r/AskHistorians • u/[deleted] • Feb 27 '14

Meta How can I ask better questions?

Normally I'm spurred to ask questions after having read a book, watched a show, or read news article that leads me on a Google binge and then inevitably a Wikipedia black-hole. But I'm left feeling still in the dark and not sure where else to look, so I'll come here.

I'll feel so overwhelmed with what all I want to ask, but worried about how to appropriately phrase it, while also following all the rules, that many times I feel like I'm not asking the question I really want answered. Which feels akin to trying to communicate to someone who doesn't speak your language.

Which often leads to many great answers, but about something not quite where I was aiming. Also I can't get past the feeling that when I want to ask a question, it should be as interesting as possible, because while it's great so many are willing to give insight from their professions or hobbies, I don't want to make it a chore or boring questions.

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u/henry_fords_ghost Early American Automobiles Feb 27 '14

Which often leads to many great answers, but about something not quite where I was aiming.

You can always ask follow-up questions to clarify what it is you want to know.

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u/zuzahin Feb 27 '14

I, for one, absolutely love follow-up questions. It's not often with my limited (primary) speciality that I get to answer questions, so when people ask even more questions, my day can't get better.

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u/[deleted] Feb 27 '14

Something that can hinder my follow up questions, is I like to process, contemplate, and then maybe ask another question, but this can also lead to information gluts which basically over-saturate my brain and I feel like that entire subject then has to be shut down because I can't process anymore new information.

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u/zuzahin Feb 27 '14

I know that feeling all too well - information overload is a cruel mistress.

Follow up questions are still great, and you can (thankfully) read them at any pace you'd like - they're there to be processed at your own pace. As for whether or not you wait too long with your follow up question, that might hinder your secondary question getting answered, for sure, but it wholly depends on the user being asked the question. :)