Making questions clearer

April 23, 2008 10:16 AM

How can I word my AskMe questions better to get more relevant answers?

Yesterday I asked a question about smoking--specifically, how not to start up again once I'm home for the summer. In the more inside, I thought I was pretty specific about my own situation, yet only one of the responses so far (the one I marked "best answer") seems to have actually, you know, read the question. I wrote: "I've read Allen Carr's book. I've read all the other threads about quitting smoking. I don't think Chantix, or Wellbutrin, or any kind of nicotine replacement is the answer. I don't think gum or lollipops or chew sticks or whatever are either. Clearly it's a mental thing and not physical addiction." Sample responses: Try Chantix. Try Chantix. Read Allen Carr's book. Normally I would brush this off, but the question I asked a few weeks ago about a specific type of grammar mistake got similar, completely-missing-the-mark type answers (I wrote: I've seen things like lists of common errors in English, but I'm looking for this particular kind of error. Sample response: Here's a list of common errors!) If it were only one or two answers, I'd just ignore them, but for both of these questions the vast, vast majority of answers were not what I was looking for.

So I have to wonder...is it me? Am I not being clear enough in what I'm trying to ask? Is it just that grammar pet peeves and trying to quit smoking are topics that encourage people to share whatever's on their mind, regardless of whether or not it's actually relevant to what the poster is looking for? Do people really just not read the "more inside"? I find AskMe a tremendous resource and would love to be able to get better answers to my questions, so I guess I'm trying to figure out how best to do that.

posted by cosmic osmo to etiquette/policy at 10:16 AM (36 comments total)

Is it just that grammar pet peeves and trying to quit smoking are topics that encourage people to share whatever's on their mind, regardless of whether or not it's actually relevant to what the poster is looking for?

To some extent, I think that there are topics that tend to lead to chattier answers, yeah; and quitting smoking is one of those life challenges that a lot of people identify with deeply if they've gone through it.

But, on top of that, you ended your question with this:

Any advice or anecdotes welcome.

Which probably undoes a lot of the work you did with your caveats and constraints on scope. It may read to some folks as "Here's a specific question, but also, you know, go crazy!"

Do people really just not read the "more inside"?

Some folks don't. One practical suggestion I'd make is aiming for clear structuring of yoru more inside text -- more frequent, double-spaced paragraph breaks will make it a lot easier to parse all that text than the big undifferentiated wall of text you ended up posting.
posted by cortex at 10:24 AM on April 23

To be fair you said: Any advice or anecdotes welcome.

So, you know, if they're not welcome, don't say that.
posted by milarepa at 10:25 AM on April 23

preview's for wimps.
posted by milarepa at 10:26 AM on April 23

As an example, here's how I'd break out your MI for readability. This is just para breaks and one redaction, but it makes a big difference visually:

I'm 21, and I've smoked cigarettes on and off for the last nine years (yikes, that makes me feel gross). Part of my problem is that I have absolutely zero impulse control regarding cigarettes, especially if I've been drinking. Even if I've gone months without smoking or even thinking about smoking, if someone offers me a cigarette, I'll say yes 99% of the time. The only reason I'm even able to go months in the first place is that very few people at my college smoke, so when I'm there, there's little temptation to deal with.

Unfortunately, most of my friends from home DO smoke, so it's impossible to avoid when I go out..and once I have a couple of cigarettes outside the bar or at a party, it doesn't seem as strange to buy a pack the next day and go back to smoking regularly like I've never stopped. I'll be at home all summer, and I'd really like to avoid picking up smoking again.

I've read Allen Carr's book. I've read all the other threads about quitting smoking. I don't think Chantix, or Wellbutrin, or any kind of nicotine replacement is the answer. I don't think gum or lollipops or chew sticks or whatever are either. Clearly it's a mental thing and not physical addiction.

I guess what I'm hoping to find the answer to is this: how do I start to think of myself as a non-smoker, when I've been smoking since I was 12 and part of my identity seems wrapped up in it? How can I avoid situations where I'm tempted to smoke when the whole city I grew up in is a trigger?

