Asking Effective Questions That Get Great Answers Quickly

• Core principle: Questions are an exchange of time. You put some time to write your question and the answerers take some time to respond. Your goal is to make the amount of time necessary to answer your question smaller than the amount of time you spent asking it.
• Have empathy for the people answering the question. Thank them pre-emptively!
• Avoid leading "hi". Just ask them your question directly!
• Google your question and go through the initial results prior to asking your question. Inline that context in your question.
• Attach as much relevant context as possible. You want to prevent back-and-forth where answerers need to ask you questions to clarify your initial question.

Related resources:

• Bad Question vs. Good Question Example
• "How do you overcome the fear of asking stupid questions / bothering people when you need help?"