If you’d like to get quick SQL Server help, the #SQLHelp hash tag is a fun way to get it. My original “How to Use the #SQLHelp Hash Tag” post hit a couple of years ago, and it’s time for a followup. Read that post first, and then come back here for some basic guidelines.
Don’t use #SQLHelp to promote your blog. Congratulations on writing an informative post, and we’re sure it’s got some useful information in it, but the #SQLHelp hash tag is for people who are asking questions. Unless your blog post was written to answer a question currently live on #SQLHelp, please refrain from tweeting about your blog.
Do answer a #SQLHelp question with a product if that’s the solution. Vendors build products to solve pain points, and sometimes those pain points surface as #SQLHelp questions. If the answer is a product – whether it’s a free one or a paid one – then feel free to mention it and provide a link. If you’ve got personal experience with the product, that’s even better. If you’re a vendor, you might wanna disclose that in your tweet.
Don’t demo #SQLHelp at conferences by saying, “Say hello, #SQLHelp!” Immediately, dozens of users around the world will reply to you, and the #SQLHelp hash tag will become unusable for half an hour or more. Rather than saying Hello World, ask the audience to give you a question, and then post that question on #SQLHelp.
Do suggest that long discussions move to a Q&A web site. Sometimes questions need a lot more detail than we can get in 140 characters. If you notice a discussion turning into a long back-and-forth conversation, helpfully suggest that the questioner read my tips on writing a good question and then create a post on whatever site you prefer.
- StackOverflow.com for T-SQL programming questions
- ServerFault.com for systems administration questions
- DBA.StackExchange.com for DBA-specific questions that might need cross-platform expertise
- SQLServerCentral.com for general SQL Server stuff
Don’t post jobs to #SQLHelp. Use the #SQLJobs hash tag instead.
Do thank people who give you #SQLHelp. This is a group of volunteers who love to lend a helping hand. It’s like getting consulting help for free around the clock. High five ’em if they helped you get through your day easier.
6 Comments. Leave new
I try not to ever post product links/suggestions to the group, instead I will address the person directly with that info.
If they find the technology useful, I’ll let them say so on the #SQLHELP boards.
I’m not saying that’s how it should be done, it’s just how I roll.
Don’t forget the Microsoft sql server forums 🙂
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/sqlserver
Thanks for these additional guidelines, Brent. I have used #SQLHelp on several occasions – some answers and more questions – and the answers I have received have been quick, concise, and very accurate, not to mention from some of the biggest names in our industry. I am new, however, to the #SQLJobs hashtag, and will be sure to create a new column in my client to review that list as well. Thanks again Brent, for this post, and all that you do for the SQL community.
How about “Don’t post pleas for someone to DM you the e-mail address for a lost contact” and “Don’t post questions about Windows Home Server, your iPad, or Netflix streaming quality – just because the SQLHelp crowd is mostly comprised of computer dorks does not mean those questions are on topic.”
Late comment, I know, but this post is still topical. In the fashion of stackoverflow
, suggest using “sql help”, with the quotes and the space, and without the # symbol, for “meta” discussion about the use/abuse of #sqlhelp.