Welcome to the Experts Exchange Help Page. This page was written especially to help you find your way around Experts Exchange -- to help you understand how EE works, and to answer questions that we frequently get from users. If you need more information, please write to cs@experts-exchange.com.
We encourage you to read through this entire page, and to review the Membership Guidelines before you get started at Experts Exchange; you'll find it will make your tenure with us both a lot more productive, and a lot more enjoyable.
The Director of Community Support, the Administrators and the Moderators are members who volunteer their time to resolve various issues that come up at Experts Exchange. They administer questions, arbitrate disputes, and enforce the Membership Guidelines, among other things, but their main function is to assist members -- both long time Experts and new users. You can contact them by leaving a question in the Community Support topic area. You can see who they are, and a more complete description of "who's who" at EE in the Moderators section.
The Community Support topic area is to be used exclusively for communicating with the Moderators. Off-topic comments, and comments by Members who are not directly involved in the issue about which the question is posted are not welcome and their comments may be removed.
The Page Editors are also members who volunteer their time to monitor their topic areas. They are EE's "consultants"; the Moderators rely on them for their expertise in their TAs. A list of who they are, and their TAs, is below; if you're having trouble getting your question answered, the first place to start is with the PEs. You can write them directly at [UserName] "at" experts-exchange.com.
Expert Mode is a different view of the pages at Experts Exchange. Anyone can use it; there are no special requirements. It offers the following differences:
The text of the questions is in black, instead of blue
The Previously Asked Questions (PAQ) are shown in list view, instead of as "articles"
More of the Open Questions are visible on each page
In early October 2003, Experts Exchange made a major change to its user interface. Some members prefer what is referred to as the "Old Look"; to access it, simply replace the "www" at the beginning of any EE URL with "oldlook". For example, to get to the Community Support TA using the Old Look, type in http://oldlook.experts-exchange.com/Community_Support/.
If a Member has directed you here, then you already know how to comment in a question. Asking a question isn't much different; first, you find the right Topic Area. Then, in the upper right hand corner of the EE window, under your username, you'll see a link that says Ask A Question (the box is in the upper left if you're in Expert Mode). Click the link, and you'll get a page that allows you to ask your question by posting the title, question text and assignment of question points. For more information, see the section on Asking Questions.
A question is worth whatever it's worth to you. If you only have 100 question points, then a very difficult question is worth as much as half your points. You should remember that you're offering the points in order to get a solution to your problem; they're not a reward that you think about after the fact. The maximum number of points for any question is 500 and in the technical areas, the minimum is 20; questions in the Community Support topic area and its subtopics are free. Please see the section on Asking Questions for more details on questions and points.
In order to give you some guideline, EE has provided you with radio button choices at the bottom of the Ask A Question page, along with a choice in which you can set your own value. In general, the more points you assign to a question, the faster it will get attention from the Experts, but it's also a fact that a lot of Experts answer questions they see as challenging and don't pay attention to the assigned points.
That depends on how quickly you need the answer. In the busier topic areas (like Visual Basic or MS Access), waiting for more than a few days will cause your question to drop onto the second or third page of open questions, which will make it unlikely that you'll ever get an answer. If you haven't gotten any responses by then, you should consider:
Posting a minimum points Pointer question with a link to the your original question
Asking the Moderators to delete the question so you can post it again
In some of the less active topic areas, you can leave it open for a week or two, and it will still be on the first page of open questions. In the busier topic areas, you shouldn't ask questions of extreme importance on a Friday, since it could be Monday morning before anyone looks at the topic area; it might be worth waiting until Sunday evening before asking.
The short answer is "you don't." To participate in answering a question is simple. Add your comments to the question, and the questioner will determine which comment best resolves his or her problem. The longer answer is that Experts can only comment in questions, and that the person asking the question determines which comment best resolves his or her problem. See the Answering Questions section for more information.
The enlightened reason is because you can help other people solve problems. The practical reason is that if you answer enough questions to earn 10,000 Expert Points total and 3,000 Expert Points in a month, you qualify to receive Premium Services at no charge. The "I'm bored" reason is because it beats chat rooms and Solitaire. The best reason is that nobody knows everything, and you might actually learn something. Take your pick... Once you have received this level of Expert Points earned, click on your name to go to your profile and click the You Qualify link.
You become an Expert by posting comments in questions. Once you've done that, you'll be considered an Expert. There are, however, varying degrees of Expert. As you answer more questions and earn more Expert points, the following "Certificates" become available to you, as recognition of your contributions:
The short answer: nobody. The long answer: The Featured Expert in each topic area is the person who has the most Expert points in that TA that month. It resets at the beginning of the month, and usually changes quite a bit for the first couple of weeks. It's all done by the database, so you can't be "nominated" or "selected".
If there are no expert comments, you have the option to delete your own question by clicking the Delete Question link at the bottom of the page
Leave a request in the Community Support topic area for a refund to close the question
Leave a request in the Community Support topic area to delete the question
Before requesting a deletion or refund, make sure you have responded to all the expert comments. If you have found the answer yourself, please provide a detailed solution in the question. For more information about the ins and outs of closing questions, please see the section on Closing Questions.
What are the Premium Services, and how do I get them?
The Premium Services include a number of features not available to "limited" members. Among them:
Unlimited questions
When you become a Premium Services member, you continue to receive 5 points per day, but your total never decreases as long as you remain a PS member, no matter how many questions you ask, or how many points you offer for the questions. If you ever do give up your Premium Services, then the points you have accumulated stay with your account.
VIP Search
Having Premium Services allows you to search Experts Exchange's database.
Page Editors are Experts in all the specific Technology Areas. Among their other functions, they respond to Premium Services members' requests for assistance with their questions.
Currently, there are two ways to get the Premium Services. The obvious way is to purchase a membership. The other way is to answer questions. If you earn a total of 10,000 points, and 3,000 points in a month, you'll see a link in the top left corner of your browser window that says "You qualify". Click that, and you'll become a Qualified Premium Services member. After becoming a Qualified member, you can maintain your status by earning 3,000 points each month. There is no less than one month's grace period as well, so if you don't make it this month, you still have next month to maintain your status.
While logged into the site, click on your username, or on the "My Account" link located in the upper right of your browser window. This will take you to your profile page.
Scroll to the bottom of that page, and will you see Premium Services History. Click on *View*, and you'll see all your purchases. Click on any of the underlined invoice numbers, and it will display that transaction, with an option to print.
I just bought Premium Services, but the Search doesn't work. What do I do?
Generally, this happens because the cookie on your computer still thinks you are a non-Premium Services member, so it disables the search results links.
A quick fix is to clear your cache (temporary Internet files), delete your cookies, and then log out of Experts Exchange. Close your browser, reopen it, and then log back in.
A "PAQ" is a Previously Asked Question (also called a "Solution"), which is a question that has an Accepted Answer. While your question remains open, it is shown on the list of Open Questions in whichever Topic Area it was asked. Once you have selected a comment as an answer, it is moved to the PAQ list, where it is also available to be viewed through both the EE search feature and the Google search.
Premium Services feature: Bookmarks are your way of keeping a list of questions that you think you'll find useful in the future. At the bottom of a question page, above the text area in which you comment on a question, you'll see a link that says "Question Bookmark: Add". Click "Add" and you'll see a page that allows you to give a description of the question and a button that says "Save".
To manage your bookmarks, click the link in the upper left corner of your browser window (if you're in Expert Mode -- otherwise, it's in the upper right hand corner) that says "Bookmarks". You'll see a list of your bookmarked questions. Click the one you wish to manage, and you'll see the question open. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and the "Add" is replaced by "Edit". When you click the link, you have the option of changing the description and resaving the bookmark, or deleting it.
Note that the bookmarks are internal to Experts Exchange, and are not saved as part of your browser's Favorites or Bookmarks.
Premium Services feature: Quick Links are another way of navigating through topic areas. You add and remove them by clicking the "Add your technology channels" link at the top of the page. You'll see a page with all of the Topic Areas included; select the ones you wish to see all of the time.
If you are the person who asked the question, then yes, you can, by asking the Moderators to change the grade -- although they won't be inclined to lower it.
If you are the Expert receiving the grade, you will absolutely need a reason, and you may be asked to explain your request in the original question. Generally speaking, the Moderators assume that the Asker gave the grade for a reason, and unless it is vindictively a C, they will not be inclined to change it.
Yes. Scroll down to the bottom of the question, just above the text box, and click the "Split Points" link. Select the radio button of the comment who you want to Accept as the Accepted Answer. Only one button can be selected. Set the point value (a text box above the comment) of how much you want this person to receive of the points. Then set the point values for each of the experts comments to whom you want to allocate points and these will be considered Assisted Answers in helping you resolve the issue. Double check your information and then click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. One note: the total points of the splits must equal the amount you asked the question for itself, and no person can receive fewer than 20 points.
