(Originally posted in 2009, but worthy of a repost since the issue has been coming up again lately.)
If you're wondering why your questions don't get answered, there's a simple answer: volume. We get more questions than we can possibly answer. Ever. Even if we answered ten a day for the rest of our lives. Such is the downside of popularity; you can't please everyone. In our case, you can only please a few.
The good news is that there are ways to make your question stand out, and I'm about to list them for you. What can I say, I have a giver's heart. Doing these things is no guarantee that yours will be answered, but it won't hurt your odds.
1) Keep it brief
A little background is fine, but please, be concise. We don't need the entire history, just the most relevant info. In most cases, the longer the question, the less chance it has of being answered. We're just like you: long paragraphs of text make our eyes glaze over.
2) Speak English
If we can't read your question, we certainly can't answer it. We aren't grammar/ spelling Nazis, and we get that you must abbreviate to make it fit sometimes, but at least make it legible, because gobbledy-gook (l33t), jibba-jabba (ev werd lk ur txtg) and otherwise unreadable questions are like kryptonite.
3) Be original
We have to mix things up. If one of us answered a question last week about long-distance relationships, chances are he's not going to answer another one this week. Save it for later or try a different guy.
4) Pick a guy, any guy (but not all of us)
Ever hear the old Chinese proverb, "If two men own a horse, it will starve to death"? So will a question posed to six guys. We will all usually assume the other guy is gonna answer it, and we will all skip it. Or two of us will answer it and piss everyone off. We know you're hedging your bets, but it's also kind of insulting--we're not all the same guy with the same style or same areas of experience or knowledge. Pick the guy you think is best suited to answer your question; don't throw it up in the air like a bride's garter and expect us all to jump for it.
5) Leave comments
I can't speak for the other guys, but I try to answer questions from people whose names I recognize from the comments section of other answers. Make yourself known and you will be rewarded sooner or later.
6) Broad themes, not individual circumstances
Does that guy from work like you? Is your boyfriend not calling because he's cheating? Did your date stop kissing you because you had bad breath? Don't take this the wrong way, but how the feck should we know? We aren't clairvoyant. We can answer questions about guys in general, but only your dude knows why he dumped you or if he likes skinny jeans on girls or how he wants you to groom your pubes. Better to ask him than us.
7) Repeat yourself
Ask it again; maybe we missed it. Or ask another guy, because the one you asked might not know the answer. It does happen.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking: "So many rules, Wise-Ass! What's the dealio, McNealio?" They aren't rules, they are suggestions--like doubling-down when showing an ace or splitting eights. It doesn't mean you will win, but it sure as heck will improve your chances.
If you're wondering why your questions don't get answered, there's a simple answer: volume. We get more questions than we can possibly answer. Ever. Even if we answered ten a day for the rest of our lives. Such is the downside of popularity; you can't please everyone. In our case, you can only please a few.
The good news is that there are ways to make your question stand out, and I'm about to list them for you. What can I say, I have a giver's heart. Doing these things is no guarantee that yours will be answered, but it won't hurt your odds.
1) Keep it brief
A little background is fine, but please, be concise. We don't need the entire history, just the most relevant info. In most cases, the longer the question, the less chance it has of being answered. We're just like you: long paragraphs of text make our eyes glaze over.
2) Speak English
If we can't read your question, we certainly can't answer it. We aren't grammar/ spelling Nazis, and we get that you must abbreviate to make it fit sometimes, but at least make it legible, because gobbledy-gook (l33t), jibba-jabba (ev werd lk ur txtg) and otherwise unreadable questions are like kryptonite.
3) Be original
We have to mix things up. If one of us answered a question last week about long-distance relationships, chances are he's not going to answer another one this week. Save it for later or try a different guy.
4) Pick a guy, any guy (but not all of us)
Ever hear the old Chinese proverb, "If two men own a horse, it will starve to death"? So will a question posed to six guys. We will all usually assume the other guy is gonna answer it, and we will all skip it. Or two of us will answer it and piss everyone off. We know you're hedging your bets, but it's also kind of insulting--we're not all the same guy with the same style or same areas of experience or knowledge. Pick the guy you think is best suited to answer your question; don't throw it up in the air like a bride's garter and expect us all to jump for it.
5) Leave comments
I can't speak for the other guys, but I try to answer questions from people whose names I recognize from the comments section of other answers. Make yourself known and you will be rewarded sooner or later.
6) Broad themes, not individual circumstances
Does that guy from work like you? Is your boyfriend not calling because he's cheating? Did your date stop kissing you because you had bad breath? Don't take this the wrong way, but how the feck should we know? We aren't clairvoyant. We can answer questions about guys in general, but only your dude knows why he dumped you or if he likes skinny jeans on girls or how he wants you to groom your pubes. Better to ask him than us.
7) Repeat yourself
Ask it again; maybe we missed it. Or ask another guy, because the one you asked might not know the answer. It does happen.
Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking: "So many rules, Wise-Ass! What's the dealio, McNealio?" They aren't rules, they are suggestions--like doubling-down when showing an ace or splitting eights. It doesn't mean you will win, but it sure as heck will improve your chances.
Really wish we could permalink this to the front page.
For me 5 is the biggie. If I recognise the name, I will usually answer, though not the same person more than once a month.
Problem with this is that the majority of comments I've typed and submitted have never actually posted. I've attempted to comment countless times, but only a scant few have ever gone through. It's gotten to the point where I usually just don't even bother trying, so more often than not I simply rate answers/blogs and comments. I don't know where the glitch is as this is not a site I've designed/maintained, but there is indeed a glitch somewhere. I once submitted a question, and it didn't indicate whether it actually posted or not, either. Sounds like some web master(s) ought to look into this glitch... I've seen comments from others about the same problem.
Unless/until this is fixed, I'll have to stick to mostly reading and rating. :)
Though of course this one went through immediately, making a liar of me. ;)
Originally posted in 2009--wow, has it been that long? Time flies.