# Iterative feedback and discussion on the pinned "make it easier to help you" topic

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975>\
**Category:** Meta Discussion\
**Tags:** meta\
**Created:** [September 10, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975 "2018-09-10T09:21:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kevin.squire](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kevin.squire/32/62_2.png) [@kevin.squire](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kevin.squire)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/1 "2018-09-10T09:21:26Z")

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This is great! Consider changing the title to something like “Guidelines for asking questions about code” (or something a little simpler).

Cheers,  
Kevin

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**Author:** ![aalexandersson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/aalexandersson/32/2927_2.png) [@aalexandersson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/aalexandersson)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/2 "2018-09-10T20:18:10Z")

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Good idea. I do not even know what PSA refers to here 😊 I have two suggestions:

1. Change the title to “Advice on posting to Julia Discourse”
2. The advice (or an improved version) should be a Julia Discourse FAQ.

For more inspiration, here is the link to the equivalent FAQ for Stata:

[https://www.statalist.org/forums/help](https://www.statalist.org/forums/help)

Update thanks to Google: PSA = Public Service Announcement

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 5:49am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/3 "2018-09-11T05:49:10Z")

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Thanks for the suggestion, but I don’t think that a document like the Stata FAQ is what I had in mind, keeping it short was a priority.

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**Author:** ![oxinabox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oxinabox/32/206603_2.png) [@oxinabox](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oxinabox)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 7:31am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/4 "2018-09-11T07:31:58Z")

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My personal addition:

1. **Be clear about which package** you are talking about. A link to the github project repo is a good idea. Don’t assume **there is only one package** for doing a particular task, and that we will thus know what you mean when you say _“the plotting package”_ or _“the Markov Chain Monte Carlo package”_. If you have an example following point 3 “Make your example **self-contained** ” you should be fine.

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 11:30am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/5 "2018-09-11T11:30:33Z")

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Thanks for the suggestions. I will wait a while for more and then edit. Another thing I missed is guidance about cross-posting.

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**Author:** ![kevbonham](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kevbonham/32/216165_2.png) [@kevbonham](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kevbonham)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2018, 11:42am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/6 "2018-09-11T11:42:56Z")

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I’d like to add a comment for those seeking to post this in the future - while simply posting the link by itself may have the desired effect, including a sentence about why you’re posting it will be seen as far more friendly and welcoming. Eg:

> Welcome to the Julia forums! Just so you know, you might have better luck getting answers if you follow some of [these simple guidelines](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/psa-make-it-easier-to-help-you/14757).

Or something.

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**Author:** ![Vic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Vic](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Vic)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 12:51pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/7 "2018-10-26T12:51:27Z")

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Very nice list!  
I also had no idea what “PSA” might mean.  
I’d especially value the 4th step: **Simplify** your problem. So I’d move that item to the top!

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**Author:** ![BeastyBlacksmith](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/beastyblacksmith/32/4741_2.png) [@BeastyBlacksmith](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BeastyBlacksmith)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/8 "2018-10-26T13:41:39Z")

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Also to me it seems like a good idea to pin this topic.

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/9 "2018-10-26T13:47:50Z")

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I would like to thank everyone for the suggestions. I updated the post, mostly minor rewording and highlighting keywords for easier reference.

> [@oxinabox](#):
>
> **Be clear about which package**

This is a good suggestion, but I think that the point about MWE should cover this, so I decided not to make the list longer (lest it would not be read).

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**Author:** ![xiaodai](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/xiaodai/32/15937_2.png) [@xiaodai](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/xiaodai)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/10 "2018-12-19T11:09:09Z")

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We need a deep learning model built with Flux.jl to predict which posts needs this and a bot to auto reply with this.

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**Author:** ![chakravala](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/chakravala/32/6832_2.png) [@chakravala](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/chakravala)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/11 "2018-12-20T05:55:39Z")

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@xiaodai, maybe @discobot can help you with that

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**Author:** ![discobot](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/discobot/32/1008_2.png) [@discobot](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/discobot)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/12 "2018-12-20T05:55:41Z")

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Hi! To find out what I can do, say `@discobot display help`.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xiaodai](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/xiaodai/32/15937_2.png) [@xiaodai](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/xiaodai)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/13 "2018-12-20T06:08:15Z")

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@discobot display help

U r not a troll right?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![discobot](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/discobot/32/1008_2.png) [@discobot](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/discobot)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/14 "2018-12-20T06:08:17Z")

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I currently know how to do the following things:

`@discobot start new user`

> Starts one of the following interactive narratives: new user, advanced user.

`@discobot roll 2d6`

> 🎲 3, 6

`@discobot quote`

> 🗨 _Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you_ — Princess Diana

`@discobot fortune`

> 🔮 You may rely on it

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xiaodai](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/xiaodai/32/15937_2.png) [@xiaodai](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/xiaodai)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/15 "2018-12-20T06:08:58Z")

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So u r a troll

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**Author:** ![DNF](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/dnf/32/10191_2.png) [@DNF](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/DNF)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 11:51am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/16 "2018-12-20T11:51:54Z")

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Why do you think so?

See here: [Who is Discobot?](https://blog.discourse.org/2017/08/who-is-discobot/)

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 12:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/17 "2018-12-20T12:32:23Z")

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I was assuming that the suggestion was the customization of the discobot welcome message to include this post.

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**Author:** ![foobar\_lv2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@foobar\_lv2](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/foobar_lv2)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 11:29am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/18 "2019-05-21T11:29:18Z")

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Proposal for an additional point on the list:

You are more likely to receive meaningful help if you avoid most non-standard characters, i.e. characters that are not present on almost all international keyboard layouts. This means de facto sticking to ASCII characters on US layout keyboards, plus some very well-established special cases like `⊻` (infix xor) or `∈` (alias for `in`). It is rude to expect the international audience on discourse to figure out how to input your native characterset or your not-universally-used symbols (e.g. unicode subscript or superscript, greek characters, accents).

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 11:38am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/19 "2019-05-21T11:38:35Z")

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I don’t necessarily disagree, but want to keep the list short and IMO we don’t see a lot of obfuscated unicode from newbies that often.

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**Author:** ![tkf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tkf/32/17635_2.png) [@tkf](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tkf)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 4:00am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975/20 "2019-10-10T04:00:18Z")

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How about adding this?

> Include **full stacktrace** and error messages. They often contain valuable information even if they may seem cryptic to you. Please quote the stacktrace as well (see point 1).

[Next page](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/iterative-feedback-and-discussion-on-the-pinned-make-it-easier-to-help-you-topic/62975.md?page=2)