Any advice or anecdotes welcome.
posted by cortex at 10:26 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Try to get everything important before the more-inside.

Here's how I'd word your question:

I need help to quit smoking, once and for all. I've read Allen Carr's book. I don't think Chantix, or Wellbutrin, or any kind of nicotine replacement is the answer. I don't think gum or lollipops or chew sticks or whatever are either. How do I start to think of myself as a non-smoker when part of my identity seems wrapped up in it? How can I avoid situations where I'm tempted to smoke?(more inside)

That's not too long and you can put the details inside.
posted by ODiV at 10:41 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Thanks, all. I put the "Any advice or anecdotes welcome" because I do want to hear other people's success stories with quitting, even if their situation isn't the same as mine, but I was hoping to get more answers along the psychological aspect of giving up smoking rather than the physical. Stuff about how other people were able to reframe their sense of self with regards to their identities as smokers or not. I guess that was unclear.
posted by cosmic osmo at 10:43 AM on April 23

Its not just phrasing. I saw the liquor thread earlier today before cortex started clipping away.

Lots of "Well, for me the liquor that makes me sick is XYZ. Can't drink it. Nope." Ok...thanks, but how does that answer the question?
posted by vacapinta at 10:48 AM on April 23

cortex makes excellent points. An undifferentiated mass of text leads to skimming. The <<more inside>> was longish.

Break ideas into paragraphs. Keep sentences short and sweet. I'm more than guilty of this one myself.
posted by bonehead at 10:54 AM on April 23

One thing I enjoy about this community is the willingness to take posters to the mat. So many questions come with boundaries- I'm don't like that my boyfriend steals my money but I don't want to break up with him, I hate that my parents tell me what to wear to work but I won't move out of the house, I want to lose weight but I don't want to diet or exercise (all made up examples). Sometimes I think people respond in a contrary fashion for the sole purpose of trying to blow the poster's mind. Not that that's always helpful or fair, but there it is. It's probably best to keep one's questions as narrowly defined as the answers one would like to receive, and the shorter the better. Your question could have been boiled down to "I need help quitting smoking. What could I try other than X, Y and Z?" or, a little wider: "I need help quitting smoking. What worked for you?"
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:56 AM on April 23

^ except, you know, I'm not trying to quit smoking. I'm trying not to start up again.
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:00 AM on April 23

(Which is why I dismissed nicotine replacement therapy or prescription medication--not because I'm unwilling to try it, but because I don't think it's appropriate in my situation. I found Allen Carr's book helpful and would suggest it to other people trying to quit, but not to someone who's already read it. I too find restrictions on AskMe questions occasionally ridiculously limiting, but I just don't think that's the case here.)
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:04 AM on April 23

Another vote for adding more paragraph breaks and 'chunking' your info into more manageable bits (and I say this as someone who has a HECK of a time not spewing forth huge blobs of words every time I try to ask or answer a question ... eh, as this answer probably demonstrates =P ). Make sure to put the most critical factors up near the very front of the question, too - don't let them get buried beneath details that are merely "nice to know," or else the folks who start formulating their response as soon as they read your first sentence might not catch those points that ought to make them throw on the breaks and rethink their original reply.

It might not help completely eliminate the "didn't read the question"-style answers, but at least it ought to help with those folks who indeed did make a good-faith effort but still managed to overlook those 2 or 3 constraints that are important to you but not highly noticeable in the question overall ...
posted by zeph at 11:05 AM on April 23

except, you know, I'm not trying to quit smoking.

Then you shouldn't have titled your question "Help me quit smoking," and you shouldn't have rendered the entire above-the-fold text as "I need help to quit smoking, once and for all."
posted by dersins at 11:05 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

I'm not trying to quit smoking.

