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by BuckyF on October 20th, 2003

BuckyF

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How do I write a good question?

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Answers. 142 helpful answers below.

  • by AB-Joel on October 20th, 2003

    AB-Joel

    Answerbag's goal is to help people find and share knowledge, and to help them help each other. So, to get good answers, you'll want to write a good question!

    General tips:
    • Be polite
    • Keep it short
    • Don't type in all-caps
    • Try to sound objective
    • Read your question twice to make sure it means what you think it means
    • Don't ask about your company or service
    • Avoid asking questions that apply to only one person (this is not a chat room!)
    Questions should be clear, concise, and should ask for a specific response or piece of information. Usually a shorter question gets better answers - if your question is long or has too much personal detail, other people won't want to read it, or they'll get confused by the irrelevant details.

    Important: we may already have your answer! Use our search to look for answers, so you don't have to wait for a new answer. We remove duplicate questions from the site, so it helps keep the site clean and organized if you don't post duplicate questions in the first place.

    Search here: http://www.answerbag.com/ask

    We do allow fun, social questions like "What do you look like?", but we recommend that you keep these to a minimum so you don't annoy users looking for real, helpful information. :)

    Some good questions are:

    - Can hamsters survive in the wild?
    - Why are flamingoes pink?
    - Where can I find lyrics for Nirvana songs?

    If you want a specific answer, ask a specific question! Clear, concise questions always get the fastest answers.

    That said, we accept just about any question that falls within our Terms of Use, so have fun! And remember to give good ratings to people who give good answers!

    UPDATE: Please do not ask for points in your questions. These questions will be rejected, and if repeated, further disciplinary action will be taken.

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  • by Briana83 on June 27th, 2006

    Briana83

    Questions and answers must both adhere th the terms of use outlined on this site. A question must not be vulgar, and must be coherent.

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  • by Gideon on January 31st, 2008

    Gideon

    Make sure it's thoughtful and respectful.

    Make sure it stimulates thought or conversation.

    Use proper spelling and grammar.

    Use proper punctuation.

    Phrase your question and then ask yourself, "How can I say the same thing using fewer words?"

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  • by sleeveman on July 30th, 2007

    sleeveman

    with a question mark

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  • by Patti jo on January 21st, 2007

    Patti jo

    I like question that make me think and funny questions

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  • by BigDaddyBS on March 11th, 2008

    BigDaddyBS

    Go through a lot of questions, and answer them before you really get into asking them, so you have a good idea of the types of questions people answer most.

    Make sure, if you're asking about specific games or shows (or the like), that you mention it in the question. (Not everyone pays attention to the categories.)

    Make sure the question hasn't been asked before (when you press SUBMIT on the home page, you'll be taken to a screen with the question in the upper left, and previously asked questions that MAY be the same on the right. Read through them and if your answer may be in one of them, then read through IT'S answers, to see if one of those answers satisfies you. If not, either add an answer to the old one (which will renew the question and bring it to the front page), or Ask the question in a different way. The categories are listed below your question... Chose the appropriate one. If you feel the subcategories don't match your question, try another category, and check through them. When you find the appropriate category for your question, submit the question (scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

    Don't ask questions that make no sense... "GREEN???" ... "I'm RICH?"... etc. You will be flagged for a nonesense question. Again, if it has to do with a category, mention the category in the question.

    DO NOT couch insults into questions, even if you mean them in fun. People will downrate the question, and you will get PO'd.

    DO NOT ask for points, for yourself or for others (Positive OR negative). You will be flagged by someone.

    Don't worry about points... They will take care of themselves, if your questions and answers are good or funny.

    If you are downrated, don't get TOO PO'd. There are kids and trolls who do this just to get reactions. REAL DRs don't count against your POINTS, but DO point out questions or answers that some may not agree with.

    Enjoy. Have fun. Watch it - AB can be VERY addicting even to those who are positive they will never get addicted to anything on line.

    Hope this helps.

    Goo luck! ;-)

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  • by Mirage V2.0 AWOL on November 18th, 2006

    Mirage V2.0 AWOL

    A good question has to balance information, detail and be of general use to many folks.

    But, if well written, a good question can violate these guidelines. I like universal, obscure questions the best, though simple questions add an element of fun. Like, "What is your favorite candy?"

    In the end, Brevity is the soul of wit. Am I feeling witless?

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  • by GiraffeyedDonor-ish on June 30th, 2008

    GiraffeyedDonor-ish

    Use proper grammar.
    Don't use all caps.
    Use your common sense. (We know you're smart)
    Don't be petty.
    Don't point people out (especially by names!)
    Think well...and...

    Have fun!

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  • by Olero on March 11th, 2008

    Olero

    No caps lock!