There are two kinds of points at Experts Exchange: Question Points and Expert Points, and they have little relationship to each other. As a member, you receive five Question points every day, up to a total of 500, with which to ask questions. When you ask a question, the points are removed from your Available Points total. Once you've accepted a comment as an answer, the points are transferred to the Expert whose comment you have selected as the answer; if your question is deleted, they are returned to your Available total.
If you are a Premium Services member, then your available points total never decreases (it just increases by 5 points per day, up to a total of 500), no matter how many questions you ask and how many points the questions are worth, and will never run out of them as long as you have Premium Services.
When you accept a comment as an answer, the Question points are multiplied by a factor depending on the grade you give and added to the Expert point total of the person who answered your question. Giving a higher grade does not affect your Question points. For more information regarding grades, please look at What's the right grade to give?. The multiplier is as follows:
A = 4 times the question points
B = 3 times the question points
C = 2 times the question points
D = the question points (only Moderators and Page Editors can award a D grade)
The points you offer for a question are to be a reward for getting assistance from Experts; they are not necessarily an indication of the "value" of the answer. For instance, you may want a very simple question answered very quickly; one way to get your question attended to is to offer more points for it -- but it's still a simple question. For more information, see the For more tips on how to grade, please look at the Member section.
The best reason to earn Expert points is that if you earn enough of them (see Why should I answer questions? above) then you'll qualify for the Premium Services -- which, in addition to giving you unlimited points with which to ask questions, also gives you EE's search system. Another reason is that you'll see how you stack up against other Experts. Yes, some of them might have many more points than you, but EE is considering showing daily, monthly and yearly totals, so you'll be able to see your name moving up a list, even if you haven't been an Expert for that long. The more you answer, the closer you'll be to joining the Hall of Fame -- the Top 100 Experts.
If you're new, you can fill out the New Member survey and receive an additional 200 points. Additionally, EE plans to offer more surveys, and you'll be able to receive points for completing them as well. As of August 15th, 2004 the points cap will be set to 500, once you fall below that, the 5 free points per day will re-start.
If you think you'll need more points you can subscribe to Premium Services.
You can't, except by having your existing account removed, since you can only have one account. You'll need a different email address, and you'll lose all of your accumulated Expert points and history. If it's that important to you, post your request in Community Support, and one of the site administrators will help you. You can also cs@experts-exchange.com to discuss how the above can be done.
The short answer is to visit your Member Profile by clicking on your username, and then click the Edit link under the picture. You'll have to reverify your email address, however, just like you did when you registered. For a more complete explanation, please see the section on Your Profile.
To change your password, simply click on "My Account" in the upper right hand corner of any page. Then click on "Edit". On this page, fill in your new password in the "New Password" and "Verify New password" fields, as well as filling in your current password in the field marked "Password". Click "Submit" at the bottom of the page to save your new password.
If you wish to cancel your Premium Services subscription, there are only three ways to do so, and all are online. You MUST be logged in to cancel Premium Services.
You can click on the Premium Services link on any page, then scroll to the bottom of the page and follow the Cancellation link.
You can click on your Username or the My Account link (which is at the top of every page). That will take you to your profile. Scroll down until you see "Premium Services" and click View, and then follow the Cancellation link.
No. With over 3,000,000 members and approximately 10,000 new ones every week such a feature would overwhelm the mail server. However, a couple of Experts have developed tools to monitor the new questions; you can read about them at Getting help. None of the tools there have been "approved" by Experts Exchange, but they do help.
For questions that you've asked, you can't; you'll always get a notification when someone posts in the question. Once you accept an answer to your question, and it becomes a PAQ, then you may unsubscribe from your own question.
If it's a question in which you've left a comment, at the bottom of the page, below the comment box, you'll see a button that says "Unsubscribe". Click that, and you'll stop receiving notifications, whether or not the question is closed.
No. This is one of the more serious violations of the membership guidelines and will be dealt with severely. The only exception: if you've paid for the accounts.
If you're a new member, then chances are that you've found it a little intimidating. Don't let that bother you; we've all been there. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about Experts Exchange, along with all the links you'll ever need to find your way around. If you need more information, please write to cs@experts-exchange.com.
Without trying to be flippant about it, every member of Experts Exchange will give you a different answer. With about 250 topic areas ranging from 802.11b Development to XML and everything in between, and nearly two million members, it's pretty difficult to ask a question that can't be answered. Experts Exchange didn't reach the top spot in the Nielsen NetRatings by not performing.
In a practical sense, Experts Exchange is a community where you can ask your question and be reasonably assured that you'll receive accurate answers quickly. It is a site where Experts and Askers from around the world work together to find the solutions to technology-related questions.
If you know your stuff, you'll find that helping someone find a solution to a problem that's been bugging him for months is just as satisfying as getting the answer. Some Experts are natural problem-servers; others are truly at the top of their field; still others are there to teach. It takes all kinds, and Experts Exchange has them.
The simple answer is "Yes". It takes about twenty seconds to register and you can ask your first question. Answering questions takes a few seconds more; see the General Information section for all the details. The Free Membership plan gives you 125 points when you sign up, and then 5 points per day, up to 500 maximum. You can also pick up more points by filling out surveys and such.
We're frequently asked how to get more Question points; the owners would like us to tell you to become a Premium Services member, but you can also become one for free. Premium Services come in three, automatically-renewing plans:
$9.95 per month
$49.75 for six months
$99.99 for a one year subscription
With Premium Services, you get unlimited points (your total never reduces, just increases by five points a day), access to the VIP Search, the use of Bookmarks and QuickLinks, and NO ADS.
"Automatically-renewing" means that unless you cancel, you can expect your credit card to be charged. Cancelling a six-month subscription after three months will NOT get you a refund; cancelling your one-month subscription after the billing cycle will NOT get you one either -- you'll still be charged for the second month.
One thing you DON'T want to do is create a second account as a way to get more points. The Moderators always find out, and if they do, your account will be suspended.
Go to the registration page, take 20 seconds or so (most of which is spent coming up with a cool username), and you're three-fourths of the way there. You'll receive an email verifying your email address, with a link to click. Click on it, and you're in. Welcome to our community!
Once you have signed up with your Login Name and Password, please write them down somewhere handy if you forget. Both the Login Name and Password are case sensitive, and cannot contain any spaces or other characters except to connect your user name such as Henry_David. And one important note: Once you've selected your login name, your question history stays with it. We have no way of transferring your Expert points and question history to a new username... so you might think carefully about your username unless you plan on answering questions at age 54 with the username Sup3rK1dDBMastah.
Occasionally, someone will have trouble with the verification process; an error message will appear. Close your browser, and reopen it; if you can log in to Experts Exchange (or if your username appears in the upper left corner of the browser window), then the registration process was completed.
A more complete explanation is in the FAQ section, but in brief: There are two kinds of points. Question points are used to ask questions; you receive 125 points when you register, and five points a day after that. Expert points are earned based on the points offered for a question and the grade given by the Asker. Earn enough expert points and you'll qualify for Premium Services, which gets you unlimited question points. Otherwise, there is no relationship between the two, and no, you can't use your Expert points to ask questions.
This is a sign that you're not logged in. To check, look in the upper right hand corner of your browser window (it's in the upper left if you're in Expert Mode). You should see your username in a box labeled Your status. If it's not there, then you'll see a Login link. Click it, and enter your login name and password.
The other possibility is that you don't have enough Question points. The minimum point value for a question is 20; if you have only 15 points, you won't be able to ask a question, unless you are a Premium Services member. If you have 50 points and try to ask a question worth 100 points, you'll have the same problem.
There are about 250 topic areas at Experts Exchange. There are two ways to find the correct one. At the bottom of the browser window on any Topic Area page (in Normal Mode), you'll see the list of the topic areas. When you click one of the topic area links, you'll go to that page, and you'll also see a tree showing the subtopics for that area in a box at the left side of the browser window. It's worth a minute or two to look through the All Topics page. Also, in the box of subtopics is a link to the All Topics page.
Your computer is probably not set up to accept cookies. To change the setting in Internet Explorer, click the menu item Tools, followed by Internet Options. Select the Privacy tab, and set the level to Medium.
Your profile, which contains information about the questions you've asked, answered, and commented in, is visible by clicking your login name in the upper right hand corner of the browser window (upper left if you're in Expert Mode). You can also look at the profile of any user by clicking on his or her login name.
It's important to fill out your profile, for at least a couple of reasons. First, it tells Experts something about your capabilities (so they don't assume you know C++ well, and so they don't assume you've never set up an email client). Second, it gives them insight to your background. The large majority of EE users come from English-speaking countries, and the assumption is that you understand the language -- an assumption that has proven disastrous on occasion.
The version of your profile that you see includes both your password and email address. To change either, or to change any other aspect of your profile (except your username -- we can't do that), click on your username, and then click the Edit link. There IS a consequence to changing your email address: You will receive an email from EE requiring you to reverify it.
If, after changing either your email or password, you have a difficulty logging in, the problem is most likely with the cookie EE leaves on your computer. Log out of EE, then delete all of your cookies. Exit the browser, re-open it and log into EE again, and the problem should be resolved.
