BE POLITE:And let’s not forget (sometimes not-so) common courtesy. The people that provide answers here are doing so voluntarily — they are not getting paid to solve your problem, so demands of immediate response are inappropriate. And even if respondents were unable to help, but particularly if they DID, it doesn’t hurt to thank them — honest, it doesn’t; try it. It’s good manners and it makes the person or people who helped you feel good and gives them incentive to help you out the next time. And you can bet your sweet bippy that if you treat people who tried to help you DISCOURTEOUSLY, you will not receive help from them again — they’ll remember.
________________________________________________________________USE THE FORUM; DON’T REQUEST PRIVATE REPLIES:Requesting emailing responses or ICQ responses (or any responses other than replies to the forum) are inappropriate. That’s an extra step for someone who is already going out of his/her way to help you. When posting a new topic, you can elect to have the replies to your message thread emailed to you automatically by checking the box ed "Watch this topic" You can change the email notification in general if you use the settings option in that small 'control panel' on the right after you're signed in. Or you can delete watches on a per thread basis using the Watches option.Though there are certain times when a thread strays off topic and should be taken to private email, maintaining public message exchange via the forum is encouraged — for the "greater good." A note of caution: Some of the people who graciously volunteer their time, here, to answer your questions ALSO do the same — for a living — on a private basis. It is not fair to expect them to give away, for free, a service for which they normally charge. Though they may offer to help you privately for free, if you initiate request for private consultation, you should not be surprised if they expect to be paid for services rendered (though most will at least inform you up front that private consultation invokes a fee). At least, don’t be surprised if it comes up in the conversation.
________________________________________________________________WHERE TO POST YOUR QUERY:How do you know whether to put your post in the New to Java Technology section or the Java Programming or Advanced Language Topics section?
A good measure is, if you have never answered or been able to answer anyone else’s questions, your post probably belongs in the New to Java Technology section. Your post probably belongs in the New to Java Technology section if: ··· your question is about using any of the tools of the JDK (java.exe, javac.exe). ··· your question is about setting the CLASSPATH on your machine. ··· you write your first 'Hello world' and encounter a ClassNotFoundException. ··· you get program errors, crashes, or the installation of the JDK fails. ··· you have to wear Post-It notes, with a big "L" and "R" on the toes of your shoes.On the other hand if you have problems with the GUI you're creating then you'd better post your question in one of the GUI Building forums.
________________________________________________________________HOW TO POST YOUR QUERY:Enter a descriptive subject line. Think about how you would sum up your problem in about 8 to 10 words. · BE PRECISE: State your question as in a clear and specific manner, and provide as much relevant detail as possible.
The more information you provide about your particular problem or situation, the easier it is for us to help. · PROVIDE SOURCECODE: If you run into problems with your code it's not a bad idea to post the relevant class / or code fragment with your initial post and not on demand from someone who wants to help you since this will delay the whole process of people trying to solve the problem with you. But if you post sourcecode please use the formatting option that is provided in this forum (include it in [code ][/code]) so that the code formatting remains the same. Reading hundreds of lines of pasted source code with lots of for-loops and nested if conditions without any indentation is awful. · BE THOROUGH:Avoid abbreviations and "chat-room" acronyms, as they obscure rather than clarify. The words here are free; you don’t have to pay for them by the number of characters you type so be thorough. Put forth the effort. Though those shortcuts may save you time typing, which may be appropriate in a real-time scenario like a chat-room, they are inappropriate for a technical forum and make it harder for people to read and discern the meaning of your questions. Do you really want to make it harder for people to help you? After all, if you really DON’T want an answer, it’s a whole lot easier to obliterate any meaning from your message if you just shift your fingers one position to the left on your keyboard and touch type. rgR Qtm bivist xB EWs RGUBF TIY RTOW, · BE ACCURATE: Check your message for typographical and grammatical errors. And, if you include any URLs in your post, check them in the preview before you hit the post button. Click on them; make sure they work.
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________________________________________________________________USE THE FORUM; DON’T REQUEST PRIVATE REPLIES:Requesting emailing responses or ICQ responses (or any responses other than replies to the forum) are inappropriate. That’s an extra step for someone who is already going out of his/her way to help you. When posting a new topic, you can elect to have the replies to your message thread emailed to you automatically by checking the box ed "Watch this topic" You can change the email notification in general if you use the settings option in that small 'control panel' on the right after you're signed in. Or you can delete watches on a per thread basis using the Watches option.Though there are certain times when a thread strays off topic and should be taken to private email, maintaining public message exchange via the forum is encouraged — for the "greater good." A note of caution: Some of the people who graciously volunteer their time, here, to answer your questions ALSO do the same — for a living — on a private basis. It is not fair to expect them to give away, for free, a service for which they normally charge. Though they may offer to help you privately for free, if you initiate request for private consultation, you should not be surprised if they expect to be paid for services rendered (though most will at least inform you up front that private consultation invokes a fee). At least, don’t be surprised if it comes up in the conversation.