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  • by Roger Kovaciny on November 18th, 2006

    Roger Kovaciny

    Questions that are so sick, vulgar, or profane that they keep other users from telling their friends about Answerbag. Just a few questions up some sicko asked about necrophilia, and other people, usually anonymous, parade their perversions. I suppose if they have such poor personal morals and ethics, bothering or offending unknown strangers wouldn't bother them either; I hope AB makes enough money that some supervisor can be hired who automatically tags such questions and puts them into the adult category so that those who'd prefer not to have their attention called to sicko subjects don't have to.

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  • by Shortyee on November 8th, 2006

    Shortyee

    I agree...how can you specify your question when you only have but so much space to type it??

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  • by j ninja... on August 15th, 2009

    j ninja...

    Not 2 wright in text for starters!!! :)

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  • by Black Knight on March 11th, 2008

    Black Knight

    Ask something provocative, in the sense that someone would stop and think about their personal answer for a second before answering it.

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  • by Olero on January 12th, 2008

    Olero

    Just have proper wording and grammer read it over make sure it makes sense and that's all my half a month of AB can tell you

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  • by Idiosyncracy on January 20th, 2007

    Idiosyncracy

    It's just about what u wanna ask...
    no matter how u put them on...
    I wonder if there's an appropriate form of saying that a question is appropriate...
    What matters is just whom u wanna ask for the question...

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  • by Verminator on January 16th, 2007

    Verminator

    No matter what question gets asked, someone will think it's OK while another will think that it's inappropriate. You really are just rolling the dice when you ask a question. It's like the old addage "You may please some of the people some of the time, but you won't please all of the people all of the time."

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  • by Anonymous on October 8th, 2009

    Anonymous

    Oh, boy. All I know is you've got a lot of work.
    Start by not tYPyinG LikE tHiS.

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  • by Anonymous on November 11th, 2007

    Anonymous

    To write a good answer you should always capitalize the first words in your sentence,always show respect to all fellow answerbaggers,give good strong answer not short wimpy ones.And always always make sure you write something that people can understand what your saying or whats the point of answering because you would be wasting your time.Try to think of this as English class.

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  • by MattSB on May 17th, 2007

    MattSB

    Google 'How can i write a good question?' and see what that says?

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  • by 8xone0 on October 13th, 2006

    8xone0

    more room to type characters to get the point across

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  • by HoboJoe on November 2nd, 2011

    HoboJoe

    Very hard. If I were you I wouldn't do it without a lot of research. Take lessons from HoboJoe. Very reasonable price offered if you sign up within the next 24 hours.

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  • by Colt COAT of Justice on December 9th, 2008

    Colt COAT of Justice

    Just be honest!

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  • by Galeanda on June 30th, 2008

    Galeanda

    Go here: http://www.answerbag.com/a_view/1134

    It's called How to write a good question, written by AB-Joel.

    It says:
    "Answerbag's goal is to help people find and share knowledge, and to help them help each other. So, to get good answers, you'll want to write a good question!

    General tips:

    * Be polite
    * Keep it short
    * Don't type in all-caps
    * Try to sound objective
    * Read your question twice to make sure it means what you think it means
    * Don't ask about your company or service
    * Avoid asking questions that apply to only one person (this is not a chat room!)

    Questions should be clear, concise, and should ask for a specific response or piece of information. Usually a shorter question gets better answers - if your question is long or has too much personal detail, other people won't want to read it, or they'll get confused by the irrelevant details.

    Important: we may already have your answer! Use our search to look for answers, so you don't have to wait for a new answer. We remove duplicate questions from the site, so it helps keep the site clean and organized if you don't post duplicate questions in the first place.

    Search here: http://www.answerbag.com/ask

    We do allow fun, social questions like "What do you look like?", but we recommend that you keep these to a minimum so you don't annoy users looking for real, helpful information. :)

    Some good questions are:

    - Can hamsters survive in the wild?
    - Why are flamingoes pink?
    - Where can I find lyrics for Nirvana songs?

    If you want a specific answer, ask a specific question! Clear, concise questions always get the fastest answers.

    That said, we accept just about any question that falls within our Terms of Use, so have fun! And remember to give good ratings to people who give good answers!

    UPDATE: Please do not ask for points in your questions. These questions will be rejected, and if repeated, further disciplinary action will be taken."

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  • by anonympus on March 11th, 2008

    anonympus

    Go with your first instict...

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  • by Victoria on March 11th, 2008

    Victoria

    Think first

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  • by shady on March 11th, 2008

    shady

    I swear sm00z my answer was gonna be look at the ones sm00z ask he always has good ones LOL

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  • by keithold is a prodigal bagger on February 12th, 2007

    keithold is a prodigal bagger

    G'day Your Conscience,

    Thank you for your question.

    It is questions where I have the opportunity to find out something new or is on something that interests me.

    The aim of the exercise is that the person who asks the question receives assistance if possible. What one person finds is a good question is not as good as perceived by someone else. For that reason, I am reluctant to give someone a negative rating for a question or answer.

