Maybe I'm just being unreasonable, but I think there should probably be a few tips on how to get your questions answered in a timely and effective manner. If this irritates the Mods, feel free to delete this post. I could just be being peevish.
Search the forums with whatever keywords you can think of. At least try this a few different times with different keywords. We understand you may not know the terminology, but it is likely your question has come up before. If you can't find, it, feel free to ask, but sometimes a quick search will answer your question.
Use a useful Topic Subject. Don't post "Newbie needing help", at least use "Newbie needing help with a servo/wifi/temperature sensor", or more useful: "Cannot read digital Temperature Sensor."
Demonstrate that you've tried to research a solution yourself. Wikipedia is an amazing font of knowledge, as is the internet in general. We understand if you are having trouble with a concept, but if the answer is on the Wikipedia page that pops up when you type in the keywords you use in Google, we will all be very sad for you.
Ask as specific a question as you can.
CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR PROBLEM. If your servo isn't working, don't post "My servo won't go", instead post "My servo won't move as I change the voltage on it. It starts ticking instead then bursts into flames."
Include as much detail about your project as you can when asking questions. Most importantly, include exactly what you want it to do. Include relevant part numbers (with links if possible) for major modules/parts (If you know), which board you are using (if you know), Schematic (It can be a drawing on a piece of paper that you take a picture of, though make sure it is neither too big to be impossible to see at standard resolutions, nor too small that it isn't legible), and include any code you've used for the project. Also, For the love of all things electric, USE CODE TAGS.
USE CODE TAGS to post your code
Don't use text speech. Try to spell your words out, using proper capitalization and punctuation. We aren't English majors, but reading that hurts some people's brains.
If you are hoping people will do stuff for you, be prepared to offer compensation. Arduino is about learning, and we want you to learn how to do it, not do it for you. Personally, I don't want to write your code for you. I am however willing to tell you a few tricks onto how to implement a particularly complicated function.
The following is one of the best pieces of advice I have come across ...
But you really have to whittle it down to something small and easily digestible by someone with a few minutes to kill.
To put things into perspective: If any one person spends more than maybe 15 minutes on a post, that's a pretty special thing. I would imagine most people who reply have probably dedicated less than 5 minutes to it before moving on, and often less than that, unless it really grabs their interest for some reason. Keep that in mind when you ask questions. You're asking for considerable development time to achieve what you're trying to do. The best you could hope for is maybe someone has done something similar [...] and can point you to their project online.
I second that it might be a good idea to rename the sticky. It won't guarantee people will read it, but out of these two:
Tips and Tricks for getting your question answered
How to use this forum - please read.
I think the first is likely to resonate with those people who post a "URGENT newb needs help" topic and then don't get an answer in two seconds. Harness that psychological effect!
Two other points that newbies should be aware of ...
A. People who reply to lots of threads here probably read 20 to 50 threads in a day. Your thread is only 5% or 2% of that - grab their attention quickly and without the reader needing to do work. And focus your question so it can be answered without a lot of work.
B. An awful lot of questions get a follow-up reply within 1 to 3 hours. And very frequently this is a request for more information. A person starting a thread should check the forum regularly so they can answer follow-up questions quickly.
I am NOT in favour of renaming Nick's very helpful sticky. It covers a lot of ground for which its title is appropriate. And I think if this thread (or the essence of it) was made into another sticky it would have more impact. Section 11 of Nicks sticky should be repeated in this one. And the new "Tips and Tricks" sticky could take a line or two to explain why Nick's sticky is actually a good read.
Actually, yeah, that's a good idea. My one reservation upon re-reading the common forum header sticky is that it's very long and starts out with "here's how to create a post". While it's good documentation, I would imagine many users see the red circle around the "New Post" button and think, "I know how to create a post, duh..." (click) And away they go.