That's how you interpret it, cosmic osmo, which is actually part of the problem. You haven't quit smoking. You've just gone months between cigarettes.
posted by iconomy at 11:07 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

cosmis osmo, you are asking why your questions suck: if you get any good answers here then it's obvious you don't need any advice about asking questions and you're wasting our time. But if you don't get any relevant answers here, then you've wasted your own time. Either way you are wasting time asking questions - just post statements to AskMe instead, e.g. "Hey, I love smoking, but the thing is: fuck you, asshole." That'll generate some replies.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 11:08 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

I put the "Any advice or anecdotes welcome" because I do want to hear other people's success stories with quitting, even if their situation isn't the same as mine, but I was hoping to get more answers along the psychological aspect of giving up smoking rather than the physical.

On that point, make your request for anecodotes specific too.

Trouble: "Any advice or anecdotes welcome."
Better: "Any advice or anecdotes about your experiences specifically with the psychological aspect of not-starting-up-again welcome."

There's still, always, that risk of emotional/wandery responses to some of these uber-chat topics, but you can help restrain it at least somewhat by being sure to avoid unqualified invitations to story-telling.

ODiV's comment about putting the key things above the fold is also very good, and dersins is dead on about the misdirection of your title and above-the-fold text.
posted by cortex at 11:09 AM on April 23

Listen, I'm not trying to be pedantic. My purpose in posting this thread was not to bitch and complain, but to see what I can do in the future. I think if you read my whole question, asking "how to quit smoking, once and for all" is actually what I'm asking.
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:11 AM on April 23

That's how you interpret it, cosmic osmo, which is actually part of the problem. You haven't quit smoking. You've just gone months between cigarettes.

I agree with you. Which is why I titled my post the way I did. But suggesting nicotine replacement or prescription medication for someone who hasn't had a cigarette in months is a little misguided, no? I'm glad you get what I mean by wanting to quit, though.
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:12 AM on April 23

Well, if you think the Green is bad, you should try the Light Green, Yahoo! Answers:

how did u stop smoking? are there any free stop smoking aides out there?

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
ur doctor can get you to a smoking cessation program..
(33% 4 Votes)

I never started to smoke and never plan to.
(0% 0 Votes)

give your life to jesus....he will help you out!
(0% 0 Votes)

Cold Turkey is the cheapest method.
(0% 0 Votes)
posted by KokuRyu at 11:15 AM on April 23 [6 favorites]

You asked a question about how to quit smoking. The details of your addiction may be unique to you, but it's not a unique problem. You still have to consider that other people who've been successful at quitting may know more about how to make it work than you do. Because you're the one asking for help. People are really bad at self-diagnosis when it comes to addictions. It doesn't make them stupid, or arrogant, or anything like that. But you said it yourself - the addiction has a mental component that's keeping you from seeing the solution.

If you discount certain methods without trying, it's a little like saying "I don't have a drinking problem, except I drink to excess whenever I'm around alcohol", and then getting mad when people recommend AA.

Sometimes the advice you need is not the advice you asked for or wanted. It doesn't make it wrong.
posted by dosterm at 11:24 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

One thing that'll help you stay away from cigarettes is to avoid high-stress environments and arrrggghhhy frustrations like, um, MeTa threads.

(Still, I'm glad you asked this question, as the answers given thus far have been very informative.)
posted by Sys Rq at 11:24 AM on April 23

Take the voluble valuable advice of cortex. Use smaller paragraphs.
Then sort the replies by their aptness: remember the worthwhile, forget the rest.
posted by Cranberry at 11:24 AM on April 23

Do people really just not read the "more inside"?

bing-bing-bing
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:32 AM on April 23

I think if you read my whole question ...
Whoa. Stop there. Nobody cares. So many questions, so little time. The only way to get the right answers from the volunteers is to remove all the possible speedbumps. Avoid:

Long sentences

Intricate constructions -- I've seen semicolons in qs!

Run-on lists, blah, blah, and, blah, also, blah: nobody reads em

unless they're one entry a line

(short lines)

Oh, and those: "please only answer with x, y or z"? Nobody reads them either.