________________________________________________________________WHERE TO POST YOUR QUERY:How do you know whether to put your post in the New to Java Technology section or the Java Programming or Advanced Language Topics section?
A good measure is, if you have never answered or been able to answer anyone else’s questions, your post probably belongs in the New to Java Technology section. Your post probably belongs in the New to Java Technology section if: ··· your question is about using any of the tools of the JDK (java.exe, javac.exe). ··· your question is about setting the CLASSPATH on your machine. ··· you write your first 'Hello world' and encounter a ClassNotFoundException. ··· you get program errors, crashes, or the installation of the JDK fails. ··· you have to wear Post-It notes, with a big "L" and "R" on the toes of your shoes.On the other hand if you have problems with the GUI you're creating then you'd better post your question in one of the GUI Building forums.
________________________________________________________________HOW TO POST YOUR QUERY:Enter a descriptive subject line. Think about how you would sum up your problem in about 8 to 10 words. · BE PRECISE: State your question as in a clear and specific manner, and provide as much relevant detail as possible.
The more information you provide about your particular problem or situation, the easier it is for us to help. · PROVIDE SOURCECODE: If you run into problems with your code it's not a bad idea to post the relevant class / or code fragment with your initial post and not on demand from someone who wants to help you since this will delay the whole process of people trying to solve the problem with you. But if you post sourcecode please use the formatting option that is provided in this forum (include it in [code ][/code]) so that the code formatting remains the same. Reading hundreds of lines of pasted source code with lots of for-loops and nested if conditions without any indentation is awful. · BE THOROUGH:Avoid abbreviations and "chat-room" acronyms, as they obscure rather than clarify. The words here are free; you don’t have to pay for them by the number of characters you type so be thorough. Put forth the effort. Though those shortcuts may save you time typing, which may be appropriate in a real-time scenario like a chat-room, they are inappropriate for a technical forum and make it harder for people to read and discern the meaning of your questions. Do you really want to make it harder for people to help you? After all, if you really DON’T want an answer, it’s a whole lot easier to obliterate any meaning from your message if you just shift your fingers one position to the left on your keyboard and touch type. rgR Qtm bivist xB EWs RGUBF TIY RTOW, · BE ACCURATE: Check your message for typographical and grammatical errors. And, if you include any URLs in your post, check them in the preview before you hit the post button. Click on them; make sure they work.
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________________________________________________________________WHEN TO USE THE POST NEW TOPIC LINK:If you need to ask a question that is NOT related to the topic of the thread you are reading, use the Post New Topic link; don’t post your question inside someone else’s, for two reasons. Your question is less likely to be noticed, since you cannot state the topic in a subject title, and it can detrimentally divert the energy of the particular thread in dealing with the original topic.
________________________________________________________________MULTIPLE POSTS — JUST DON’T:Don’t post the same message multiple times. Don’t post the same message multiple times. Don’t post the same message multiple times. Get it? Posting the same message multiple times just makes the message list longer (so less of it can be seen at a time), and more work for everybody if people reply to different copies, not to mention more work for yourself, if you have to read all copies to see all the replies. It is not necessary to post a new topic if your intent is to bring a prior problem to the top of the list. Just post a new reply to the prior message and it will sort to the top based on the date of the most recently posted reply.
________________________________________________________________THOU SHALT NOT CROSS-POST (CROSS-DRESSING; OK):In almost ALL cases (you’ll note I’m excepting this message — it’s not a question), it is inappropriate to "cross-post," that is, hedge your bet by posting the same question in multiple sections. It will annoy the people that read multiple sections, which is most of the people who provide help, anyway. Pick your section, post your question, and then don’t forget to come back for the replies — all the replies in the world will do no good if you don’t read them.
________________________________________________________________So there you have it; more than you ever wanted to know about effective posting on the Java Technology Forums. The basic question to keep in mind is:“What is likely to happen if you make it hard (or unpleasant) for people to help you?”Feel free to respond to this message with additions and comments, I expect this document will metamorphose into something really useful. :)
"Change is inevitable, unless you happen to be standing at the token box on the bus."