maxm50•1d ago

Just realized asking 'what's the worst that could happen' changed how I get answers

I was stuck on a tricky plumbing issue in my old house in Tacoma and kept getting vague advice online. A friend told me to post the question but start with 'What's the absolute worst thing that could go wrong if I try X?' Framing it that way got 3 specific warnings about galvanized pipe in under an hour. Has anyone else found a simple phrase that cuts through the noise?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia4781d ago

That "what's the worst" trick is interesting, but honestly, I've had the total opposite happen. When I've asked questions like that in the past, it just makes people focus on the scary, unlikely disasters (you know, the one in a million thing) and I get a bunch of alarmist answers that aren't actually helpful for the normal, likely problems. I find just asking for the most common mistake or the first thing to check gets me way more useful, practical steps.

skyler5161d ago

Yeah, but the trick works best for common stuff, not doomsday scenarios.