HOWTO Avoid Being Flamed

[weazy]

Introduction:
The main problem with learning how to hack (for example) is that everyone wants to do it and no one wants to take the time to learn what they need to know.
Have you ever had a question and popped into a chat room and asked for help only to be flamed and dissed until your balls (assuming you have balls.) shrivel into your stomach?
Well, this tutorial aims to end that, and to help you learn how to answer your own questions.

Getting started:
The first thing you must do is decide what it is you want to learn...
Let's say you want to learn how to hide your IP, Well most people would hop into a chat room and repeat "Could someone who can explain how to hide my I.P. please private message me" until they were kicked out.
If you MUST use a chat room, know what your question is. It's not "can someone explain such and such to me." It's "Where can I find more information on...________" This wording gets helpful replies more often than not. Why? Because most things related to hacking require extensive research. The shortest "hacking" tutorial I have ever seen was about 2 pages, and it was on Netbios hacking. If someone asks you a question, wouldn't you rather say, "oh sure check out http://www.blah.com/blah/blah/tutorials/whatyouwant.txt" instead of basically re-typing the entire tutorial in order for them to understand it? Most people who actually will explain it and not tell you how to wipe your own hard drive (or equally lame tricks) are glory hounds. There's no lack of glory hounds, but most of them would rather look too cool to even answer you.

Tools you'll need:
You will likely need a dictionary; thesaurus, encyclopedia, and internet access.

Well then, you know what you want to learn, but where to start? #1 a dictionary. Find the exact definition of what it is your trying to learn, understand it and remember it. Secondly, Search engines! Everyone who knows how to use them loves search engines. They should be called research engines because they are a great source for independent research.


Ok so you need to select a search engine. google.com is a great search engine because it takes the relevant results from a search and classifies them according to the page's rating.

Topic Specific search engines:
Well hell, how do i find a search for mp3's? Try searching for a mp3 search engine with another search. Say I want a crack/warez search engine. I'd simply search for "warez search".

Once you've found what you were searching for:
Read what you've got, it may be basic, it may be 90% things you already know. However this may turn up new terminology you can use to aid you in future searches. (by the way this is what the thesaurus is for, find similar terminology using it.)

Search Engine Tips

The first thing most people do wrong in searching is that they are too specific, this gives the search engine too much to match and rules out likely possibilities. Remember to eliminate common words such as "AND IF OR THE" etc. Search minimalistically. If you want a web page with specific information about...say Tax/payroll software you would probably search with the terms "Tax Payroll Software," but lets say you need it to be free software. You might take out "software" and in its place add "freeware" or "sharewar" or simply add the word "free." However, "free" is such a common word in site descriptions that it is indeed as common as "and if or the"

On Dictionaries:
In choosing a dictionary one should keep in mind that they are usually outdated in the technical sense, you can find online dictionaries that include new technical terms with your new skills.

It is socially acceptable to ask questions about what you have learned now that you have some knowledge on the topic.