Smart questions are questions made with more thought / detail, allowing people to help you more easily.
Bad Question:
In this forum post on StackOverflow, the user asks why visual studio code isn’t opening their application. The user adds two lines of code and the error that is being shown.
This is a bad question because this problem can be easily solved by looking online. There are two forum posts (both from over 10+ years ago) that have the solution to the users problem.
Link to the question: Bad Question
Good Question:
In this posts on StackOverflow, the users asks a question on “How to block calls to print?”. In the post, the user gives some information on some of the objects and functions used in the program. The user says that the function does everything correct, but since it calls print, it slows down the game.
This is a good question because the user gives some information of the code and what it’s supposed to do, then asks how to solve their problem. This question was asked 11 years ago and now there are many different solutions posted on the forum.
Link to the question: Good Question
Smart questions are important because they make the process of solving a problem more easy and efficent. Asking smart questions can save time and effort when solving a problem. It is always good to ask questions, but it is important to do as much research by yourself, so that we don’t waste other peoples time. I don’t find myself asking questions much because information about anything can be found on the internet. But, If the solution to your problem still can’t be found after long searching, asking a clasmate or teacher can be really helpful. If a solution still isn’t found, then forums like StackOverflow can help. Something I learned from this experience is that you should always do research online before asking for help.