How to Ask a Question on the Internet & Get an Answer

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Get your burning questions answered by experts and amateurs

Co-authored by Anar Kazimov and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: March 23, 2026 Fact Checked

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Where to Ask

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How to Ask

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Have you tried asking a question online, only to be scorned and scoffed at, or completely ignored? Asking questions from anonymous community members is much more of an art form than people realize. You can't just ask your question and expect to get it answered; you have to put a little work in on your part. In this article, we'll show you how to find the right place to ask a question on the internet and walk you through the best way to ask a question that's likely to get an answer.

Posting Questions Online and Getting Answers

Forums, social media, Discord servers, and Q&A websites are all great places to ask questions and get answers from experts and enthusiasts.
For quick answers, try asking an AI chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini.
When posting your question, make the title a succinct version of the question, and provide more detail in the body of the message.

Section 1 of 2:

Finding the Right Place to Ask

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1
Determine who would be the right audience to answer your question. Consider the general field of knowledge you will require to get it answered. For example, if you have a question about your computer, you will want tech experts to help. If your question is related to home improvement, you will want information from contractors.
- Break down the general field into a specific niche. In every general category, there are a variety of sub-fields. For example, if your tech question is about using Windows, you'll want to ask Windows experts and users. If your question is about a specific program in Windows, like Photoshop, you'll want to find Photoshop experts, not Windows experts.
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Consider forums for the best chance at getting quick answers. Forums are great places to ask questions about specific subjects and get your questions answered by knowledgeable enthusiasts. To find a forum for a particular topic, search Google or Bing for a keyword that describes the topic (for example, "Photoshop") and the word "forum", then check out the forums in the search results. Alternatively, try these larger forum websites that are filled with people willing to answer your questions:
- Reddit - There's a subreddit (community) for any topic you can think of on Reddit, and many are quite active. To find the right place to ask a question, search Reddit for a keyword relevant to the topic you're asking about (for example, Whirlpool, Mac, college applications, advice), then click or tap the Communities tab to see relevant subreddits.
- wikiHow Forums - The forums here at wikiHow are a great place to ask questions about all sorts of topics, including relationships, technology, and LGBTQIA+ issues.
- StackExchange - A community of forums spanning many topics, including niche tech, language learning, writing, parenting, and more.
- Learn the culture of the forum before asking. Every community on the internet has its own style and set of rules (both written and unwritten). Spend some time reading through other posts before making your own. This will help you learn the etiquette for that specific forum. Knowing how to ask your question in a way that fits in with that culture can really help you get the answers you need.
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Use social media to crowdsource answers. Whether you want to have your questions answered by experienced pros or just want to get people's opinions, some social media platforms are especially great for asking questions. When you ask a question on social media, you're also more likely to generate a discussion. On platforms like X, Bluesky, and Threads, you can use hashtags and keywords to make it easy for people outside your personal social network to see your questions in their feeds. Some social networks that are good for asking questions:
- X (Twitter)
- Threads
- Facebook Groups
- Bluesky
Beyond forums, you may be able to find more immediate responses by joining a chat room dedicated to your topic. These days, the best place to find chat rooms with lots of users is Discord. On Discord, you'll find many active communities (servers) filled with people who are specifically interested in certain topics, including gaming, dating, careers, education, and more. Check out Discord's searchable list of public servers, then join the server that best fits your question(s).
Depending on your question, you might be able to make use of AI to get a good answer. AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude are all available to answer many types of questions 24/7, and your answers will be instantaneous. Just keep in mind that chatbots don't tend to provide legit sources, and their answers are not fact-checked–if something doesn't seem right, you'll want to research it on your own to verify it.
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Try a Q&A website if you're having trouble getting your questions answered. There are several sites that allow you to post any question in the hopes that you will get it answered. These sites can be good for general questions, and sometimes you'll get an answer from an expert in the field. Take all responses with a grain of salt. These websites are focused on asking and answering questions:
- Quora - This site has many categories in which you can ask specific types of questions that people with experience (and AI chatbots) can answer.
- Metafilter - A website designed for crowdsourcing information about all sorts of topics in categories like home and garden, technology, and pets.^{[1]
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- Blurtit - Ask questions about a wide range of topics, including business and finance, philosophy and religion, legal, travel, and more.^{[2]
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- JustAnswer - Get your questions answered by verified experts, including doctors, mechanics, lawyers, and more. However, there is a membership fee and a one-time join fee.^{[3]
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- Answerbag - If you just want to get people's personal opinions, Answerbag is a great place to ask questions.

Section 2 of 2:

Framing Your Question

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Perform a web search for your question first. Before you start asking others about your question, try a Google search to see what kind of results you get. You can even formulate your search in the form of a question, or you can just search for the keywords.
- New to Google? Check out our general guide to searching with Google, then try our advanced Google search guide!
- If you've found some resources that help but don't completely solve your problem, make note of them. You can use these when you formulate your question to show others that you have already done your own research and to help them narrow down their responses.
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Make your title a succinct version of your question. When asking your question on any internet platform, try to make the title of the post as specific and clear as possible. You can use the post body to add details, but readers should be able to understand your question just from looking at the title.^{[4]
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- For example, "Windows won't start" is not a good title. Instead, get a little more specific with your problem: "Windows 11 will not start, computer turns on fin,e but I receive the following error message: <insert error snippet>".
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Go into detail in the body of the message. After writing the title, explain the details in the body. List specific problems and what you have tried so far. Note any resources you have already looked at. The more specific you are, the more useful the replies to your question will be.
- If you are asking technical questions, be sure to give proper information about what you are using. For example, for computer-related questions, list your operating system, system specs, and any error messages you are getting. For car questions, make sure to note the make and model, as well as what part of the car you are working on.
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Write politely and clearly. You will get far more responses if your post is written with good grammar and clear writing. Avoid overusing exclamation points, and try not to swear (even if you're really frustrated!). If the language of the board is not your first language, let the readers know and apologize for any spelling and grammar errors.
- Avoid internet shorthand and slang. For example, don't replace "you" with "u", and don't type IN ALL CAPS, as this is perceived as shouting.
- Assume that the question has been asked before. The internet is a huge place, and chances are you're not the first person to have the problem that you're experiencing. Take some time and hunt down potential answers that already exist.
Even if you are experiencing multiple problems, limit each post to one question. This will help the responders focus on the issue and provide clear advice. If a reader sees your question, but then opens your post and sees five more questions, they will likely not respond at all.
There's a chance that you won't like the answer you receive. There's also a chance that the answer that you don't like is the only available option. Make sure to keep an open mind about your responses, and try to avoid getting defensive.
If one of the responders has solved your question, make sure to thank them and note that the problem has been solved. This will help other people with the same problem quickly see what you had to do to fix it, and the gratitude gives the responder reason to continue answering questions for others.

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Tips

If you don't receive any responses or the responses are not satisfactory, take some time to examine your question. Was it specific enough? Did you ask too many questions? Was the answer easily obtained through a web search? Is the question even answerable? Rework your question and ask it again, either in the same place or a new one.

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Never believe that you are entitled to an answer. Responders volunteer their time to help out other users. No one owes you an answer, so you should avoid acting as they do.

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Don't worry if your question is not answered. Just follow the same steps and use a different search engine, answering website, or forum.

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