I was answering questions on here for months before I realized I was missing the point of the 'Ask Anything' part.

It hit me last Tuesday. Someone posted a question about fixing a leaky faucet, and I gave them a detailed step-by-step guide. Then another user just replied with 'Have you tried turning the water off first?' That was it. The original poster came back and said that simple question was the actual fix they needed. I was over here writing a novel when the real value was in asking the one obvious, basic thing I assumed everyone knew. Made me wonder how many other times I've overcomplicated a simple answer. What's a time you gave a complex solution when a simple question would have worked better?

3 comments

3 Comments

samk7716d ago

Totally did that explaining how to reset a router when just asking "Is it plugged in?" fixed it.

aaron_perry16d ago

Reminds me of the time I spent twenty minutes walking my neighbor through a printer setup over the phone. We tried drivers, network settings, the whole song and dance. Finally asked if the USB cable was actually in the computer. Dead silence, then I heard the click. The simplest check always comes last for some reason.

kai_webb9116d ago

Honestly, that "simple check" mindset can waste more time than it saves. Jumping straight to "is it plugged in" treats everyone like they're clueless. Most people have already done the basic stuff before asking for help. Starting with the complex solutions at least shows you're taking their problem seriously, not just patronizing them with checklist questions they've already ruled out.