There's a complete explanation in the Member section, the Expert section, and the Closing section. You could even argue that the Cleanup section is the result of people not reading the other sections. A simple description, however:
Kitty posts a question
Billy and Bob post comments
If she doesn't understand, Kitty asks for an explanation
Billy, Bob, and maybe even Betty, comment
Kitty accepts the best comment as an answer and grades the solution
Once you've found the correct topic area, you'll see, in the upper right corner of your browser window (upper left in Expert Mode), a box with your username and several choices, including a link that says Ask A Question. Click on it, and the window will change to show a text box for your question title, another text box for your question, some radio buttons below the text box, and a Submit button.
Giving a good title to your question is important. You should give the actual subject -- saying "Help!" or "URGENT" doesn't give anyone any idea of the subject matter.
When you write your question, give as much pertinent information as you can: your operating system, what you're trying to accomplish, and what's stopping you, including any error messages. Be aware that the Experts aren't looking over your shoulder, so if they have questions, it's because they're trying to understand the problem.
Give the question a point value by selecting one of the radio buttons. If none of the preset values are appropriate, you can set your own value. The important thing to remember is that you're setting the value for the question, not the answer. In other words, for some questions, the correct or best answer is "You can't do that." That doesn't mean you get your points back if someone has told you that.
When someone comments in your question, you'll receive a notification by email. It is your responsibility as a member to respond to the comments left by Experts; they're trying to help you, so make every effort to respond to their suggestions.
That depends on what you need. If you only ask one question, and that's your entire reason for joining, then at a minimum we expect you to close your question once you have the answer. We expect that you'll behave professionally, and treat your fellow members with dignity and respect.
Even if you're a novice computer user, please take the time to browse through the existing questions. You may learn something useful, and you may be able to help someone else from your own experience. If you have been around computers and technology for a while, we actually do expect you to do that. While it's true that without people asking questions, there would be no Experts Exchange, it's also true that without experts there would be no Experts Exchange either.
The answer to that depends, in large measure, on what you put into it. If you're asking a question, the more you participate, the better information you'll receive (see the Asking questions page for details, tips and hints). If you're answering questions, the more effort you put into finding out the asker's circumstances and needs, the more likely you'll be rewarded for your efforts with a "Good Answer" email and a good grade.
At a minimum, you can expect to be treated with respect and good manners.
Your first step is the Community Support topic area. There, the Moderators can look into the problem for you, and if necessary, take various actions to resolve the issue. There's a whole list of do's and don'ts throughout the pages listed here; if nothing else, please be sure you're acquainted with the membership guidelines, abbreviated so you won't catch the ire of anyone unexpectedly.
Your next avenue is to request assistance from one of the Administrators. The Administrators have a few more tools (and more experience at EE) than the Moderators, but this comes with a caveat: They're unlikely to override the decision of a Moderator. They are not an appeals court; if a Moderator can't resolve your problem, then the Moderator will probably ask for Administrator assistance long before you do.
The Administrators work for the Director of Community Support (the DoCS). The Administrators' relationship to the DoCS is much like that of the Moderators to the Administrators.
Experts Exchange makes periodic changes to its systems. It's a good idea to take a look at the Community News before jumping to any conclusions or asking a bunch of Community Support questions. As noted on the Getting help section, EE doesn't have a huge staff, but they do try to post the important things there.
Experts Exchange, like many websites which have a lot of interactive traffic, has a "culture" all its own. Read through this page and the other ones on this site, and browse through some of the questions in the topic areas in which you're interested. You should also take look at the Membership Guidelines; after all, you agreed to abide by them.
One of the more serious issues you may run into is that WHEN you ask your question is as important as the question itself. Most of EE's Experts are in North America, so if you ask a question in, for example, the Visual Basic topic area on a Friday night, it's unlikely that you'll get a response before Monday morning. It might be worth waiting until Sunday afternoon to post your question.
Another serious problem, and something that you should avoid at all costs, do not post the very SAME Question in more than one area. If you are unsure as to which area is best for your question, you can contact a Moderator in the Community Support area and they will be more than happy to help.
Finally, if you run across a question -- either through Google, through EE's own search system, or through browsing EE -- and you want to ask something to follow up, create your own new question. Don't hijack someone else's question. The person who asked it has put up their points for an answer to his/her question; be polite and ask your own new one, even if you refer to the question that prompts yours.
There are about 250 Topic Areas at Experts Exchange; part of getting your question answered is dependent on your asking it in the right topic area. For example, you could ask your Microsoft Access question in the Databases topic area, but you're more likely to get a better result if you ask it in the Access topic area. A complete list of the Topic Areas is at http://www.experts-exchange.com/allTopics.jsp. The list is also at the bottom of each topic page if you're in the Normal Mode.
**Note that some the Community Support Topic Area and its sub-topics are not for posting technical question. If you post a technical question in one of these TA's a Moderator may advise you to repost and close your question automatically.
If you have a question -- especially if you're a beginner with a particular piece of software -- then it's worthwhile to check the Previously Asked Questions (PAQ) to see if your question has been asked before. If you're a regular (free) member, you can search Google by typing
site:experts-exchange.com
before the rest of your search query. If you want to search for questions that contain both the terms network and neighborhood, then enter the following query.
site:experts-exchange.com network neighborhood
You'll get a list of questions from Google, and you can then click on one to get to the actual question.
One of the advantages to being a Premium Services member is that you can use EE's internal search. You can narrow your search down to just a single topic area, and you'll see more of the question and comments before you actually go to the question.
Your profile can give Experts a clue as to how much information you need and how they should approach providing it to you. They don't want to assume you know a lot if you don't; and they don't want to insult you by thinking you're a newbie. Filling out your profile is a big help. Please see the section on Your Profile for details.
Experts Exchange is an imperfect medium; no one who participates in answering your question can read your mind. As such, it is imperative that you respond to their suggestions to let them know if they're on the right track. If they ask for a specific piece of code or a specific error message, take the time to post it; simply saying "it didn't work" doesn't help very much. Be clear and concise in your questions, and prompt in your replies.
"Communication" also means giving the Experts enough information to help you. If it's relevant, include a model number or release version or operating system, or post some code as part of your question.
If you spend any time at Experts Exchange, you're bound to see someone say "it's not about the points." The fact is that it IS about the points. If you have a very difficult question that will require a lot of assistance, don't try to get something for nothing. Remember, too, that YOU'RE the one setting the value of the question. If you think the question is worth only 30 points, then the Experts assume that the answer need only be worth 30 points as well.
A question is worth whatever it's worth to you. If you only have 100 question points, then a very difficult question is worth as much as half your points. You should remember that you're offering the points in order to get a solution to your problem; they're not a reward that you think about after the fact. The maximum number of points for any question is 500; questions in the Community Support topic area and its subtopics are free, and the Lounge has a maximum of 50 points.
The maximum number of points which can be offered for any question is 500 points. If more than one Expert contributes to the answer, then this total is divided by the Asker appropriately by splitting the points.
Minimum points may be used to "point" users to your question. For example, if you're writing a website in HTML and want to use the same styles for each page, you might ask the question in the HTML topic area. Rather than post a new question in the Cascading Style Sheets topic area, you could post a question worth 20 points there that tells the Experts about your original question. Just be sure and remember to close or delete your "pointer" question when you close the original.
In order to give you some guidelines, EE has provided you with radio button choices at the bottom of the Ask A Question page, along with a choice in which you can set your own value. In general, the more points you assign to a question, the faster it will get attention from the Experts, but it's also a fact that a lot of Experts answer questions they see as challenging and don't pay attention to the assigned points.
We shouldn't have to say this after suggesting that you communicate, but we'll repeat it. People are taking the time to answer your question; the least you can do, even if it's out of just courtesy, is to respond to their suggestions, and to report the results. It should also go without saying that you should close your questions.
What if my question fits more than one technical area?
There may be times when you need to attract experts from other topic areas to your question.
The wrong way to do this is to post the same question to multiple areas. If you do this,
it violates the maximum point rule, creates duplication of effort for experts, and makes
more work for you in following the different threads and awarding the correct answer. It also makes
the question less valuable to the question database.
The right way to do this is to post a pointer question in the other topic area, with a link to
the original question. The pointer question gives you input from experts active in that other area,
yet allows for cross-fertilization of ideas because all comments get posted in one question. You get a
better and quicker answer as a result.
A pointer question should state the title, number of points offered, and a brief
summary of the original question. Make the pointer question worth the minimum number of
points. To make it absolutely clear, include a statement like "Please direct all your
comments to the original question" and then provide a link to that question. The pointer
question should be deleted (and your points refunded) when you accept an answer in your
original question.
Don't put pointer questions in more than two topic areas. Make sure that you are posting to areas related to your question.
Spam will be deleted by moderators, and if repeated may result in suspension of your account.
