Talk can be a great way to get hands-on help when learning a new language or framework. Experts in tech-related channels on /c/vcc are amazing. In the real world, they could charge insane rates for consulting, but they give advice freely on talk, discord, and mailing lists. That said, it’s important to note that veterans find some common newbie behaviors very annoying. Getting help from these experts can be frustrating for a newbie, but the rewards are great.
If you’re new to /c/vcc, here is a short list of guidelines:
- Before asking for help, use Google and read the docs. People will get annoyed if you ask questions that are answered in documentation. It shows you didn’t try very hard to find the answer before wasting their time.
- Don’t ask to ask, just ask.
- Explain the problem in detail. Saying, “It doesn’t work.” will earn you the ire of everyone in the channel. How doesn’t it work? What error messages do you see? What do the logs say? Be specific. People need to know the answers to these questions so they can help. Mention what you think should happen and what is actually happening.
Gist/pastebin of any error logs or source code you have a problem with. Pasting large chunks of text in a topic is frowned upon. It makes conversation difficult for others. - Explain what you’re trying to do. Often there’s an easier way to get what you want out of a language, framework, technology. Others might know of a useful module or library that does much of the heavy lifting for you.
- Finally, be excellent to each other. Don’t call a project stupid. Every piece of technology has stupid parts. Granted, some have more stupidity than others, but name-calling isn’t going to help fix the problems. More importantly, name-calling won’t get you help. It will probably get you kick-banned.
Following these rules will make life much more pleasant for everyone involved. You’ll be more likely to get your problem solved and the regulars will have less stress in their lives.