Search before posting. Sometimes your question may have already been answered by us or other students in the past. This gives us more time to answer new questions. Also you will avoid having us link to another post as an answer.
Link and screenshot any external resources you are referring to (exams, discussion, StackOverflow, lecture slides + webcast time/video). It is more convenient for us and other students to look at the screenshot and follow the link if we need more context on the question. It will also substantially decrease the time it takes for us to answer your question. Also, you probably have whatever you are referring to opened already.
Try to avoid too open-ended/vague questions such as: “How does BFS work?” or “How come the solution to a discussion problem is this?” or “How does this proof from the textbook work?” This keeps us guessing on what you are really stuck on. If you walk us through your thoughts and reference specific lines that you find confusing, we can better address the problem you are facing. It may even help us uncover any misunderstandings that you may have.
Please try to post homework questions publicly as comments on the appropriate question threads whenever possible. If your question is too detailed/revealing to fit there, that’s a sign that your question is better answered during office hours. We do not have the bandwidth to pre-grade answers on the course forum, so detailed private HW questions are discouraged.
You should only post in the “Your Answer” box if you are fairly certain about your answer. Do not post follow up questions or +1 in the answer box. Posting in the “Your Answer” section marks a post as answered and will likely be missed. Use “Comment” to follow up.
If you want a reply on a comment, mark it as unresolved, or we may not see it.
If you reply to a comment answering the question at hand, mark the comment as resolved since it no longer requires attention.
If you’re confused about the given responses to your question, come to OH and mark your question as a conceptual question when putting yourself on the queue. Conceptual questions, which are questions on discussions, past homeworks, concepts (ie from the textbook or lectures) and this semester’s exams get priority over homework questions. It is sometimes much easier to explain questions in a one on one setting where staff can articulate their points through illustrations.