This means you are required to take the time to close your questions. It's such an important issue that the Moderators have taken the time to write a whole section about it. In essence, your choices are:
Select a comment (or comments) as the answer
Leave a request in the Community Support topic area for a refund to close the question
Leave a request in the Community Support topic area to delete the question
For more information about the ins and outs of closing questions, please see the section on Closing your questions.
Most of the time, no two situations are exactly alike, so be prepared for the Experts to ask you questions about your operating system, or other kinds of questions which, they feel, will help them get to the root of your problem. The fact is that they're trying to help, so getting angry or frustrated won't help you, and won't make them more likely to help you in the future. Beyond that, the Moderators and Page Editors have been instructed to crack down on off-topic, flaming types of comments.
The correct answer to some questions is "you can't do that"
Sometimes, you'll get an answer that isn't what you want to hear; that doesn't make it a bad answer. When you ask a question, the assumption is that you don't know the answer, so how you ask the question is important. If you ask "how do I keep my HTML code hidden", the only answer that is legitmate is "don't post in on the Internet" -- and the fact that you don't like it carries no weight. Further, the fact that you offered points means that the person who first tells you "you can't do that". or "No, it cannot be done" is correct, and deserves the points.
We can't say it often enough. It's your responsibility to manage your questions, and to close them, one way or another, in due course. That doesn't mean you have to take the first answer that comes along if it doesn't resolve the issue, but it does mean that the Moderators pay attention to people who don't close their questions. The Moderators consider abandoning questions to be an "abuse of the points system" and grounds for suspension.
Grading at Experts Exchange is not like school. It's more like the "10-point Must" system in professional boxing; in other words, an answer is worth an A, unless it doesn't resolve your issue. If it requires you to do a little more research, or figure out one more piece of code, then it's worth a B. If you think it's not worth a B, the custom is to offer the Experts an opportunity to earn a better grade.
You should also remember that when you give a C, it shows up as part of your grading record. If you show a pattern of giving low grades, many Experts will simply avoid your questions. For more information about grading, please see the section regarding Closing Your Questions.
The Experts won't do your homework for you; they can be suspended for it, and so will you. If you have homework, and don't understand part of it, be honest about it. The Experts will be more than happy to teach you. But asking them to do your homework is the equivalent of asking someone to take an exam for you, and will be met with similar disfavor.
You also need to be as clear as possible about what it is you're trying to accomplish; don't try to hide your goals behind a vague question, if only because the Experts won't be able to give you good answers.
It doesn't take a lot to become an expert -- the mere action of commenting in a question makes you one as far as EE is concerned. But it takes a lot to become an Expert, and this page is all about that. Whether it's the points (and seeing your name in the top 15 of a topic area or two) or the pages of answered questions or just the email that says "Good Answer!", the whole point is to help people find out the information they need to resolve a problem.
Questions usually have more than one answer. Some people may just need a little memory-jogging to figure out a solution; others may require detailed explanations. Part of being an Expert is learning how to answer questions, and we hope this section will help you with that.
Experts Exchange wants to have the best information possible for its membership, and the Experts who provide answers to questions are integral to that. However, it is not the effort one puts into a question that makes it valuable or worth saving; it's the answer.
Make sure you understand what the user is asking. While the majority of Experts Exchange users come from North America, you'll run into users from all over the globe, and some may not be as fluent in English as others. Take the time to clarify what the user is trying to find out; otherwise, you might spend a lot of time and do a lot of work for no good reason.
Occasionally, the question doesn't really tell you the whole problem; for example, telling someone how to hook up a printer to a parallel port doesn't help someone who has a new printer that hooks up to the USB port. Similarly, technology can be daunting to a new user; he or she may be trying to do something in a very complicated way, when a very simple solution is available.
Question askers come in all shapes and sizes. They also have all levels of expertise; sometimes, they may be very proficient in one topic area and a complete novice in another. Occasionally, you'll find that your technically perfect answer gets overlooked in favor of the simple, less-correct solution. The reason: Your solution was too complex for the user's technical know-how.
Keep your comments to the point and clear; similarly, if you post code, make sure it's clean and free of extraneous detail. Use terminology that makes your answer easy to understand, and give links to appropriate resouces if more explanation could be helpful. If you use a link, make sure it's a good one; many websites change frequently.
Do not copy and paste a solution from someone else's site; the preferred method is to link to the page and to give a brief description of what is linked. While it is infrequent that Experts Exchange receives a letter from some software company noting a violation of its copyright, it does happen; the Page Editors are now removing obvious copy-and-paste answers from the question. Someone somewhere has taken the time to develop the material through research and first-person testing, and besides that, plagiarism is theft of intellectual property.
In many instances, there are several ways of doing something. Changing something a little bit and then posting it as a completely new solution is unlikely to endear you to anyone, and repeating a previous post word for word is just plain rude. If you have something new to contribute, or you can expand or add to a previous comment, then make sure you give credit where it's due. There's no rule that says you MUST attempt to answer each question; if you don't have anything new to contribute, or if your alternative approach does not offer significant advantages, just move on to the next question.
Read the question and all of the previous comments before posting
Questions often evolve over time. Experts offer possible solutions, the Asker tries them and continues to have problems, so more suggestions are offered and tried. Quite often, the original question was wasn't exactly what was intended and the Asker clarifies and restates the problem halfway down the page. It is important to read the entire thread so that you know the current situation. That will keep you from posting a duplicate answer or one that has already been shown not to work.
If you basically agree with another comment but have something more to add, remember to give credit for the original suggestion -- mention that Expert by name -- in your post.
Part of being an Expert is knowing your stuff. At least as important is treating the asker and your colleagues as professionals. Rudeness, derogatory comments, and sarcastic remarks are uncalled for, and won't be tolerated. Check your ego and your attitude at the door, and be aware that the Moderators have been instructed by ownership to be vigilant in removing such remarks from questions. Repeated instances of bad behavior will result in suspension. Remember that EE is a collaborative site, in which you, the Asker, and other Experts work to resolve a problem.
Some questions have simple, easy-to-understand answers; others don't. Still others are asked by people who don't have your background or technical skills. In the latter two cases, be prepared to give follow-up information and assistance. Abandoning a user in mid-question is almost worse than having the question abandoned by the asker.
Take your time with the questioner. Frequently, the user is under some time pressure, and needs an answer quickly; you won't help the situation by being impatient with him. Give him your attention; offer the best workaround you can if there is no direct solution. In short, don't make his situation worse by giving him the short-shrift.
There's nothing to be gained by criticizing another Member when disagreeing with his/her suggestions, and it can actually make things worse by erupting into a flame war. Don't take a critical comment personally; stay focussed on the object -- solving the asker's problem. And don't take the bait; if someone's acting unprofessionally, report it to Community Support. The Moderators will deal with it.
Presentation counts. Sometimes it's not just the solution, but how the solution is presented. Stay postive with the user; make him/her feel like the two of you will solve the problem.
One of the most annoying things for an inexperienced coder of any kind is to take something that is purported to be a solution, try it, and have it fail because of a typographical error in the original. Take the time to test your code to ensure that it works; you'll come across as a professional, and it will keep the thread a lot cleaner.
If a comment posted by an Expert has answered your question, then you should select the Expert's comment as the answer to your question. In case of duplicate or similar comments, you should always select the first comment posted. Often your answer and or solution may be up to the Author of the question, as many solutions work differently than others depending on their circumstances or preferences should there be a grey area.
Sometimes one EE Expert will post a comment which answers your question but contains a typo or minor error. Another Expert may post a correction. In this case you should usually select the answer of the first Expert, but only if it differs from the first answer. If you would like to reward the second Expert, you can split the points.
To select the Expert's comment, locate the experts comment in the question. The comment block has a header row with the Expert's username on the left, and a button that says "Accept" on the right. Simply click on this link to select the Expert's comment as the answer. This will display a new page titled "Accept Proposed Comment". Here you need to select a grade, and enter any closing comments you may desire. Finally, click on the "Accept" button to submit your grade, comments, and close the question.
More than one Expert helped solve my problem. What do I do?
You split the points. Scroll down to the bottom of the question and click the "Split Points" link at the bottom of the page. Select the radio button of the comment who you want to Accept as the answer. Only one button can be selected. Set the point value (a text box above the comment) of how much you want this person to receive of the points. Then set the point values for each of the experts comments to whom you want to allocate points and these will be considered Assisted answers in helping you resolve the issue. Double check your information and then click the Submit button at the bottom of the page. One note: the total points of the splits must equal the amount you asked the question for itself, and no person can receive fewer than 20 points.
Post a question in the Community Support topic area asking for a refund, and asking the Moderators to close the question. You'll be required to post your solution in your original question. A Moderator will post a notice of your request which will give the participants 96 hours to object to the refund. Note that if it resembles one of the suggested comments, the likelihood is that your request will not be granted, but rather, the points will be awarded to the Expert who makes the suggestion. In your Community Support request, remember to post a link to the original question.
