of blog posts, webpages, and guides on the internet already answering these questions. And chances are, you will find something there that answers your specific question.
Do your research before asking! After all, no one likes to be treated as a human Google search engine online.
Next, consider if you can answer your own question. Questions that fall into this category include:
