5 Tips for MSDN Forum Etiquette

Recently, I saw a Tweet that noted that many SharePoint threads were going unanswered or lacked a response.  I felt an obligation to help.

Helping out on the forums can be a thankless job.  My company will not pay me more because I post on the forums and sometimes responses feel like they go into the ether.  So, I thought I’d jot down a few things that the community can do as a whole to help improve forum etiquette.

1. Mark responses as helpful:  People posting on the forums often do so to meet professional goals.  This is the primary reason I participate in addition to keeping my skill sharp.  Many of my peers are attempting to meet Microsoft MVP status and one measuring stick is forum participation.  Marking responses as helpful is something that few people do but helps others reach their goals.  I view marking helpful posts as a way to pay it forward.  Almost any post marked as “Answer” should be considered “Helpful” by default.  So, if you visit an answered thread and that answer helps you, take the time to mark it helpful.  Its only a mouse click away and will brighten someone’s day.
2. Mark answers:  This one seems simple, but far too often you’ll find the answer stated but not marked as such.  Then, below the answer you’ll find a dogpile of “builds” on that response.  I think it is fine to build on a response, but please mark the answer as you do so.  The forum is a community effort and we cannot rely on the Microsoft moderators to mark all the answers for us. 
3. Stating the question:  Sometimes, in order to provide the best answer, more information is needed from the thread creator. As a thread creator, it is a good idea to provide as much detail as possible. However, people hunting for threads to answer may skip a thread that lacks the context for them to provide a response.  It would be prudent to quickly write a note asking for the information required (such as product version, server roles, code snippets, etc.) I’ve found that by requesting more information, sometimes the thread creator will actually uncover the answer which brings me to the next point…
4. Don’t forget to close the loop:  Marking the answer is one way this can be done.  However, if you apply a response and it works, don’t forget to come back and mark the answer.  If you figure out the answer yourself, return and post what you did.  It is important to the next person that arrives at the thread with the same issue that they can find the answer. 
5. Be polite: Remember that anyone you respond to could be your future client or co-worker.  So, always practice patience and respond in a positive and supportive manner.  I don’t see many people violating this principle, but it still is important to remember.