post-problem-solution

Once the problem is resolved, don't let the discussion stop halfway through without a word. Send a note to everyone who helped you, letting them know how the problem was solved and expressing your thanks again. If the issue has attracted attention in newsgroups, mailing lists, forums, or Issue areas, it's a good idea to just add the conclusion to the original discussion string.

Mark the results in the original discussion

The best way to do this is to reply to the original question and include Fixed', Solved', or some other clear indication in the subject line. A potential respondent who sees the discussion strings Question X' and Question X - Resolved' on a mailing list where people come and go will immediately realize that he or she doesn't have to invest any more time unless he or she is interested in the question itself.

This saves the community's attention and allows people searching for the same question later to find the conclusion directly.

Write a useful enough summary

The additional instructions don't have to be very long, nor do they have to rehash the whole process. A simple Hello, it turns out there was a problem with the network cable! Thanks everyone - Bill, is also better than saying nothing at all. Unless the conclusion itself is very technical, a short, clear vignette is usually more valuable than a long speech.

A good closing response usually contains:

• The final identified cause of the problem.
• Solutions that really work.
• Critical environment, version or configuration differences.
• Which speculations were eventually ruled out.
• A thank you to the helpers.

For problems with depth, it is also helpful to post a summary of the debugging log. Describe the end state and solution first, and after that explain what blind spots in the process could have been avoided. Don't write the conclusions as a detective story; what later generations need most is answers that are searchable, reproducible, and referable.

Leaving experience to those who come after

In addition to being polite, these types of additions can help others find real solutions to problems on mailing lists, newsgroups, forums, or search engines. Your closing response may save many people's time over a long period of time.

If the issue reveals a documentation gap, missing FAQ, or a misleading tutorial, think about it further: is it possible to fix a piece of documentation, submit an FAQ entry, or send a small patch to the maintainer? These kinds of follow-ups are often more valuable than just saying "thank you".

Letting helpers see results

At the very least, this supplement gives everyone involved in the assistance a sense of satisfaction from problem solving. If you're not a technical expert yourself, trust us: this satisfaction is very important to those who volunteer to help you. Having a problem hanging in the air can be discouraging; seeing it solved makes you want to move on to help the next person who asks a serious question.

In hacker culture, good follow-through is not only polite, it's part of a reputation. By being kind to someone who has helped you, you are also building credit for the next time you get help.