Before you ask the Moderators to help you in this circumstance, take the time to post a message in your question stating your intention to have the question deleted or closed, and make sure you have responded to all of the Experts' comments. Then post a question in the Community Support topic area asking the Moderators to delete your question. Remember to post a link to the original question in your request. If there are no comments in the question, one of the Moderators will delete the question. If there are comments, the Moderator will post notice of your request, and will give the participants 96 hours to object. You may be required to post your reason for asking for the deletion, and objections will be taken into account.
You can, if the question doesn't have comments from anyone other than yourself OR someone who has left an Administrative comment (they have an orange stripe across them). To delete the question, click the link just above the text box. You'll see a confirmation page; click the Delete button. Your points will be automatically refunded to you as well.
If there are regular comments made by any member other than you, then you'll have to ask to have your question deleted by one of the Moderators; use the Community Support TA -- not the Cleanup TA -- to do that. Using the Cleanup TA will only delay the process.
The AutoDeleter is an automated process that deletes questions that have received no comments within three weeks of being asked. If your question goes without comments, it is deleted and your points are refunded automatically. You can delete the question yourself if there are no comments by clicking the Delete Question link above the text box.
There are any number of reasons why your question received no comments. Please see the Section on Asking Questions for some tips. You might also consider increasing the points you offer, or selecting a different topic area.
If you still have the same problem, you can still see your question. Click your username, and View your Question History. You'll be able to see your deleted questions, so you can copy it into a new question. When you do, consider rewording it to clarify the issues, and include any information that might be pertinent, like the operating system version or the manufacturer of your router.
Any number of things can happen. Your question could get caught up in the Cleanup effort, in which case some Expert will post a recommendation that the question be closed or deleted. You could wind up forfeiting points, as the Moderators can delete your question without refunding the points. You might find that Experts will start checking your profile, and will see that you have a few open questions that are getting old. If you have a large number of open questions, your account will probably come under review by the Moderators and Administrators, and will be subject to possible suspension.
Ask 10 Experts this question, and you'll get 10 different answers. One thing is certain: Grading at Experts Exchange is NOT like school. Here's what EE says:
Although we use an A-D scale here at Experts Exchange, it works differently than, say, school grades. If one or more Experts' proposals are accepted as answers, they should usually be given an A or B grade, since they have taken the time to provide you with a working solution. If a possible solution is incomplete - ask for clarification or details before accepting the answer and grading it. People should not be given lower grades because of incorrect grammar or because you just accepted their answer or comment to close the question. Keep in mind, your question and any follow-up comments should be focused so that there can be a specific answer. The following is a good guideline to follow when grading:
A: The Expert(s) either provided you with a thorough answer or they provided you with a link to information that thoroughly answered your question. An "A" can also be given to any answer that you found informative or enlightening beyond the direct question that you asked.
B: The Expert(s) provided an acceptable solution, or a link to an acceptable solution, that you were able to use, although you may have needed a bit more information to complete the task.
C: Because Experts' reliability are often judged by their grading records, many Experts would like the opportunity to clarify if you have questions about their solutions. If you have given the Expert(s) ample time to respond to your clarification posts and you have responded to each of their posts providing requested information; or if the answers, after clarification, lack finality or do not completely address the issue presented, then a "C" grade is an option. You also have the option here of just asking Community Support to delete the question.
Remember, the Expert helping you today is probably going to be helping you next time you post a question. Give them a fair chance to earn an 'Excellent!' grade and they'll provide you with some amazing support. It's also true that a "C" is the lowest grade you can give, and the Experts know that -- so use it judiciously.
Only the Moderators and Page Editors have the choice to give a D grade. Beyond that, in a practical sense, the grading guidelines have "softened" a bit over the last year or two; one might expect that the majority of grades would be Bs (a standard "bell" curve), but the fact is that the culture of the site has caused there to be an inordinately high percentage of As. The Moderators have been instructed to ensure that the As they award are actually "Excellent" answers. Similarly, the C grade is the lowest that can be given by a member, a fact which should be kept in mind when grading as well.
The use of a C in a vindictive manner is likely to be changed by a Moderator. You may not like the answer you get, and in some cases, and you may not like the way it is delivered, but if it is deemed to be accurate, no less than a B is an acceptable grade.
Click on your login name, then click on the Question History link; you'll see a page which has your open and closed questions. The default view is the date on which they were asked; if you click the heading of the column that says "Type", your open questions will appear at the top of the list. You'll also see a list of the questions you've commented in, including the ones you've asked. They also appear at the top of the topic area page in which they're asked.
The longer, more complete answer is that almost all of the Experts will give you some idea of what an appropriate closure to your question is. If you can't decide which Expert's comment best solved your problem, or if you want to reward two or more Experts, you'll be asked to leave a comment in the Community Support topic area asking the Moderators to help you, and that follows for refunds and deletions as well.
That depends on the situation. There are essentially two situations:
One Expert gave you a ton of extra help, and you feel your 100-point question is now worth 200 points.
In this case, you just increase the points using the box above the comment box, and click the Submit button. You can only do this, however, before you select a comment as an answer.
More than one Expert contributed, and you want to reward the second Expert with points, but still want to give the first Expert all of the points you offered in the question.
Let's say your 50-point Visual Basic question gets answered by Expert1, but Expert2 gives you a lot of help, too, and you feel that Expert2 deserves 50 points as well. As above, you increase the points, and then split the points.
The maximum point value for any question is 500 points.
All "Points For" questions are subject to Moderator review for appropriateness; misuse may result in administrative action. If you have any reservation about your question, ask the Moderators for assistance by posting a question in Community Support.
I'm going to be on vacation. What happens to my open questions?
They stay open. Common courtesy would be to either inform the participants, so they don't get irritated with you, or to just close them. The danger is that if you forget the question, you risk having the question determined to be abandoned. That's not a good thing; see the next question in this section to find out why.
There are several possible actions that may be taken, and while the Moderators and Page Editors don't like any of them, they are also very much inclined to take them.
By way of explanation, the Moderators and Page Editors consider abandoning questions as a violation of the Membership Guidelines, specifically the clause regarding "abuse of the points system", (any question that has not had a response in 21 days or longer is considered abandoned) in that you've promised points for an answer and have received it, but haven't followed through in awarding them. It is also up to the Author of the question to reply to all experts comments, not doing so will make them think you have the answer, and just left the question alone. Further, among the criteria used in selecting them is their tenure and familiarity with both Experts Exchange and a wide variety of subjects. As such, they are going to be inclined to believe Experts who say they, in fact, answered a question you've asked -- so they'll also be inclined to not believe you when you say that you didn't get an answer if 23 of your 32 asked questions are still open.
So here's what can happen. The first step is that a Page Editor or Moderator will ask you, politely, to deal with your open questions. Most of the Experts will tell you that it's not a good idea to ignore that request.
If you choose to ignore the request, you will probably receive an email, usually including a list of your open questions. You'll be asked to close them, usually within a week. Such an email is your last warning.
The third step is that your account gets suspended. You will receive an email notification; your account will be reinstated only after you've agreed to some severe conditions, and the Moderators and Page Editors will pay attention to your behavior.
The Director of Community Support, the Administrators and the Moderators are members who volunteer their time to resolve various issues which come up at Experts Exchange. The Director of Community Support is appointed by Experts Exchange's ownership to facilitate communication between the EE staff and the membership at large. The Administrators, all former Moderators, were selected to assist, coordinate and supervise the Moderators; they also supervise the Cleanup program and Page Editor program, and work with Engineering on special projects. The Moderators are selected by the DoCS and the Admins for their demonstrated fairness and expertise in a wide range of topic areas.
The Moderators' primary function is to respond to and resolve questions in the Community Support topic area and its subtopics. If you are an Expert or User and are already aware of a problem, or need help in a question, the Community Support team will provide help for the following:
Enforcement of the Membership Agreement
Deletion requests
Grade reviews
Assisting new users in locating the TA in which their questions need to be asked
Education of New Users
Site News
Supervising the cleanup process
General questions
All these services are free to all members of Experts Exchange; you may post zero point questions to Community Support. Note: The Community Support topic area is specifically NOT for voicing your opinions about various matters at Experts Exchange, so posting in CS questions, unless you are specifically involved in the matter at hand, is strongly discouraged. Use the other topic areas, including Expert Input and Suggestions to post your gripes.
All of the Moderators and Administrators may be contacted at [ModName] "at" experts-exchange.com.
Page Editors aren't Moderators, but their role at Experts Exchange is just as important. They are Experts, usually at or near the top of their topic areas, who have agreed to take on responsibilities above and beyond those of normal Experts.
Among their functions, they:
Assist members in getting answers
If the Page Editor can't supply the answer, he/she has enough familiarity with the topic area to get someone who can.
Provide guidance to new users
Page Editors are selected, in part, for their willingness to help others find their way around Experts Exchange. They know the customary ways in which EE operates, and will provide direction on how to ask and answer questions. They also help keep questions and answers clear for future users.
Contribute to the Newsletter
The Page Editors research news and articles that they feel will be of interest to those members who receive the EE newsletter.
