Link
Apr 12, 2002, 02:35 PM
The importance of posting support questions well is great. By giving all the necessary information in your first message, people will not have to ask as many questions before they can help you. Sometimes, if you do your post really well, you can get an answer without any questions.
Imagine if someone posted a message like this:
<hr>Subject: HEELLLLPPPP!!! Help me please!!11!!1111111
HEELLLLPPPPP!!!! I CAN'T HOST GAMES!!!! IT ISN'T WORKING!!! WAAAHHHHHHHH :( :( :( :(<hr>
Do you know what is wrong? I didn't think so. A question like that has many possibilities as to what could be wrong.
Now, here is the same problem posted well.
<hr>Subject: Cannot host online games
When I host an online game, nobody ever comes. At first I thought that people just didn't want to come, but then someone told me over ICQ that my server was pinging all the time. I think this means that in the join server list, the number on the far right never changes from a flashing "pinging." Of course, you can't join servers when they are pinging like that.
I used to be able to host games, but after my parents bought this router thing, I couldn't anymore. I've heard of something called "port forwarding," but I have no idea what it is. Can someone please help me?
My Jazz Version: 1.23
Operating System: Windows 98 SE
Internet Connection: Cable modem<hr>
Some of you smart people can probably guess what the problem is there. If I saw that message, I know I could. The problem is that he has a router and he needs to forward the ports for JJ2.
I'll go over what makes that a good tech support question.
Subject: Cannot host online games
The subject is the first thing people see before they click on your topic. Make it descriptive, but don't try and explain the whole problem in it. Avoid posting "panic words" like "HELLLPPP!!" Of course you need help! If not, you wouldn't be posting in this forum!
When I host an online game, nobody ever comes. At first I thought that people just didn't want to come, but then someone told me over ICQ that my server was pinging all the time. I think this means that in the join server list, the number on the far right never changes from a flashing "pinging." Of course, you can't join servers when they are pinging like that.
Always post a good description of the problem. Three sentences minimum. The more detail, the less questions people will have to ask, and the faster we will find a solution.
I used to be able to host games, but after my parents bought this router thing, I couldn't anymore.
This is the most important part. Always always ALWAYS post what has changed. If you don't know yourself, ask around your house. Has your older brother installed a new game? Have your parents installed any new hardware? Try really hard to find out what has changed that caused this problem to occur.
I've heard of something called "port forwarding," but I have no idea what it is.
Sometimes your own ideas are helpful, sometimes they're not, but post them anyways.
My Jazz Version: 1.23
Operating System: Windows 98 SE
These are very important too. For any JJ2 related problem, post your JJ2 version and your operating system.
Internet Connection: Cable modem
Post any other relevant information. As this specific problem is network related, the internet connection was included. For a sound problem, you might include your sound card and version of DirectX. For a joystick problem, you would include what kind of joystick you have. This information is just useful as background.
Can someone please help me?
You should always actually ask the question, and make sure you are polite. I've seen some posts where people explain their problem, but then don't ask for help at the end. It isn't a big deal, but it gives a good impression.
Never post spam or unneccessary things like polls. I've seen polls like "Do you have this problem?", and they are just useless. They give a bad impression to the people reading your post.
That about sums it up. If you didn't bother to read through the whole thing, here is a summary.
A descriptive subject
A three sentence minimum description of the problem
What has changed that may have caused the problem
Your own ideas as to what could be wrong
Your JJ2 version and operating system
Any other relevant information
A polite question
No spam or polls
One more thing; You may want to use the board's search feature to search through old posts. You can always post a new thread, but your question may already be answered in another thread. You should also check Alberto's FAQ (http://www.iespana.es/albertocastillo2001/FAQ.htm), which will hopefully get bigger as more people submit questions and answers.
And no offense to people who already post good tech support questions. This article is meant mainly for the people who post badly.
If anyone else has questions or comments about this article, just reply.
Imagine if someone posted a message like this:
<hr>Subject: HEELLLLPPPP!!! Help me please!!11!!1111111
HEELLLLPPPPP!!!! I CAN'T HOST GAMES!!!! IT ISN'T WORKING!!! WAAAHHHHHHHH :( :( :( :(<hr>
Do you know what is wrong? I didn't think so. A question like that has many possibilities as to what could be wrong.
Now, here is the same problem posted well.
<hr>Subject: Cannot host online games
When I host an online game, nobody ever comes. At first I thought that people just didn't want to come, but then someone told me over ICQ that my server was pinging all the time. I think this means that in the join server list, the number on the far right never changes from a flashing "pinging." Of course, you can't join servers when they are pinging like that.
I used to be able to host games, but after my parents bought this router thing, I couldn't anymore. I've heard of something called "port forwarding," but I have no idea what it is. Can someone please help me?
My Jazz Version: 1.23
Operating System: Windows 98 SE
Internet Connection: Cable modem<hr>
Some of you smart people can probably guess what the problem is there. If I saw that message, I know I could. The problem is that he has a router and he needs to forward the ports for JJ2.
I'll go over what makes that a good tech support question.
Subject: Cannot host online games
The subject is the first thing people see before they click on your topic. Make it descriptive, but don't try and explain the whole problem in it. Avoid posting "panic words" like "HELLLPPP!!" Of course you need help! If not, you wouldn't be posting in this forum!
When I host an online game, nobody ever comes. At first I thought that people just didn't want to come, but then someone told me over ICQ that my server was pinging all the time. I think this means that in the join server list, the number on the far right never changes from a flashing "pinging." Of course, you can't join servers when they are pinging like that.
Always post a good description of the problem. Three sentences minimum. The more detail, the less questions people will have to ask, and the faster we will find a solution.
I used to be able to host games, but after my parents bought this router thing, I couldn't anymore.
This is the most important part. Always always ALWAYS post what has changed. If you don't know yourself, ask around your house. Has your older brother installed a new game? Have your parents installed any new hardware? Try really hard to find out what has changed that caused this problem to occur.
I've heard of something called "port forwarding," but I have no idea what it is.
Sometimes your own ideas are helpful, sometimes they're not, but post them anyways.
My Jazz Version: 1.23
Operating System: Windows 98 SE
These are very important too. For any JJ2 related problem, post your JJ2 version and your operating system.
Internet Connection: Cable modem
Post any other relevant information. As this specific problem is network related, the internet connection was included. For a sound problem, you might include your sound card and version of DirectX. For a joystick problem, you would include what kind of joystick you have. This information is just useful as background.
Can someone please help me?
You should always actually ask the question, and make sure you are polite. I've seen some posts where people explain their problem, but then don't ask for help at the end. It isn't a big deal, but it gives a good impression.
Never post spam or unneccessary things like polls. I've seen polls like "Do you have this problem?", and they are just useless. They give a bad impression to the people reading your post.
That about sums it up. If you didn't bother to read through the whole thing, here is a summary.
A descriptive subject
A three sentence minimum description of the problem
What has changed that may have caused the problem
Your own ideas as to what could be wrong
Your JJ2 version and operating system
Any other relevant information
A polite question
No spam or polls
One more thing; You may want to use the board's search feature to search through old posts. You can always post a new thread, but your question may already be answered in another thread. You should also check Alberto's FAQ (http://www.iespana.es/albertocastillo2001/FAQ.htm), which will hopefully get bigger as more people submit questions and answers.
And no offense to people who already post good tech support questions. This article is meant mainly for the people who post badly.
If anyone else has questions or comments about this article, just reply.