Consider two questions posted in your community.
Question A:
“Hi, does anyone know how to get [Widget x] to work with [Widget y]?
Any help would be appreciated!”
Question B:
“Hi, I’ve been struggling with a problem which is really driving me nuts.
I’m trying to get [Widget x] to work with [Widget y].
So far nothing has worked. I really need some help or I’m going to waste 3 months of work and have to begin the entire project again.
Can someone help?”
Which question would be more satisfying for you to answer?
For most of us, the answer is Question B. You feel a lot better about yourself if you know the impact your answer can provide.
The more you know the value of your help, the more you’re likely to provide it.
This should affect how we coach members to ask questions in a community. No, we don’t want emotionally manipulative language, but we do want to coach members to also explain the impact of resolving the issue to them where possible.
You can do this in your onboarding first question, the default text which appears in the text field before being replaced, or in ‘in line nudges’.
If members value the feeling they get from helping others, then make it easy to feel as great about helping others as possible.