While we hope that the need for a Cleanup process will eventually disappear, the Page Editors help by educating users on how to close their questions, and by helping the Moderators by identifying questions that have been abandoned.
The Page Editors, with their general topic areas are:
Who's Who, besides the Moderators and Page Editors
Owners
Austin Miller and Randy Redberg
Engineers
Brian Gardner (EE's lead programmer), Jan Louwerens, Brian Abreu, Scott Megelet and Justin Dennahower
Cleanup team
Volunteers -- the unsung heroes who make recommendations for closing out old questions so that the Moderators can finalize them. You can assist the cleanup volunteers by commenting when they ask for recommendations on a question where you have participated
Top-experts
The term top-expert refers to the members who are ranked in the top-15 in the TAs. In general they have an interest in their TAs running smoothly, and have proven expertise in the topic
Hall of Fame (HOF)
Members of the Hall of Fame are the best of the best -- the top-100 experts of all time. Most continue to be active and continue to provide service
Featured Experts
The Featured Expert in each topic area is the person who, for that month, has the most points in that TA. It changes frequently at the beginning of the month.
There are several ways to navigate the 250 or so topic areas at Experts Exchange. The first is to use the All Topics page, a link to which is at the left side of your browser window. The second is to use the navigation menu, above the All Topics link, which shows the subtopics for the general topic area you're in. The third is to use the tabs at the top of the page, and then "drill down" to the subtopic you want. The All Topics page is pretty busy. Pick your own poison.
You may not have noticed it when you registered, but you can put a profile of your skills, experience and favorite topic areas at Experts Exchange. Doing so will help you quite a bit, as you can give Experts an idea of how to deal with your question. Your profile also shows every question you have asked, every question you have answered, and every question in which you have commented. If you are a free member, your profile will show the number of question points you have remaining (Premium Services members will not have this information since question points are unlimited.)
If you have answered questions, the Rank links in your profile show your current expert standing overall and for the month. The Topic Area Totals link breaks down your overall expert points by the topic area they are earned in. Your profile also shows any "Certificates" you many have earned. The certificates represent levels of points you have been awarded within each topic area.
Screen shots at http://www.eeqp.com. Version 0.9.178 updated on 30 March 2005. Please send bug reports, feedback or questions to e-mail or post in this question on Experts-Exchange. If you have a previous version, you're advised to uninstall any previous versions.
Features:
catch last question posted on EE
quick info from Questioner's profile
quick Reply (select paragraph from someone's comment and press Ctrlt+R)
We have created this section as a guide for Experts Exchange members who wish to assist in the effort to Cleanup Topic areas. Because of the numbers of questions, and because we want to keep some semblance of order in the process, we ask that you read through this page before beginning.
When this was first written, there were approximately 114,000 open questions (it's now about 35,000), and most of those were more than sixty days old. We're seeing as many as 9,000 new questions asked every week, and a large percentage of those will not be closed by the Askers. We define a question as having been abandoned when there have been no comments left for more than three weeks. It is the purpose of the Cleanup Volunteer program to gain the assistance of the Experts in closing those abandoned questions; it is the goal of the database cleanup to:
We want to improve the quality of the PAQ database. We want to move good, useful information into the PAQ and clear out old questions that were not answered or have no value to future PAQ searchers.
As a secondary goal, we want to ensure that Experts receive the points they've earned.
Generally speaking, this means that the question should be saved only if it has useful information. It means that if a question isn't answered, it has minimal value to the PAQ, and if it is only marginally answered, then it should receive a grade which reflects that.
Technically, any Expert can participate; there are no special rules for membership. However, there are certain criteria that we recommend you have before launching into the process.
You should have at least three months consistent, regular involvement in Experts Exchange.
You should be able to demonstrate your familiarity, if not necessarily expertise, in any TA you will be cleaning.
You should have the recommendation or invitation from either a Moderator, Administrator or Page Editor. Nominations from longtime Cleanup volunteers will also be accepted.
None of these criteria are cast in stone; however, it is important to us that you know how the site works, and what we're looking for in Cleanup Volunteers. Three months of involvement is enough to get you recognized, so we'll be familiar with your work. Knowing your Topic Area lets us see how you interact with other Members. An invitation or recommendation isn't absolutely necessary, but it does mean that at least you have approached or been approached by someone who has considerable experience with the situation we face.
The process itself is rather straightforward. The Cleanup Administrator, AnnieMod, will assign you a range of questions to be closed. Find the oldest question in that range, and, working your way toward the newest question, leave a post which says, in essence, that you're recommending closure of the question, and delineates a specific course of action (see The "Post" below). You create a list of the URLs of the questions, along with the recommendation, which you post in the Cleanup topic area. It is very important that you read through the question in its entirety; the objective is to make the most fair recommendation possible.
The list you leave should indicate the topic area and the date the questions are due to be closed. For example, if you leave your posts in the Visual Basic topic area on January 17, your Cleanup list should be titled "Due 21 January 2003, Visual Basic". On that day, or shortly thereafter, a Moderator will complete the process using your list as a guideline. The Moderator will generally leave a post saying he is "working" your list, and your email will get flooded; when the Moderator posts that the list has been completed, you can close the question if he doesn't.
The Cleanup Administrator, AnnieMod, maintains a list of members who are doing specific topic areas. You can contact her by email: anniemod "at" experts-exchange.com.
A lot of time and energy has gone into creating the message which should be left in the questions. We've come up with the following:
No comment has been added to this question in more than 21 days, so it is now classified as abandoned..
I will leave the following recommendation for this question in the Cleanup topic area:
[Insert recommendation here]
Any objections should be posted here in the next 4 days. After that time, the question will be closed.
There are six choices you can make for recommendations, some of which are perilously close to each other. This means that in order to recommend closure on the question, you need to READ the question carefully. What follows are the possible recommendations with a description of each:
Delete - Refund
The question has either no comments or not enough useful information to be called an "answer" AND the Asker has responded to all of the Experts' suggestions.
Accept a comment
One expert's comments led (or would have led) to a solution. First person in with the best answer wins. This is conditional; if there is doubt that this is a solution, or if it is only a partial solution, then it should NOT be the recommendation. Your post should look something like "Accept [Expert]'s comment as answer."
Split
Two or more experts' comments led or would have led to a solution, and both shall have contributed equally. In no case may a split be offered for less than the minimum point value (i.e., do not split a 30-point question). Otherwise, all of the criteria that apply to "Accept a comment" apply to a split. A split recommendation should look like "Split between [Expert] and [Expert]."
PAQ - Refund
Use only when either a) the user has resolved his question and has posted his solution, or b) the participating Experts have abandoned the question. The question and information must also have value worth keeping; otherwise, the question should be deleted.
PAQ - No Refund
Use when the Experts have given good information to a relatively good question, but have not given a workable solution, and the Asker has stopped responding to the Experts' questions and comments. It's the worst option: If the question has enough information to be called an answer, then someone's comments should be selected; if not, then the question should be deleted.
Delete - No Refund
The question and the comments aren't worth keeping, but the Asker has given no reason to refund his points. You'll know these when you see them.
An important note to remember about questions and answers: Sometimes, "you can't do that" is the only correct answer. Please remember that when reading through questions. The presumption is that you are an Expert in the TA, and can use your experience to determine whether or not a comment works as an answer.
Your list in the Cleanup topic area should always contain, in the title, the Topic area and the due date. If you post your message on January 15, the list is due on January 19. The title should read something like "Programming cleanup due 19-Jan-04". Please use the DD-MMM-YY format for dates.
The list itself should be posted in the following format:
http:Q_20383561.html --> DELETE - No refund
http:Q_20383535.html --> PAQ - No refund
http:Q_20383506.html --> PAQ - Refund
http:Q_20383423.html --> Accept: Arthur_Wood
http:Q_20383394.html --> DELETE - No refund
A small number of the open questions are those left by members and Moderators which give points to an Expert, usually the result of a split. Posting a notice in the question is highly unlikely to get a response from the person who is the intended recipient of the points, so these questions have to be handled differently. Currently, we ask that you keep a list of the URLs and email it to one of the Moderators. They'll take care of alerting the intended recipient of the existence and location of the question.
If you happen across a question that has a comment by a Moderator that says "Email sent", and that comment is more than two weeks old, include it on your list and schedule it for deletion.
Get a GOOD text editor. This page was done with NoteTab Light, which allows for multiple files, global search/replace, color syntax highlighting, and a number of other nice features. Other good choices include TextPad and EditPlus, both of which are available for free download at TUCOWS. The developers of Experts Exchange use vi on linux exclusively. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but once learned can be very powerful.
Think about using one of the Tools developed by Experts
Some Cleaners use the "Unsubscribe" button after they've posted their Cleanup message, which keeps your email from being flooded when the Moderators close your list. Others do not "Unsubscribe", using the emails as a way of ensuring that the Moderators have gotten the entire list.
If a question has no potential value to a future user, it isn't worth keeping. The Delete button is your Moderator's best friend.