    Regards

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  • by Kamilah on February 12th, 2007

    Kamilah

    I think that all questions are good questions, but the ones that are asked with the purpose of gaining knowledge are just a little bit better than the ones that are asked solely to prove the point of one person being correct.

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  • by Halskiisaklink on February 12th, 2007

    Halskiisaklink

    Two glasses of cognac, a chip on your shoulder and a lot of pent up creative energy.

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  • by Anonymoose on January 16th, 2007

    Anonymoose

    The kinds that either provoke deep intellectual thoughts (like "why do you believe in God"), make you think about yourself a bit (like "what would you do if....."), or are truly questions about something you want/need to know about (like "where is the best place to purchase a new graphics card for a computer"). There is a wealth of knowledge on this site. Just beware of those who get their "jollies" from doling out bad advice.

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  • by tinybubbles is sitting on the carpet read on January 3rd, 2007

    tinybubbles is sitting on the carpet read

    ones that have no profanities and are not offensive to others.

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  • by spud_potatoes on December 1st, 2006

    spud_potatoes

    All answers are appropiate because they have non appropiate questions in the adult section and any thing that is appropiate in the other cateogoreys

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  • by Premortem dichotomy on November 2nd, 2011

    Premortem dichotomy

    The only part that's hard is categorizing it correctly. Most don't, but for some reason, I do research and wrack my brain to ensure it gets in the proper category.

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  • by angie36 on October 15th, 2009

    angie36

    what do you like to do on a rainy day?

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  • by Ankith on August 17th, 2009

    Ankith

    For starters:
    1. Use question marks(?).
    2. Write in full (2=to, rite=write).

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  • by Sharona Life is a Tale Told by an Idiot on August 15th, 2009

    Sharona Life is a Tale Told by an Idiot

    How about starting with answering a lot of other questions? Writing questions on here just to write a question is not the best idea.

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  • by Cpt. Cack on August 13th, 2009

    Cpt. Cack

    well firstly, or rather lastly they end in question marks. they should be something interesting, and something that can spark conversation, and something that hasnt been asked 1000 times a day already. also good grammar!

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  • by Anonymous on July 28th, 2009

    Anonymous

    It helps if you have a natural curiosity about everything, and if you are employed in an industry where you need to have new ideas about many different things.

    You can't "force" yourself to come up with questions, but as you are "out & about," keep a pen and notepad with you, and if a question about something suddenly pops into your head, jot it down, then ask it later on AB.

    +5

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  • by Marky Mark on April 8th, 2009

    Marky Mark

    Avoid using ambiguous words and structure your sentence as simply as possible.

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  • by Suby the Coat on March 30th, 2009

    Suby the Coat

    The question should be for the purpose of gaining some knowledge or insight into some specific topic.
    The question should be clear and not vague.
    Then the question should not be for the purpose of earning Answerbag points.
    These will make a question a good one.

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  • by CaRbOnPrOdUcK is Baccuss on March 11th, 2009

    CaRbOnPrOdUcK is Baccuss

    I've been asking the same question, after reading most of mine.

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  • by Anonymous on February 22nd, 2009

    Anonymous

    Anything academic or life oriented that makes you stop and think for a moment.

    Students looking for Homework answers are not included and are bad questions. So are nonsensical and ridiculous stuff like do you enjoy smearing your self with peanut butter while playing barney and friends on the PS3....

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  • by BigDaddyBS on February 22nd, 2009

    BigDaddyBS

    Any that people want to answer. ;-)

    Any way you look at it, you're helping AB become one of the "go-to" places for answers to questions. ;-)

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  • by quack is whack on December 9th, 2008

    quack is whack

    Don't ask the same question more than once - especially within a couple of minutes of each other.

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  • by C Bass on December 9th, 2008

    C Bass

    There is no good or bad question so to say. You just ask whatever you need assistance with and we do our best to help you. Just don't be offensive and you should be ok. Keep in mind this website isn't brand new so a lot of questions you have may already be asked. If that's the case your question will not post.

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  • by Mike Astill on December 9th, 2008

    Mike Astill

    I always check my question in the search feature first to make sure it hasn't already been asked.

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  • by Anonymous on December 9th, 2008

    Anonymous

    There really isn't a such thing between a "bad" and a "good" question. Every question is a good question. Just ask stuff on something you wanna know more about or peoples opinions, and advice. Just have fun and be yourself! : )

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  • by Worzel on November 10th, 2008

    Worzel

    Not writing in capital letters (shouting). The question could be anything but if you make it interesting it should then catch the attention and even generate a type of discussion. Good luck and welcome to answerbag :o)

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  • by Mary Evans is not mad on October 29th, 2008

    Mary Evans is not mad

    A question that has not been asked, and one that makes sense.

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  • by goldpanner on October 29th, 2008

    goldpanner

    Brilliant!!

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