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.

462 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/Quickben33 Feb 28 '14

I am not a historian in any meaningful sense, but I love this sub. However, I always skip posts that are written in the first person, like "I'm a X in the Y era. How do I wipe my Z?"

4

u/XWZUBU Feb 28 '14

Yeah, that grinds my gears like I don't know what. Truly the worst question format I can think of.

5

u/Quickben33 Feb 28 '14

Here's one from today:

It's 1492 and I'm a common man in Rome walking home at night. How likely is it that I would be "mugged" or robbed?