One of the best places to get immediate information—after researching the other on-line sources—is discussion groups. Usenet is the biggest source, and there are mailing lists for most any topic as well.
Subject Lines
The best way to be ignored is to try to be cute. Use your subject line to provide concise information about your problem. “I need help” is sure to get ignored by the people with the expertise to assist you. “Word 97: Cannot access borneo.dll” will grab the attention of everyone who has seen that error before, or who knows what ‘borneo.dll’ is.
The Message
Inside your message, describe the problem, along with all error messages. If you’ve made any attempt to track down the error, mention what they were. List all of the on-line sources you’ve used to track down information about this error.
