Please provide context for your questions

[BobDeRosa]

Hey Folks, I'd like to ask a favor. I'd really like to answer questions that I have some knowledge about, but I feel helpless when someone asks a question like What bass, (or strings, or amp, etc.) should I use? without providing significant details, like: What kind of music do you play? What sound would you like to achieve, or what famous bassist's sound are you looking for? Which have you tried and what did you like/not like about them? For amps, again, what kind of music? how large a group? how large a venue? are a loud drummer and/or guitarist factors? These things matter to those of us who would really like to be helpful, so please help us help you. Thanks.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Yeah, but remember, a lot of the people asking those questions are beginners, who haven't thought or experienced much (nor are they likely to read a thread like this). Expect to have to ask those questions of them - it's part of the education process.

 

[RustyAxe]

I just move on to something else. But I love to come back later and read all the "expert advice".

 

[Kro]

Yeah, but remember, a lot of the people asking those questions are beginners, who haven't thought or experienced much (nor are they likely to read a thread like this). Expect to have to ask those questions of them - it's part of the education process.

+1. Sometimes part of helping someone is asking the right questions back.

 

[Stumbo]

+1. Sometimes part of helping someone is asking the right questions back.

My go to question is «What's your max budget?»

 

[GregC]

+1. Sometimes part of helping someone is asking the right questions back.

While this is true, it seems that very few people read beyond the OP (if they even do that) before replying. So if a newbie just has a superbroad question in the OP, they've probably created another fairly useless "name your favorite bass/amp" thread.

My suggestion for beginners: Read a bunch of other threads first before starting your own so you can ask better, more-specific questions.

 

[Kro]

While this is true, it seems that very few people read beyond the OP (if they even do that) before replying. So if a newbie just has a superbroad question in the OP, they've probably created another fairly useless "name your favorite bass/amp" thread.

My suggestion for beginners: Read a bunch of other threads first before starting your own so you can ask better, more-specific questions.

Hard to argue with any of that. I guess I just don't mind going a bit out of my way to help, especially if it seems like posters don't know how to help themselves.

I remember being in their shoes. I think I even had a P vs. J thread sometime 15 or so years ago!

 

[monsterthompson]

P
Darkglass
Tort
Chromes
Used

 

[GregC]

Hard to argue with any of that. I guess I just don't mind going a bit out of my way to help, especially if it seems like posters don't know how to help themselves.

I remember being in their shoes. I think I even had a P vs. J thread sometime 15 or so years ago!

I want to help folks too, I just don't want them to have to wade through loads of unrealistic suggestions.

My first thread was a "vs." one, but it was about 3 different models of P basses.

 

[dan1952]

I prefer to offer advice on every subject, with no context or background information, just to show what an expert I am on everything...

 

[JimChjones]

If you know enough to define the question precisely, is it often the case that you also know enough not to need to ask?

 

[ardgedee]

The problem is not usually when the asker doesn't provide enough information, because they don't necessarily know what they need to know. If they went to a store and asked the same question, it would (ideally) lead to a conversation while the clerk tries to narrow down the possible options to what the person wants or needs.

It's when they never answer other people's questions for clarification that's the problem. Some get petulant because nobody's providing them instant correct responses, some get angry because they're not getting answers that validate their assumptions, and some just ghost.

 

[40Hz]

Hard to argue with any of that. I guess I just don't mind going a bit out of my way to help, especially if it seems like posters don't know how to help themselves.

^This.

Learning how to frame good questions and effectively ask for help is a learned skill like any other.

Sometimes part of offering to help someone is having the patience to bring them more up to speed on that part too.

As the saying goes:

Give someone a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish and you feed them for the rest of their life.

​

 

[DJ Bebop]

Hey Folks, I'd like to ask a favor. I'd really like to answer questions that I have some knowledge about, but I feel helpless when someone asks a question like What bass, (or strings, or amp, etc.) should I use? without providing significant details, like: What kind of music do you play? What sound would you like to achieve, or what famous bassist's sound are you looking for? Which have you tried and what did you like/not like about them? For amps, again, what kind of music? how large a group? how large a venue? are a loud drummer and/or guitarist factors? These things matter to those of us who would really like to be helpful, so please help us help you. Thanks.

Welcome to Talkbass!

 

[JRA]

newbies have no "context" to give = that's why they're newbies.

 

[40Hz]

newbies have no "context" to give = that's why they're newbies.

^This! A thousand times this.

When I was doing IT consulting, about 80% of the time the problem I initially got called in to address turned out not to be the actual problem at all. So the first part of the engagement was seeking clarification in order to get to the the real problem rather than just treat its various symptoms and manifestations.

And you got there by asking a series of additional questions about things your client had no idea were important. Because, as JRA so succinctly put it, being new to the subject, your "client" lacks the necessary background to know what questions they should be asking.

Rather than find that annoying, I see it as a good opportunity to open someone's eyes and set them on the right path from the get-go.

It's a lot easier to help somebody who doesn't know something. Damn sight easier than trying to help someone who does know something. Especially when what they know is wrong.

Minor note: In the IT world it's funny how often what your client thought was a major problem was actually something minor and quite simple to fix. An just as often how what the client though was a "simple" or "minor" issue actually turned out to be the harbinger of a far more serious and complex problem that required a lot more knowledge, resources, and effort to correct.

 

[jnewmark]

While this is true, it seems that very few people read beyond the OP (if they even do that) before replying. So if a newbie just has a superbroad question in the OP, they've probably created another fairly useless "name your favorite bass/amp" thread.

My suggestion for beginners: Read a bunch of other threads first before starting your own so you can ask better, more-specific questions.

The Search Engine is your friend.

 

[Bassic Needs]

I have been, and still am, one of those people. I know enough to know that there are people out there far more knowledgeable than I am and so I think it's silly not to ask from the wealth of knowledge on this forum. I certainly will Google/YouTube a ton of stuff and sometimes that helps and sometimes it leads to more questions.
Sometimes it leads to confusion or frustration. I guess a little patience on the part of the folks that do know the answers is required as it is of great help to those who are starting out...and it is appreciated..at least by me anyway.

 

[GregC]

The Search Engine is your friend.

I feel the same way, but it has become a pariah around here. Some people say it doesn't work well at all (disagree) and that it's rude to suggest its use because we're here to "talk" to each other.

When I found TB, I spent over a month just reading and searching (I had stopped playing 15 years earlier and never knew much about gear in my first go-round). I found a wealth of information and great, detailed reviews that were still relevant. Surely the same would be true today, so why ignore those valuable contributions?

I'm not suggesting just dropping into a thread and saying "do a search", as that is off-putting.

 

[bbh]

Yeah, but remember, a lot of the people asking those questions are beginners, who haven't thought or experienced much (nor are they likely to read a thread like this). Expect to have to ask those questions of them - it's part of the education process.

Exactly.