If someone objects to your post, that's okay. You can do one of several things if it happens (it doesn't happen very often, but just in case):
You can leave a post explaining your thinking, if only for the benefit of the Moderator who will eventually close the question.
You can ask for a better explanation from the person objecting. This may not only change your recommendation, but if you do it right, you'll add value to the question by making the answer clearer.
You can ignore it and leave it for the Moderators.
The last item -- leaving it for the Moderators -- is not meant flippantly. You do not have to defend your choice; that's what Moderators do, and in no case will any Moderator think less of you if the Moderator goes against your recommendation.
Special insight into Moderators. We've all closed thousands of questions, and we're prepared to do what it takes to get the question answered correctly and fairly to everyone concerned. Just leave it and move on; we have your back.
There has been considerable debate on this issue, with two schools of thought:
Skip the question
Many Experts feel it will look like point-hogging if you select your own comment as the best answer.
Select and move on
The Post gives everyone involved four days to look and object. If they don't object, then they agree.
Our experience is that it's rare, especially in the older questions, that someone will object, and when they do, it's usually an objection to closing the question without awarding points to someone. If you truly feel yours is the best, then it will stand the test of Moderator intervention. There is also nothing wrong with leaving it, or asking a Moderator to look at it.
We expect that if you agree to do Cleanup, that you do what you agree to do. Some people do one list every couple of weeks, with about fifty questions in the list; others do that every day. We do ask that if you agree to clean a certain number of questions by a given date, that you do so.
We expect you to be fair in your assessments and recommendations. Each question is individual; you do not need to concern yourself with the standing of any participant; in other words, just because JoeBlow is the top Expert in the TA doesn't mean his comment is the best one.
We also understand that you have lives, and that you want to maintain your Expert standing. If that's a factor for you, please consider it when you start cleaning questions.
Everyone makes mistakes, and almost everyone makes a mistake at Experts Exchange, usually because he or she hasn't taken the time to read the Membership Guidelines or even our simple explanation of them. Because the following "problems" seem to haunt the Moderators on a daily basis, we're giving you a list of activities that will almost always result in Moderator action.
The Moderators do not actively monitor each and every question at Experts Exchange; they have too much to do. So when a Moderator makes a request of you -- to close your open questions, or to refrain from posting something you've posted -- then it's a good bet that your actions (or inactions) have drawn someone's attention.
When Experts Exchange was a lot smaller, with fewer members, the Moderators could afford to be forgiving about violations of the Membership Guidelines. Now, the Moderators take action, or request that action be taken by the Administrators.
The use of private correspondence to resolve a question at Experts Exchange is prohibited as an abuse of the points system. The specific issue is that it gives the emailing Expert an unfair advantage over the other participants in the question. Yes, we know that sometimes a particular set of coding or a database that's not behaving is too large to post in its entirety. The solution in that situation is to load it to any of the free websites out there, and then post a link to it -- otherwise, you could be receiving requests for the database long after you've forgotten both the problem and the solution.
The same applies to the use of Remote Access to resolve a problem. We recognize that sometimes, the only solution is a hands-on tinkering with a configuration, but this should be considered a last resort, and only with the full permission of the other participants in the question, and only with the full and complete disclosure of the methods used to resolve the problem. Any points awarded without the posting of both of these criteria will be removed from both the Asker's and the Expert's totals.
A related issue is the posting of email addresses in questions (if you want to post your email address in your profile, that's allowed.) The only people at Experts Exchange who have access to your email address are the staff and the administrators -- the Moderators do NOT have access to it. Your privacy is protected by the small number of people (fewer than ten). By posting your email address, you're subject to receiving email from who knows how many people. The Moderators and Page Editors have been told to automatically remove email addresses from questions.
We would like to think that everyone is using software that is legal, and that they aren't the people who try to defeat the security of networks. We also know better. The bottom line is that this site does not condone piracy or script kiddie exploits and we will do what we can to eliminate the sharing of this kind of knowledge on the site.
When asking a question, if it is a clear-cut violation of the member agreement concerning the defeating of security of networks or defeating the licensing of software then the question will be deleted and you will either get a warning or a suspension depending on your history and the circumstances. If the question is borderline or if it is not clear that your intent is innocent, do not be surprised if a moderator or admin requests clarification about your intent.
If you are an expert and you see a question that is either a clear cut or borderline violation, please report it to CS. In your request, please explain why you think a question is in violation, but also consider if the nature of the question could be innocent.
We know of only one legitimate reason for anyone to have more than one account: he or she has paid for it. That doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions; but generally speaking, we know about all of them.
Getting a second account is a specific, serious violation; you're only allowed one account. The Moderators and Administrators will enforce this; if you are discovered having two accounts, you will be given an opportunity to choose which you wish to keep open. If you do not take advantage of that opportunity, both will be suspended, without asking questions, and it will be up to you to convince them that the suspension should be lifted.
Over the past six months, the growth of Experts Exchange has been tremendous; in its first five years, EE averaged about 160,000 new members a year; from November 2002 through December 2004, about 3.2 million people have joined. With that have come a number of problems, but they all seem to stem from the following: New members don't know "the lay of the land", and old members are frustrated with that. The result is that all too frequently, someone writes something that offends someone else, and the Moderators have a potential flame war on their hands.
To that end, the Moderators and Page Editors are taking a less tolerant view of remarks which might abase, affront, aggravate, annoy, back-bite, bad-mouth, bash, belittle, berate, blister, castigate, chop, curse, cut down, cut up, debase, decry, defame, degrade, deride, derogate, dishonor, disoblige, dump on, flip off, flout, humiliate, injure, irritate, jeer, jibe at, kick around, knock, libel, mock, nick, offend, oppress, pan, persecute, pick on, provoke, put down, rag on, reproach, revile, ridicule, rip up, run down, scold, scorch, slam, slander, slight, slap, smear, snub, swear at, taunt, tear apart, trash, upbraid, vex, vituperate, zing or otherwise insult another member.
The Moderators have been instructed to remove any off-topic posts from the technical and Community Support areas. We're not going to promise that will happen in every instance, but we can promise that it will occur when a post is remotely offensive to anyone. Repeated instances will result in suspension.
The Lounge is a topic area where you can kick back and relax. Remember that you are talking to people with feelings -- people who can become angry or hurt by things that you say. The Lounge generally operates under the same rules as the rest of the site, with a few exceptions. First, the maximum points allowed for any question is 50. As members, you are still bound by the Membership Agreement and these Guidelines.
We ask that you respect the Lounge Page Editor and other members and keep the Lounge a friendly and helpful place to post. Blatant disrespect, flaming, and other such behavior will result in administrative action.
You are responsible for what you post in the lounge. As such, the excuse that "JoeUser said worse than I did" is of no consequence.
Point passing is loosely defined as the creation of a question of a frivolous nature which apparently exists for the sole purpose of awarding points to another user. Since EE made the decision to make questions points unlimited for both Qualified and Paid Premium Services members, the frequency with which point passing has occurred has risen dramatically -- causing us to include this section on this page. Please see the policy as defined on the Asking questions section.
It is expected that members will recognize that the ability to do something is not an invitation to do something. It is also expected that members will recognize that misusing a new feature can result in the cancellation of that feature. In the meantime, Moderators have been granted the authority to unilaterally, and without notice, delete any question which appears to be an attempt to pass points. Additionally, other actions may be taken for repeated attempts to misuse the points system. In a worst case scenario, the offenders could lead to a suspension of their account.
Accepting the wrong answer, and not accepting the right answer
The First: Accepting the "Wrong" Answer. Accept the comment of the Expert whose comment BEST solves your problem, or leads you to a solution. It's your responsibility to close the question in the first place; if an Expert asks you why you accepted someone else's comment rather than theirs, you'll find people much more cooperative if you respond to their questions. If you're looking for a simple answer, and the second Expert gives you one you understand after the first Expert posts code you can't comprehend, tell the first Expert why you picked the second one. It's not a crime to do so. However, it IS a crime (or at least, pretty inconsiderate) to do so out of spite.
The Second: Not Accepting the Right Answer. If something works, then accept the answer. It frequently happens that two Experts will post a comment at about the same time. If the two posts are virtually identical, take the first one -- everyone understands that. But don't accept an answer which doesn't work, just to close the question. All you'll do is annoy everyone.
Oh... and don't accept a comment just because you think So-And-So is a nice guy, or because his or her name appears on the Top 15. Yes, the Top 15 tells you that an Expert has some experience, and has had a good number of comments accepted as an answer, but nobody knows everything, and it's not fair to newer Experts to skip over them just because someone who has been a member longer also commented.
There's a whole page devoted to closing your questions; your failure to do so will result in a) a warning from either an Expert, or more seriously, a Moderator; b) an email from an Administrator; and c) suspension of your account. The Administrators have been known to impose some very severe conditions on reinstatement, and also tend to keep lists of chronic question-abandoners.
Experts are not allowed to do your homework for you. Doing homework for you is what the Membership Guidelines calls "academic dishonesty." In other words, it's bad enough that a member asks someone to do his or her homework; it's far worse that an Expert enables what is tantamount to cheating.
