If the person doesn't tell you what they've already done to try to resolve their issue, they probably didn't do anything. And it's a waste of my time to try to answer them.

That isn't always true. Sometimes they're just too lazy to type it all out, but that's another uphill battle. It's not my job as a random forum viewer to pull all that information out of them. It's their job to provide it if they want help.

I answer a lot fewer questions now, but I'm a lot more satisfied with the results.

Also, the answers on SO are usually of such a high quality, that you learn a lot in the process. Often an answer will push me in another direction than I was going, because someone gave a better way to do something.

I'm not saying that people answering questions are always right or always have the final say, but it's easy to have strong opinions on what's "better for the community" if you're not the one doing the legwork or have to deal with the fallout from that.

I certainly would never be saying that sort of stuff unless I had put in the work. My balls just aren't big enough I guess.

I think it's frowned upon, here.

I won't do it deliberately, but, if I'm unsure of the answer, posting what I think is the answer, in a confident way, tends to get results. ;)

I've also learned to ask fairly detailed, well-researched questions, from StackOverflow.

They bitch at you, if you ask a "stupid" question (but usually answer it, anyway), but I have found, if I ask a detailed, well-researched question, crickets chirp.

I have basically given up on SO for anything useful, these days. I'm sad, because it used to be a great place to learn.

If I ask the kinds of questions they'll answer, I get sneered at. If I ask the kinds of questions they say they want, I get ignored.

What it really comes down to, though, is that when somebody asks a new question, I want to answer their new question, with all of its subtleties, in response to its particular phrasing, in its context.

Early on, I probably asked them badly, but I learned to ask them better, and the answers came much less frequently. So ask a question badly, and get an insult, but also a useful answer. Ask a question well, and ... crickets. Lately, I usually end up answering my own question, just so there might be something for someone else to find.

I'm usually quite capable of finding the answers; just not quickly. It used to be, I would get good answers, within seconds of asking the question. Nowadays, I usually end up answering it myself, hours or days later.

I used to like getting answers that were "done right." Many of the folks there, have a lot of structural and cultural knowledge, and the answers were often quite valuable; giving me advice on why we should do it this way. I may well find out how to do it wrong, left to my own devices. I didn't mind being told I was doing it wrong. We become right, by being wrong.

Most folks with very high karma, have very few (usually single-digit) question counts (the digit is often "0"). I am not one to ascribe motives, but there must be a reason that invested folks don't want to ask questions on that forum.

I like answering questions, especially when this leads to someone's growth; it's a satisfaction to me when the junior goes from newbie questions to more and more advanced ones.

But, even if I disliked answering questions, I'd still very much prefer answering questions than having to clean after a junior that didn't dare to ask a question.

    Early on, I probably asked them badly, but I learned to ask them better, and the answers came much less frequently. So ask a question badly, and get an insult, but also a useful answer. Ask a question well, and ... crickets. Lately, I usually end up answering my own question, just so there might be something for someone else to find.

When I answer questions on SO, I never think about earning via my answer because it doesn't make sense. Most people answer on the website for the simple reason of helping someone out. If I don't answer thinking that I won't get anything out of it, then someone else will answer for sure.

I feel that monetizing a part of SO will take away a lot of fun for people like me.

Lately I find that people answer less and less. And those that do take the time, often don't follow up if I come up with additional information.

Just ask when you need to (when you want to know something you don't already know) and answer when you feel you can contribute an answer.

And stop caring if you get up-or-downvoted, and start caring about the quality of your output.