I was reviewing user questions the other day, comparing how users ask questions about MATLAB within different parts of our community. The areas that I looked at were:

• MATLAB Answers
• MATLAB page on Facebook
• MATLAB on Twitter

I was impressed by how many community members are out there sharing their questions and insights about MATLAB. Every day there are hundreds of discussions between users of widely varying technical knowledge and skills. Thank you to everyone who has made our community conversations such warm and vibrant places to hang out!

There are also quite a few folks asking questions but not getting the answers they seek. So I thought I’d take a moment to share some of my favorite pointers within the community on how to ask questions. Although these suggestions come from MATLAB Answers, the advice is universal. It can be applied to your questions regardless of whether they are asked online or even face to face.

MATLAB Answers – About page

In the MATLAB Answers About page, there is a section that offers guidance on how to ask good questions and how to write good answers. Here is a quick tip list that you might find helpful if you are new at asking questions in the community.

Tutorial on asking questions

If you learn best by reading tutorials, you should look at Oleg Komarov’s tutorial. In his tutorial, Oleg overviews how to find answers before asking questions, dos and don’ts on writing questions, examples, and best practices on following up with questions.

Community input

Ned asked the community to share their thoughts about what goes into a good question. Check out advice from different members of our community who have answered many of your questions over the years.

Advice for students

Often students ask questions about their homework assignments. Doug Hull wrote a post to help students understand how to get help with their homework. Several community members also shared pointers as comments to this post.

Your thoughts?

Do you have a favorite style of asking technical questions that you find connects well with people who can answer your questions? If so, share them with us by posting a comment.