What you CAN do is guide an asker through the process of figuring out their homework. To put it at its most ridiculously sublime: You can teach a person to count, but don't tell him that 2 + 2 = 4.
Experts Exchange makes a healthy chunk of what little money it makes through advertising. If you post your company name in a manner which the Moderators consider to be promoting it, it's advertising, and it's a violation of the Membership Guidelines. You are, however, permitted to put the information in your profile.
Although a personal web page may not seem like advertising, the difference between commercial promotion and personal promotion is often too close to judge. For this reason, we ask that you do not post your personal web page address as part of your signature.
This is more of a huge annoyance than an actual violation of the Membership Guidelines, but it happens often enough to warrant inclusion here.
The idea at Experts Exchange is to ask a question, assign a point value to it, get an answer from several possible answers, select the best one, and award the points for it. Frequently, new users will ask several questions in one (because they don't have very many points), and then withhold awarding the points until one or more Experts have answered a few follow-up questions -- sometimes totally unrelated to the original question.
This will be met with disfavor by Experts, and will likely get you a warning from the Moderators. Let's keep it simple and to the point: You're better off asking one question at a time for few points than you are asking one question that has five questions plus a couple of follow-ups.
The Community Support topic area and its subtopics are reserved for communicating with the Moderators and Administrators, and Experts Exchange staff. While nobody is interested in taking the fun out of Experts Exchange, the large majority of visitors to the Community Support topic areas are new users who are in need of assistance. Off-topic remarks, especially those that are disparaging of EE, will not endear you to the Moderators, who WILL take action.
The Membership Guidelines aren't all that difficult to understand -- but first you have to read them; after all, by joining Experts Exchange, you've agreed to them. We've developed this page to take you through each section, explaining what it means.
The first paragraph says that if you do not agree with the terms and conditions, don't register. Whether you have read the agreement or not is of no consequence ("Ignorance of the law is no excuse.") -- the fact that you have signed up at Experts Exchange means that you have read the agreement and have agreed to it.
Right off the bat, you agree to be bound by the agreement. If you don't like what you read in the following paragraphs, write to cs@experts-exchange.com and get yourself removed from the rolls or don't participate.
This paragraph says that the Agreement is everything there is. Legally, that's true; in a practical sense, however, Experts Exchange is like any other "community". It has customs and conventions; we recommend that you read through the pages here to get a sense of how the site works.
Every so often, Experts Exchange modifies the membership guidelines; in fact, there are changes in the works all the time -- mostly with the clause that defines the behaviors which are prohibited, or with the points system -- so it's a good idea to glance at it every so often.
The Registration section of the membership guidelines is one that is strictly enforced by Experts Exchange. There are four specific items that need to be emphasized:
You may log in...only through your Member Name and password
If you use someone else's Member Name and password, you will be barred from the site.
...may not have more than one account...
This clause applies to ALL individuals. Only one to a customer, please. Exceptions have been made for paid accounts by specific request.
...responsible for maintaining the confidentiality...
This clause also requires that if you become aware of a breach of security, you are to notify Experts Exchange as soon as possible.
...should refrain from using identifiers...
This clause says that using information which might identify you is inadviseable. Generally speaking, the Moderators will remove your email address from a post in an effort to protect your privacy; there are other reasons discussed below.
If you change email addresses, please make sure you change it in your profile; this also means that you need to have a current email address in your profile. You'll have to reconfirm your membership, but you'll keep your history, and you'll continue to get email notifications from the questions in which you're a participant. You should also ensure that you (or your ISP) don't block EE's emails as being spam. But DO NOT create a new account; it will, at a minimum, get you into a little hot water with the Moderators.
This one's a biggie. Experts Exchange, its ownership, and much of its volunteer management (the Director of Community Support, the Site Administrators and the Moderators) are located in the United States, and as such, US and California law govern Experts Exchange's operation. That means the excuse of "it's legal in my country" won't hold any water.
...reserves the right to determine what constitutes...
Experts Exchange makes the rules. The Moderators and Administrators interpret and enforce them. What follows is the current interpretation; but the main part of this clause is that if you violate the rules, Experts Exchange can take whatever action it deems appropriate, including the removal of illegal or inappropriate content or even suspension.
This also means that the Moderators are versed in the "spirit" of the rules. It is possible that something not specifically codified is determined to be a violation of the rules by a Moderator. As representatives of EE, chosen by EE, such authority is reserved for the Moderators.
You are expected to behave yourself professionally. The Moderators have been told to crack down on the abuse of members by other members, so please watch your step.
Libel and slander law are specific in that they require a plaintiff show actual injury before being able to collect a judgment. Experts Exchange does not have to be as stringent. If your post falls into the category (and we're lucky enough to have one Moderator/Administrator who is intimately familiar with libel law), your status will be subject to review.
Don't try to lead people to think you're someone you're not... and don't even think about using someone else's username. Further, the creation of a second account for the purpose of either circumventing a prior sanction (such as a suspension) or harassing any member (including the Moderators) will not be tolerated.
This one's a biggie. The clause mentions computer viruses and counterfeiting; we interpret to mean that even asking for help in producing what might be a virus is grounds for suspension. We also interpret to mean anything illegal such as building a bomb, pirating software, and sharing of serial numbers.
Experts Exchange keeps its doors open by, among other things, selling advertising. Because of that, promoting a product or service, even by "innocently" putting your company's name in a signature you use in posts, is prohibited. If you have any kind of financial interest in the company you list (as an employee or participant), it's forbidden. You may, however, put that information in your profile.
The only "currency" you may offer for assistance is points. Offering money or employment is prohibited within any technical thread. It's possible that Experts Exchange may, at some point, offer some kind of "classified advertising" or "Jobs" topic area, but currently, it doesn't.
We know there are other sites out there. If you think they're better than Experts Exchange, don't mention it. You can bank on your post being deleted and your account coming under review.
...infringes any third party's intellectual property rights...
Hacks, cracks, unlicensed copies, and artificial keys infringe on intellectual property rights. You may not like the fact that companies charge for software, but trying to get past their copyright protection is both illegal and a violation of this clause.
We also interpret this clause to include the theft of intellectual property by copying and pasting items from other websites. Plagiarism is not only actionable; it shows dishonesty, a distinct lack of professionalism, and no class. The safe way to refer to someone else's work is with a link; the preferred method is to post the link with a brief description of it.
Among other things, this means that if you deliberately offer a suggestion which can cause damage to another person's computer, system, software, network or security, your account will be subject to review.
This isn't kindergarten, nor is it a chat room. Behave professionally, and you can expect that you'll be treated professionally. If you're not, the Moderators want to know about it. Ownership has told the Moderators and Administrators to be particularly aggressive in dealing with bad behavior.
There are a number of ways the point system is misused. The most common is asking a question, getting the answer and not closing the question; expect to lose points. The second most common is creating a second account (or enlisting a friend to create an account) and trying to pad your point totals. The third way is to solve a problem outside of EE's threads (e.g. using email) and then award points for it. Any of these can result in suspension.
Special Note: Recent changes to the way Experts Exchange allocates points has made a clarification to the points policy necessary. Please see the section on asking questions for details.
...academic honesty or other unethical behavior...
Most commonly, this means that Experts are prohibited from doing your homework for you. They'll guide you and teach you, but don't ask them to write code to answer a question that seems like it was written for a test. It should be noted that just like bribery, while it's bad to offer a bribe, it's worse to take it -- so don't do homework.
"Homework" is loosely defined as an assigment, project or quiz offered up an instructor of a technical, trade or eductional institution as part of a scheduled course of instruction, for which the student receives some kind of credit. The Moderators know what homework looks like, and it will be your task to convince them it isn't.
While this obviously includes trying to hack into Experts Exchange's security, it also means using tools which put an extra strain on EE's servers. Occasionally, the Engineering staff at Experts Exchange will make "beta" sites available for review and critique; the use of such sites in a manner contrary to the best interests of Experts Exchange will be considered a violation of system and network security, as well as a violation of trust.
If you don't want people to see your content, don't post it. If it's not yours, then give credit; you'll frequently see links to content on other sites, which is the preferred method of quoting some third party source. This is particularly true of copyrighted information from websites like the Microsoft Developer's Network. See the paragraph on intellectual property for further clarification.
The layout and design of Experts Exchange is copyrighted. Further, the points system and the technology used to administer it is patented. If you try to copy it, expect to hear from a law firm.
They may call themselves Experts, but no one at Experts Exchange checks credentials. If you use a suggestion made by someone who posts at Experts Exchange, you do so at your own risk.
Simply put, "Members must bear full responsibility for their actions." If you don't, you agree that you'll bear the responsibility in the event that Experts Exchange gets sued because you misbehaved.
Either you or Experts Exchange can terminate the agreement, with or without cause, upon thirty days notice. Experts Exchange can terminate the agreement without notice if you violate the guidelines above.
December 02, 2005 - 07:41PM PST
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