Create great posts

Create great posts that get great responses

You know what an online community is. You've created a post or two or 10,000 in your day, and gotten some good responses (and some not so good responses). Here are a few things you can do to tune your posts to help others help you better:

  1.  Add a greeting

    • A greeting helps warm your readers up to be ready for your question. A simple "Hi, everyone" can go a long way to getting more responses.

  2. Make it personal

    • Don't just ask a question. Instead, tell your story/reason for asking the question. People are more likely to respond when they have context and a way to relate to you and your story.

  3. Explain what you know or don't know

    • This helps others help you better. If you explain what you've already tried, others won't spend time suggesting it to you. Instead, they'll get right to the point of your question. It's also a way to make the post more personal and thus more likely to get a response.

  4. Promote peer interaction

    • Be sure to ask for replies about what others think or what their experiences with the topic have been. Also, mention other members that may have had similar experiences to get their take on things and to get their attention on your post. 

  5. Be responsive

    • If a fellow member responds to your post, be sure to respond within two business days to keep the conversation going. Even a simple "Thank you for your response" will show them that you're listening.

Bonus points: complete your profile (if you haven't already)

  • When posting, try to be the "model" member and have a complete online profile.

Examples

 
OK
Better
What makes it better?
The impact of innovation in our industry is striking, what are your thoughts? Hi everyone, we are currently looking at innovation initiatives, and I’m wondering if you've gone through anything like this. I'd really appreciate hearing from others who are thinking of doing or have done something in this area. It's more personal and relatable and makes it clear what type of responses you're looking for.
What are the benefits of the XYZ certification?

Hi Everyone, I’ve been in the IT world for a few years now and am thinking of studying for my XYZ. I’ve looked at all the requirements, and it seems like a huge amount of effort. I’m not opposed to putting in the hours, but I’d like to hear from others on whether you see value in it? Is it likely to help my career, and will it benefit my employer?

 It tells a story and has enough substance to generate a rich response.
How do you deal with XYZ? Hey fellow members, I've recently run into an issue with XYZ, and I'm wondering if you have any ideas on how to work around it or fix it. So far I've tried LMN and EFG, but no luck. Do you think it's tied to the ABC? Any suggestions you can provide would be helpful. Thanks in advance! It's more personal. It shows what you've tried or where you think the issue might be. You've asked them for information on what they have found, guiding their responses to be more helpful to you.