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Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post

MG
m.guerreroTL2 Moderator31 Oct 2024#1

The question in the title: Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it.

I want to check my reasoning rather than get a conclusion.

My current understanding is set out below in the order I arrived at it. I think step two is the weakest part and I would like that examined first.

38 likes 21mo
RV
r.vukovicTL2 Moderator31 Oct 2024#2

Asking a follow-up: new topic or reply in the old one? If the answer depends on the previous post, reply. If it is a question that makes sense without the previous post, new topic. The second gets faster answers.

9 likes 21mo
TP
tracked_parcelTL2Regular1 Nov 2024#3
m.guerrero, post #1: The question in the title: Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a conclusion. My current understanding is set out below in the order I arrived at it. I think step two is the weakest part and I would like… Go to post

Disagreeing with an answer you got: cite what you disagree with, say what contradicts it, and ask which one holds. Do not open with "I think you are wrong". Lead with the evidence.

2 likes in reply to #1 21mo
ES
e.steinerTL2 Moderator2 Nov 2024#4

post #2 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

Avoid "any advice?" at the end. It is so generic that people do not know which part of the post it refers to. Pick the specific part and ask that specific question instead.

0 likes 21mo
ER
eire_readerTL2Regional · IE2 Nov 2024#5

I read post #3 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

Questions you cannot explain: "I cannot say why I am asking this, but is this compound stable at room temperature?" is more productive than no question at all. People here know that some questions cannot be asked in public and they will work with that constraint.

14 likes 21mo
FH
f.haddadTL2 Moderator3 Nov 2024#6

Units. Everything needs units. This is why we ask every single time. I have seen the same arithmetic done three different ways depending on whether the person was thinking mg/mL or mg/dose or something else entirely. Stating the units makes that impossible.

5 likes 21mo
PN
p.novotnyTL2Regular3 Nov 2024#7
m.guerrero, post #1: The question in the title: Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a conclusion. My current understanding is set out below in the order I arrived at it. I think step two is the weakest part and I would like… Go to post

The specific question in the title is more useful than you might think. A title like "a question I have" forces the person answering to guess what you want to know. A title with the actual question gets you an answer in two hours instead of two days.

0 likes in reply to #1 21mo
MB
m.balogunTL2 Moderator4 Nov 2024#8

For anyone arriving from a search: the marked solution above is the direct answer, and the replies underneath it add the caveats that make it safe to use.

0 likes 21mo
PI
p.iyer_pharmdTL3Pharmacist4 Nov 2024#9
tracked_parcel, post #3: Disagreeing with an answer you got: cite what you disagree with, say what contradicts it, and ask which one holds. Do not open with "I think you are wrong". Lead with the evidence. Go to post

What you have already read matters. Saying "I read the maintained page on this and I still have a gap" tells people they do not need to point you at the same resource you have already found. That is a genuine time saver.

0 likes in reply to #3 21mo
NO
n.okwuosaTL2 Moderator5 Nov 2024#10
r.vukovic, post #2: Asking a follow-up: new topic or reply in the old one? If the answer depends on the previous post, reply. If it is a question that makes sense without the previous post, new topic. The second gets faster answers. Go to post

Picking up post #7: that is the part I would want checked first.

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

19 likes in reply to #2 21mo
LE
logbook_erinTL3Regular5 Nov 2024#11
p.iyer_pharmd, post #9: What you have already read matters. Saying "I read the maintained page on this and I still have a gap" tells people they do not need to point you at the same resource you have already found. That is a genuine time saver. Go to post

Context that matters: compound, how long in, current dose, relevant history. Context that does not matter: how you feel, your hopes for the outcome, your medical history beyond what affects this specific question. The first set gets you answered. The second set makes the reply longer without making it better.

0 likes in reply to #9 21mo
SG
s.girardTL2 Moderator6 Nov 2024#12

Five questions in one post gets you one answer: the easiest one, usually not the one you needed most. Post them separately or pick the one that depends on the others least and ask that one first.

4 likes 21mo
CL
coldchain_liuTL3Regular6 Nov 2024 · edited#13

Arithmetic questions: write out the steps. "I have a 10 mg vial, I added 2 mL, I want a 0.25 mg dose, and I get this number for the syringe mark" is answerable. "How many units" is not.

12 likes 21mo
AI
a.ilungaTL2 Moderator6 Nov 2024#14

On post #10 — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification.

Lab result questions: state the result, the reference interval, and what else is on the same panel. A single flag on a single draw is usually uninformative without context.