You have to be succint. More succint than that! Succinter! Hack it right down, and cut all the personal "I first smoked a cigarette on my dad's boat when I was 12, and then ...". If people need more details, they'll ask for them.
posted by bonaldi at 11:35 AM on April 23

(oh yeh: the reason being as soon as a reader hits a speedbump, they stop reading and go right on to typing. So at the first hurdle they've only got "stop smoking how?" in their head.)
posted by bonaldi at 11:36 AM on April 23

I read your whole question, that's why I posted "Reread the Allen Carr book"*


*I did not actually do this.
posted by drezdn at 11:45 AM on April 23

cosmic osmo: "I'm not trying to quit smoking"

cosmic osmo: "I need help to quit smoking

You complain you're not getting helpful answers? It's because your question you asked isn't the same as the question you wanted answered.
posted by Plutor at 11:46 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]

Omit needless words.
posted by Skorgu at 11:53 AM on April 23 [2 favorites]

Jesus. Christ.

I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not--but I might start.

I'm not trying to actively stop smoking cigarettes.
I'm trying to quit being a smoker.

I understand that the distinction might be challenging for some people. But come on. Do we really have to get into a semantic argument? I guess I am giving the internet too much reading comprehension credit. My mistake.
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:57 AM on April 23

I understand that the distinction might be challenging for some people.

Looking over the question you posted, looks like plenty of people understand you just fine, so you might want to cut out the attitude. Several people mentioned what I would assume to be true- you have to stop smoking cigarettes befure you stop being a smoker. If there was an easy way to quit, most everybody would do it.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:01 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]

What bonaldi said. There is systemic AskMe problem with people being too eager to post an answer, combined with people being too assumptive. In short, people assume they know the answer, so there is no point in reading all the boring detail.

I've had many questions where I was asking about extremely specific things and people seem to have just ignored the details, charging directly to general answers which are totally worthless.

My advice is to just not worry about it. No matter how carefully you word things people will be assumptive skimmers. In fact a more careful - and therefor more verbose - question is likely to backfire in just the manner you're trying to avoid.

Eventually someone who actually reads the question will give you a quality answer. In this I trust.
posted by Ragma at 12:01 PM on April 23

"I understand that the distinction might be challenging for some people......."

Dude.........

I take it back. I think the problem is most likely you.
posted by Ragma at 12:04 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]

I understand that the distinction might be challenging for some people.

No need to act like a dick. You came to metatalk for suggestions about wording your questions better. You are getting those suggestions, one of which is this:

If you are "not trying to quit smoking," making the title of your question (which is what people see in their RSS reader, if they use one) "Help me quit smoking" IS NOT THE FUCK GOING TO GET YOU THE ANSWERS YOU WANT.

MAKE THE TITLE OF YOUR QUESTION THE QUESTION YOU ACTUALLY WANT ANSWERED.

THIS IS AN ACTUAL HELPFUL SUGGESTION THAT WILL AID YOU IN GETTING THE RESULTS YOU DESIRE.

STOP BEING A DICK ABOUT THE ACTUAL HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS YOU ARE GETTING IN THIS THREAD.

dick.
posted by dersins at 12:08 PM on April 23 [8 favorites]

Several people mentioned what I would assume to be true- you have to stop smoking cigarettes befure you stop being a smoker.

Except...I've already stopped smoking cigarettes. Which I thought was pretty clear. And you know, I don't have "attitude" (the internet is not really that serious), but I do feel like I'm running in circles a little bit.

Thank you to everyone who has responded. The way some people seem to have taken this as a personal attack or something is certainly enlightening.
posted by cosmic osmo at 12:09 PM on April 23

"The way some people seem to have taken this as a personal attack or something is certainly enlightening."

Does irony ever get more blatant? No. It does not.
posted by Ragma at 12:11 PM on April 23 [5 favorites]

This is rapidly approaching a bad vector. cosmic osmo, I hope you got something out of this, but I think we're probably done here.
posted by cortex at 12:14 PM on April 23 [1 favorite]