How soon till you are asking your question(s)?

drewlubken0647 · 2020-03-11T19:28:16.000Z

I’ll search the internet and try to figure it out myself before asking. So far I haven’t had to start a new post for a technical issue on spiceworks.

Huw3481 · 2020-03-11T19:45:06.000Z

Usually when I get to this point.

titusovermyer · 2020-03-11T20:22:44.000Z

Huw3481:

Usually when I get to this point.

It is amazing how this comic explains exactly how it feels when you can’t find an answer

supaplex-starwind · 2020-03-11T20:27:43.000Z

I haven’t asked anything as of yet, mostly answering questions and helping others. But almost sure someday I will need help too.

dimforest · 2020-03-11T21:53:27.000Z

It 100% depends entirely on the issue.

tb33t · 2020-03-11T22:25:18.000Z

I usually try to fix it at first, then if I can’t do some research, and if I still can’t fix I’ll ask a team member. Then I’ll come to Spiceworks & am always pointed in the right direction.

paulcousins2 · 2020-03-12T07:19:01.000Z

Before the internet (yes, I am that old !!) it was a case of picking colleagues brains, consulting manuals and general trial and error.

Now, duckduckgo is my friend !
Although the downside to that is that I sometimes have to look up the simplest syntax … or is that a memory issue ?!

liamsullivan · 2020-03-12T07:40:32.000Z

I will generally try to resolve an issue as thoroughly as I can before tapping the vast brain that is Spiceworks. Couple of reasons for that, firstly, its my job, secondly, it’s faster if you can solve it yourself, and thirdly, once I’ve exhausted all my expertise, I will be able to ask a detailed question and provide information on all the things I have tried and the outcomes, thus avoiding covering old ground and giving those trying to help me the best possible chance of doing so.

There is an art to asking good questions, here is a few earlier posts that contain some good advice on how to give your question in Spiceworks the best chance of success:

Asking Better Questions Best Practices & General IT

Over the years of reading questions on SpiceWorks, I've come to the conclusion that there are a few simple ways that nearly all of us could get better answers, better advice, more information by changing how we ask questions. Here are some tips that I've learned (this is not about break/fix questions but about guidance questions...) Always give the business background. No IT choice is made outside of a business context, so provide us with the drives on the decision. Need product type X? Do yo…

https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/74547-how-to-ask-a-good-question-and-how-to-give-good-answers

https://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/63496-spiceworks-101-why-is-spicing-important

Finally, if you do ask a question on Spiceworks, always make sure to mark an answer as Best Answer if it should solve your problem. Not only does this give credit where credit is due but also marks the issue as solved, meaning any other IT pro finding themselves in the same boat as you can see a clear solution.

@alexe

chrissmart2 · 2020-03-12T11:17:01.000Z

I’ll usually perform some research first and if I can’t solve it i’ll take it to SW. I also asked a question last week in an area I had no experience in just because I wanted some advice from people that had performed the same task before rather than jumping in and making the change. But I did the research first and got my head around it so that I had a general understanding beforehand.

I also try my best to pay it back by answering what I can, but it’s the low hanging fruit questions as I’m fairly new to the game

biscuitking · 2020-03-12T11:26:45.000Z

I usually search for an answer unless it is an emergency. Then I pick up the phone and call support.

big-green-man · 2020-03-12T12:39:35.000Z

I don’t ask questions here unless:

It’s an emergency and I don’t have time to research
I’ve tried everything I can possibly find and ran out of options

bob-13 · 2020-03-12T12:46:08.000Z

Oh, I forgot to add, I never ask questions on Spiceworks if the issue is that our internet is down. That one I’ll struggle through on my own… and/or call the ISP to get the steps I need to follow to reboot the modem… That is what they say to do right?

patrickholmes2 · 2020-03-12T12:47:29.000Z

I’ve asked once and found my own answer a couple hours later on my own. But my question was very specific down to a specific SSD in a specific laptop between the NvME or SSD M.2 drive. There was a lot of conflicting information and I finally drilled down to a specific version number on the laptops MB that showed the NvME wouldn’t work do to the voltage not being the correct amount so only the SSD M.2 would work.

zed · 2020-03-12T13:28:00.000Z

I usually struggle with it for at least a day. Then, while I’m typing up the relevant details in my desperate cry for help, it clicks and I find the answer.

jeffnoel · 2020-03-12T15:17:38.000Z

I will ask once I get to the XKCD level–and it has happened often.
I will ask when the documentation has no relevant examples or speaks like the Turboencabulator training video.
I will ask when flying by the seat of my pants is not an option.

pattena · 2020-03-12T15:32:35.000Z

For me it depends on the issue. If it’s not a high priority I’ll work on it and try to figure it out on my own. If it’s an issue with a major system, let’s say payroll, then I’ll call the vendor support pretty much immediately. We have a short window for our payroll clerk to complete her steps and get the ACH files submitted to the banks.

abbeyainscal · 2020-03-12T15:59:50.000Z

I think I can usually find stuff on my own but I what I more like about Spiceworks is to determine how others are doing it - maybe a larger or smaller environment, maybe a best practice I haven’t thought of etc.

gscott-uk · 2020-03-13T11:55:32.000Z

i tend to spend a suitable amount of time ‘google-fuiing’ before i then approach here, in the 15months or so ive been a member asked 2 questions, but i like to try and sort it myself if for no other reason than im like a dog with bone on the awkward problems, but sometimes you have to admit defeat and bow to superior knowledge. - But sometimes even google doesn’t have answer particuarly with bespoke things, (for eg got a problem with our phone system and its driving me/us mad)

spiceuser-hu4qp · 2020-03-13T13:13:40.000Z

James485:

Does calling tech support after 30 minutes of unsuccessful attempts of fixing the problem count?

30 minutes? Those are rookie numbers! I waste whole days on problems before I ask for help!

tomsteinmetz6433 · 2020-04-07T10:55:36.000Z

I’ll look things up and fiddle with things before asking.