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I (and many other long time Blender users) may get accused of not asking expert questions, or not doing enough research, because we simply don't know that Blender can for example, make your tea in the morning.

Not everyone has read every iota of documentation or followed every tutorial out there, of course. However, how do we know what constitutes an "expert" question?

What makes someone an "expert" vs "intermediate" vs "newbie"? Just using Blender for x number of years is not enough, of course.

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    $\begingroup$ I think it's better to define what is not an expert question. "How do I make a game in blender" is not an expert question. The site should be welcoming to newbies, but we should still hold a quality standard for their questions. $\endgroup$
    – Luke_0
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:47
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    $\begingroup$ @Luke that's actually a good answer. $\endgroup$
    – A Wild RolandiXor Has Appeared
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:50

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There are many things that constitute to how a question is perceived. Your grammar, choice of words, formatting and what you intend. Here is an article that goes into how one can write a 'perfect' question.

A key point is

Question title

When a reader first sees your question, they're likely to be scrolling down a list of snippets. The most eye-catching part of the snippet will be the title - so use that text wisely.

and another is

The Golden Rule: Imagine You're Trying To Answer The Question

Once you've finished writing your question, read it through. Imagine you were coming to it fresh, with no context other than what's on the screen. Does it make sense? Is it clear what's being asked? Is it easy to read and understand? Are there any obvious areas you'd need to ask about before providing an answer? You can usually do this pretty well however stuck you are on the actual question. Just apply common sense. If there's anything wrong with the question when you're reading it, obviously that will be a problem for whoever's actually trying to answer it. So fix the problems. Improve the question until you can read it and think, "If I only knew the answer to the question, it would be a pleasure to provide that answer." At that point, post and wait for the answers to come rolling in.

Nothing specifies being an expert, while there are professionals on the site, how can you tell them apart from say someone who started using Blender a few days ago? It's all in how you phrase your question and deliver it. Research your question before asking it and make sure you understand what you are asking so you can better explain it.

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  • $\begingroup$ I'm pretty familiar with what works and doesn't on SE, so I'm more specifically looking for what will work on Blender SE (especially now as we define the site). Professional is a subjective word, as I could be a professional UV mapper and never once touch modelling, for example. $\endgroup$
    – A Wild RolandiXor Has Appeared
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:19
  • $\begingroup$ @RolandiXor does it really matter? As I said, it's all in how you deliver the question. No offense, but a few of your earlier ones were a bit sloppy and showed no research effort. $\endgroup$
    – iKlsR
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:20
  • $\begingroup$ Also, I'd like to point out, as happens on Ask Ubuntu where I moderate, users don't always come to ask questions that Google can't answer. Sometimes they simply don't know how something works, and it is honestly easier to get real people to help directly than to go to Google and dig around for something. We should not shut such people out. $\endgroup$
    – A Wild RolandiXor Has Appeared
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:21
  • $\begingroup$ @RolandiXor I know what you mean but how would the site turn out if users were asking extremely simple questions that could be found via a quick google search or a peek at the wiki. $\endgroup$
    – iKlsR
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:23
  • $\begingroup$ I disagree on not showing research effort. They show a lack of knowledge, which is exactly why the questions were asked. Just because something is documented on the Blender Wiki for example, doesn't mean we should respond "Do your research" and close it. Remember, even "professionals" will have grey areas on certain subjects that some other people (even the majority) will be totally clear on. We should not treat such cases as though they are simply "Sloppy". $\endgroup$
    – A Wild RolandiXor Has Appeared
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:24
  • $\begingroup$ @RolandiXor it's a broad topic, once we get some firm mods in place some of these downvoting and closing issues will hopefully desist. $\endgroup$
    – iKlsR
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:25
  • $\begingroup$ There are some things that are obviously too simple, like "How do I grab/move an object." But someone might ask "How do I scale an object along two axes and not the third?", for example, and that would be a fair question because even though it is basic to us, it's not something obvious and clear cut. $\endgroup$
    – A Wild RolandiXor Has Appeared
    Commented May 23, 2013 at 16:26
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'Expert' questions usually come in the form of a very exact and narrow problem definition, they might also take the time to present alternatives and reasons for not using them. These kinds of questions rarely invite answers that are obvious, but can (in the case of blender) lead to developers modifying blender, or provoke others to script a solution.

'An expert' is someone who masters one or more fields. In blender.stackexchange this will probably start to bubble up as a person who gives valuable answers to difficult questions (that aren't immediately apparent from the documentation).

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