To me, the goal is to help someone remedy their problem. Fact is, in lots of cases, you simply have to have more (and more specific) input from the party posting the question, in order to have a chance at being effective in offering valuable feedback. Thus, a round or so of contributor questions and solicitor replies is spent attempting to get those specifics, before any real considerations can be made, regarding their dilemma and it’s solution.
I’m inclined to agree that the ease of posting questions is critical, so the format has to be fairly tolerant. At the same time, asking a question that gets no response, or gets questions about the original question, etc., is no fun for the party with the question, and perhaps as discouraging as a slightly more involved method of posting the original question might be.
The first part of the “ask a question” format, where the particular device is identified, seems to be on the right track, to me, but lacking perhaps just a couple more fields, such as one for an appliance model number, or in the case of a car or truck, fields for things like the specific engine, 2 or 4 wheel drive, manual or automatic transmission, etc.
Not sure just how the feasibility of modifying the existing format by adding a few fields in the “select device” section might be evaluated, but suggest that such may be at least worth considering. The problems dealing with poorly structured, incomplete and/or vague questions, etc., would continue to hamper things, but at least the device specifics being available from the start might be sufficient to the extent contributors could begin looking into the problem, right away, thus saving time and offering the first round of feedback sooner, and more substantive and therefore potentially rewarding for the party with the question, who may, as result, feel they’re making progress and on the right track.
So that’s my 2 cents worth on this topic. Otherwise, just want to say I really enjoy being a participant and think this site is potentially a great resource for all kinds of people in all kinds of situations, including those who struggle or are challenged in some way, and it’s just great to be a part of it.
