Feeling Ignored? Learn How to Ask Questions.
I see many overwhelmed people go to forums and ask questions like...
- How do I get traffic to my website?
- How do I write and sell an ebook?
- How do I make money online?
...and often they get little to no response or people just throw a bunch of affiliate links or pitches for business opportunities. That's not really so helpful.
Why does this happen?
Because your question is just TOOOOOOOO BIG to answer. There is too much involved in generating traffic, writing & selling an ebook and making money online. There is no quick answer. People on forums are busy people, so BE SPECIFIC and you'll get specific answers.
Let's say you do want to know about getting traffic to your website. Start by searching Google (or whatever search engines) for some information and read a few articles. You're going to start to get some ideas...some may be good and others may be garbage. Or if you want to know about traffic, make sure you're signed up for my free Truth about Traffic course or buy an ebook on the topic. Then you'll get a solid grounding in traffic and you'll have some idea where you'd like to go next. Perhaps, you want to start with an Adwords campaign and you start setting up your campaign and you get stumped.
THAT'S when you go and ask a question, a very specific question, and people will be able to help you in a more meaningful way. But first, do you use the forum's "search" function to see if someone else has already asked that question...because if you ask a question that was answered a week before, you may also get ignored. :-(
And don't forget to have a specific subject line. Don't say, "Help!" or get cute with your subject lines. Say what your post is about. That way, the people who are truly knowledgeable on the subject can immediately see your request for help and give you a hand.
The Internet marketing community is a great way to get answers to your questions, but you've got to know what you want to ask. And if you already know what you want to ask, but don't know where to ask, here's a couple suggestions:
- Internet Based Moms: This is my forum for Internet marketing mamas.
- Marketing Secrets: This is John Reese's forum. I'm a moderator there, so you'll see me there frequently.
- Self Starters Weekly Tips: Lynn Terry's forum is definitely a gem...and Lynn is definitely one of Internet Marketing's Sweeties!
Here's to a great online education!
7 Comments:
The Self STarter's forum looks great Alice... thanks for the tip.
I've signed up for it and also the marketing secrets... although there's not a lot of activity on there. I guess everyone's busy making money huh? :)
That's what I like about Marketing Secrets....it's easy to keep up and there are some smart cookies there when you really need a hand.
You're really forum hopping, Mila! Don't forget to get some work done. Hee hee.
Great tips Alice, I'll add another if I may. If you're posting a question to an FAQ (like Alice's) make sure it makes sense. I'm getting questions to my FAQ that don't make much sense, bad misspellings, poor grammar, etc. If the question is unclear I can't answer it. :)
LOL...Carrie, I get those all the time.
And on another note, no matter where you ask questions, you should be specific in your question, but be succinct to. When your question is an essay-long, it's hard to get people to take the time to read it to answer in a meaningful way.
I was just thinking the same thing
today :-)
Definitely have to get some more work done.
Very good post Alice! I know I've been guilty of it in the past - especially when I was new and I did see much better results when I was specific with my question.
Nell
Ooh thanks for this post Alice, I wish someone would put together a "How to ask questions guide" lol.
Dealing with technology, I know people are often short of words when they ask a question. Sometimes they don't ask because they don't think their technical vocabulary is up to standard. But let me tell ya if you want to contact tech support, the best way to structure your questions is:
1. Tell them what you want to achieve in plain English
2. Tell them exactly what is happening from every popup to every error code. If you can copy/paste the error code the better!
Just saying "Your signup doesn't work what do I do next" does not help anyone.
I'm certain if you try that next time you contact tech support they will be able to pin point the problem a lot quicker and get you going sooner.
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