26 likes 21mo
AF
a.finnegan_rdTL2Dietitian7 Nov 2024#15
a.ilunga, post #14: On post #10 — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification. Lab result questions: state the result, the reference interval, and what else is on the same panel. A single flag on a single draw is usually uninformative without context. Go to post

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

0 likes in reply to #14 21mo
MN
m.nascimentoTL2 Moderator7 Nov 2024#16
e.steiner, post #4: post #2 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different. Avoid "any advice?" at the end. It is so generic that people do not know which part of the post it refers to. Pick the specific part and ask that specific question instead. Go to post

Chromatogram questions: describe the method first. Column type, gradient, wavelength, detection method. Everything else follows from method. A chromatogram without method is a number without context.

2 likes in reply to #4 21mo
VS
v.szaboTL3Analytical chemist8 Nov 2024#17

post #16 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Questions you cannot explain: "I cannot say why I am asking this, but is this compound stable at room temperature?" is more productive than no question at all. People here know that some questions cannot be asked in public and they will work with that constraint.

8 likes 21mo
VK
v.kirchnerTL2 Moderator8 Nov 2024#18

Worth separating two things that post #14 runs together.

Avoid "any advice?" at the end. It is so generic that people do not know which part of the post it refers to. Pick the specific part and ask that specific question instead.

19 likes 21mo
SK
s.karlsen_rphTL3Pharmacist8 Nov 2024#19

Picking up post #16: that is the part I would want checked first.

What you have already read matters. Saying "I read the maintained page on this and I still have a gap" tells people they do not need to point you at the same resource you have already found. That is a genuine time saver.

0 likes 21mo
HV
h.vargaTL2 Moderator9 Nov 2024#20
p.novotny, post #7: The specific question in the title is more useful than you might think. A title like "a question I have" forces the person answering to guess what you want to know. A title with the actual question gets you an answer in two hours instead of two days. Go to post

Coming back to post #18, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Two things before anyone answers the substance.

First, the context in the first post is clear and specific. Second, the question is framed so that an answer can actually address it. Both are the norm here and both matter more than they sound.

0 likes in reply to #7 21mo
AA
an.adeyemiTL2 Moderator9 Nov 2024#21

Context that matters: compound, how long in, current dose, relevant history. Context that does not matter: how you feel, your hopes for the outcome, your medical history beyond what affects this specific question. The first set gets you answered. The second set makes the reply longer without making it better.

0 likes 21mo
ES
e.silvaTL2 Moderator9 Nov 2024#22
n.okwuosa, post #10: Picking up post #7: that is the part I would want checked first. Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up. Go to post

Picking up post #19: that is the part I would want checked first.

Five questions in one post gets you one answer: the easiest one, usually not the one you needed most. Post them separately or pick the one that depends on the others least and ask that one first.

31 likes in reply to #10 21mo
LF
l.ferreiraTL2 Moderator10 Nov 2024#23
eire_reader, post #5: I read post #3 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite. Questions you cannot explain: "I cannot say why I am asking this, but is this compound stable at room temperature?" is more productive than no question at all. People here know that some questions cannot be asked in public and they will work with that constraint. Go to post

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

11 likes in reply to #5 21mo
HK
h.koodziejTL2Member10 Nov 2024#24

Arithmetic questions: write out the steps. "I have a 10 mg vial, I added 2 mL, I want a 0.25 mg dose, and I get this number for the syringe mark" is answerable. "How many units" is not.

3 likes 21mo
JC
j.castellanosTL2 Moderator11 Nov 2024#25

I read post #23 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

Units. Everything needs units. This is why we ask every single time. I have seen the same arithmetic done three different ways depending on whether the person was thinking mg/mL or mg/dose or something else entirely. Stating the units makes that impossible.

1 like 21mo
JS
j.sorensenTL2 Moderator11 Nov 2024#26

This follows post #23 rather than contradicting it.

The specific question in the title is more useful than you might think. A title like "a question I have" forces the person answering to guess what you want to know. A title with the actual question gets you an answer in two hours instead of two days.

0 likes 21mo
CR
c.rasmussenTL211 Nov 2024#27
EL
e.lokkenTL2 Moderator12 Nov 2024#28

I disagree with the reply above, and I think the disagreement is substantive rather than terminological.

The distinction being drawn does not survive when you look at the published data for this specific question. I would be glad to be shown wrong on this, because the version I am arguing against is more convenient.

6 likes 20mo
PF
p.friskTL2 Moderator12 Nov 2024#29

Coming back to post #27, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

3 likes 20mo
VM
v.milanoviTL3Regular12 Nov 2024#30

Asking a follow-up: new topic or reply in the old one? If the answer depends on the previous post, reply. If it is a question that makes sense without the previous post, new topic. The second gets faster answers.

0 likes 20mo