#33 - How to ask a good question at Google Product Forums

Hi ya!

Let’s say you just got your Chromebook and are  wondering why you can’t download certain things from Google Play (all about what you can and can’t download here). You find the Chromebook forum. At the top of the page, you click Post A Question

After you’ve done that, this appears (see the image below):

At Question title, you write a brief description about what your question/issue is. Like, “What can my Chromebook download?”

Then, the next line you follow is this one:

Chrome OS Version (Type chrome://help in your browser window's address bar. Copy and paste the first three lines you see here.):

Just follow what it says.

Next…

Chromebook Model (Example: Chromebook Pixel, HP Chromebook 11, etc.):

Again, just do what it says. It should say that you can find your Chromebook model on the back of the Chromebook case.

Next…

Issue description:

Just fill out what your issue is.

Example of how to correctly ask a good question.

And now, what you don’t do:

We - as in Rising Stars and Top Contributors - need you, the user who has a question, to actually add detail to your thread post.

Basically, help us so we can help you!

This goes for all forums. If there is a request for information, make sure to include those details. And in addition to that, be sure to include all relevant information about your issue.

Take the Google Play forum. This is what you see when you Post A Question:

Just answer what it asks you to answer.

If you don’t know some of the questions, post your issue and say “I don’t know how to find the version of the Operating System I’m using.”

A Rising Star (RS) or Top Contributor  (TC) will try to help ya out!

And please don’t hijack a thread.

By hijacking a thread, I mean when someone posts a question and you chime in and ask something  not even related to the poster’s question.

Example, this thread post.

For more information about the rules at Google Product Forums, see this help page: Google Product Forums posting rules.

And this applies to all the forums at Google Product (GPF).

Tips:

• Don't ask your whole question in the Question Title box.
• Don't share sensitive information. We don't need your email address and sharing it can cause trouble for you down the road.
• Post your question according to the thread you're in. If you have a question about your Chromebook, then post in the Chromebook forum. If you have a issue with your Chrome browser, then post in the Chrome forum. And that goes for all forums at GPF.

To Summarize:

• When you ask a question, try to fill out what the automated response asks you. If you don’t know what to say, then ask how to do something.
• Please don’t hijack a thread.
• Remember: Help us so we can help you.

For more information, check Google’s help center!

Google Help Center.

Thanks for reading!

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Best of Luck,

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W.C. Blitzy