Recommendations, when posing a question

[Richard Ristow]

These will help us in the List understand and work with questions that
are posed:

+ State your problem as precisely as you can. In your description, use
every important word in one and only one sense, and define it. Use no
other word to mean the same thing.

+ If you're performing an operation on data, and the result isn't what
you want, give the syntax you used AND the input data, not just the
failing result.

+ Describe what the variables in your data mean. Particularly, tell us
which are the key variables, in every file.

+ If you ask about a piece of your problem that's giving you trouble,
describe the whole process as well. That may clarify what the piece is
about, and how best to it; it may allow us to suggest alternative ways
to go about it; it may even let us see that you've got another mistake,
and what you ask is the wrong way to go at your problem altogether.

+ Data, input and output data, is extremely useful. However, when you
post it, we'll find it much more useful if,
. Column heads should be directly above their data columns
. The lines, including header lines, are no more than 72 characters
long. (The list remailer wraps lines at 72 characters, and the result
can be very hard to understand.)
. PARTICULARLY, the data should be in columns. (Sometimes the variable
names are in one column and the data values strung out below. That's
essentially impossible to read, without reformatting.)

If you're in doubt about these things, read your own post as it's sent
from the list. If the posted data isn't readable, reformat it and post
again.

(You should have your list options set so you do get your own posts. If
you aren't getting them, send mail to [hidden email]
containing the line

SET SPSSX-L REPRO

)

[Melissa Ives]

And PLEASE make your subject line relate to the content of your
question.
A subject line of 'hard question' or that ilk makes it difficult to
triage now and to find later.
Thanks!
Melissa

-----Original Message-----
From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
Richard Ristow
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 12:07 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [SPSSX-L] Recommendations, when posing a question

These will help us in the List understand and work with questions that
are posed:

+ State your problem as precisely as you can. In your description, use
every important word in one and only one sense, and define it. Use no
other word to mean the same thing.

+ If you're performing an operation on data, and the result isn't what
you want, give the syntax you used AND the input data, not just the
failing result.

+ Describe what the variables in your data mean. Particularly, tell us
which are the key variables, in every file.

+ If you ask about a piece of your problem that's giving you trouble,
describe the whole process as well. That may clarify what the piece is
about, and how best to it; it may allow us to suggest alternative ways
to go about it; it may even let us see that you've got another mistake,
and what you ask is the wrong way to go at your problem altogether.

+ Data, input and output data, is extremely useful. However, when you
post it, we'll find it much more useful if, . Column heads should be
directly above their data columns . The lines, including header lines,
are no more than 72 characters long. (The list remailer wraps lines at
72 characters, and the result can be very hard to understand.) .
PARTICULARLY, the data should be in columns. (Sometimes the variable
names are in one column and the data values strung out below. That's
essentially impossible to read, without reformatting.)

If you're in doubt about these things, read your own post as it's sent
from the list. If the posted data isn't readable, reformat it and post
again.

(You should have your list options set so you do get your own posts. If
you aren't getting them, send mail to [hidden email]
containing the line

SET SPSSX-L REPRO

)


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