helping new ubuntu members

[vibaviattigala]

i joined ubuntu forums this month and i love to help new members and post questions but when i got to absolute beginners forums thats questions are tough even i dont know what to do if i have that situation will i improve so how can i help new members?

[JKyleOKC]

As time goes by and you solve problems that arise, you'll pick up plenty of knowledge that can be helpful to others. I use the "New Posts" option in the toolbar at the top of each forum page, to get a list of the 250 most recent messages posted, and just scan down the list until I see a question that rings a bell in my mind of "Hey, that's happened to me!"

I then read the message, and if I have a possible answer to the question, post it.

This message itself is a perfect example of the process.

Welcome to the forums, and kudos on your desire to help! All of us need all the help we can get, all of the time. And the best way to get it is to "pay forward" for all the help we've gotten in the past...

[grahammechanical]

Some people post in the Absolute Beginners section because they are absolute beginners at what they are trying to do. In fact they are not absolute beginners in Ubuntu and the subject they are asking about is not an absolute beginners subject.

But what can we do about it?

You can:

1) Speak from your own experience.

2) Notice answers that work and give the same answers yourself or link to the thread with the answer.

3) Invite the OP (original poster) to provide more information that more experienced members can use to work out a solution. Many simply say, its broken. And getting information out of some people is like pulling teeth. So, you can help provide the answer by getting important information out of the OP.

4) Bookmark links to documentation when you find it and post the link. We help people by educating them.

5) Remember the Code of Conduct.

Regards.

[3rdalbum]

I echo the sentiment that the Absolute Beginners forum does not necessarily have "easy" questions - it's just that the people asking them are Linux beginners.

You might actually find the Desktop Environments forum to have easier questions.

Basically, you just have to learn more about Linux and Ubuntu in order to become better at helping. But most of all, you must listen to what the asker is telling you. A lot of people here are knowledgeable, but don't successfully answer questions because they haven't really listened properly to the question.

[Peripheral Visionary]

My experience has been so easy and trouble free that I haven't had to learn much so far. But one thing I always do is write down any changes I make or problems I fix so that when (if) I need that info again I can go back and see what worked before. I keep that little notebook handy and if I see an issue I've dealt with myself, I use my little notes to offer "what worked for me."

[sffvba[e0rt]

My experience has been so easy and trouble free that I haven't had to learn much so far. But one thing I always do is write down any changes I make or problems I fix so that when (if) I need that info again I can go back and see what worked before. I keep that little notebook handy and if I see an issue I've dealt with myself, I use my little notes to offer "what worked for me."

Very good idea. I have found myself having to re-figure things out to many times after a period of time has elapsed and I am confronted with the same issue all over again. That is why I started a blog. Now if I can only remember to actually post the information there I would be good to go :)


404

[jerrrys]

Very good idea. I have found myself having to re-figure things out to many times after a period of time has elapsed and I am confronted with the same issue all over again. That is why I started a blog. Now if I can only remember to actually post the information there I would be good to go :)

I keep my notes/pdf's and download web pages on a collection manager called Zotero (http://www.zotero.org/). Works good :)