Wow, I can't believe people are still responding to this thread. Guess the sticky is working, and people are reading this.

Just to clarify why I posted a link to that article...

I have no problem with people asking questions if they don't understand something. I understand that sometimes the help files aren't clear enough. Asking for clarification is fine. I was a noob once, and I understand how hard it can be to learn all this stuff.

However, as the title of this thread suggests, there are smart and not-so-smart ways to ask questions. How you post a question often determines how people will respond.

Before you even post a question, do a search through the forums to see if it's already been asked before. If people give you slack about asking a common question, that's because it's been asked many times before and answered. A forum search will turn it up for you.

If you ask a question that is obviously answered by manuals and help files, a RTFM or something similar should clue you into that. It's not meant to be rude or anything, just a bit of a nudge.

If you ask something very broad, such as "how do I model X object" or "how do I texture something", then you have shown that you didn't even bother researching the topic. There are so many tutorials and forums out there, that it really shouldn't be too hard to do a quick Google or forum search.

If at all possible, be specific with your thread topics. "I NEED HELP!!!111!!1" is not an appropriate topic. That means absolutely nothing to people reading it. I know that I personally skip threads titled in a such a manner, because I don't want to waste time and effort reading about a problem that I may not be able to answer.

"Need help with converting between polys and subds" is a good thread topic. It tells readers what the thread is about, and they can decide if they are able to help out. "Looking for tips on modeling cartoon characters" is another good topic. Be specific with the topics, and chances are you'll get better responses, or in some cases, you get responses period.

I'm not trying to pull any attitude or be a hard-a$$ about this. I just want to give some advice on better ways to get answers efficiently (and politely, sometimes) from the community.