You just got done downloading SFM and before you know it.., p00f!! You are stuck on something or a problem pops up and you just don't know what to do to fix it, what do you do?

"Oh, I know, I'll just ask on the forums..."

~Screeching tires...~ Wait!!

There's a nifty little feature in the upper right corner of all the discussion pages.., it's called a search bar...

There's a really good chance that you are not the only person on this planet that's had whatever issue that you are having. There's also a really good chance that someone else has already visited these discussion boards and asked that same question before you did.

What does that have to do with you?

Everything!

Type a keyword or keywords into that little search bar that pertain to your problem, and chances are you'll have an answer to your question faster than you could have ever typed it in the discussions.

The search bar is NOT fool-proof, there will be times (rarely) that you might have a problem that no one has seen yet. In that case, you may not get any results from the search bar.
If this happens, then by all means, ask away on the discussion boards and someone will help you just as quickly as they can.

The title of your post is very important, it can make the difference between someone noticing your 'plea for help' and someone breezing right on by it without a second glance.

Titles like these will do the trick:

• I'm new to SFM and I'm stuck, please help.

• Messed up model...

• SFM has white/grey/blank screens...

• Why is my model invisible?

There are a lot of others, but I think you get the point...
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Titles you don't want to use:

• SFM broke, pleez fix!!

This one, I personally, can overlook to a certain degree because not everyone that comes to these discussions speaks English.
Try asking in your own language, most of us know what Google Translate[translate.google.com] is and can probably still help you.

• HALP!! or HALP!! PLEEZ!!!!!

This one will usually get you ignored simply because the spelling indicates that you are not serious.
"How does it do that?" you may ask...
Well, in written and textual conversations of this type, spelling is very important to properly convey the point, and your point here is TO GET HELP.
Before anyone pops up with the excuse "I know how to spell, I just spell that way because I want to..", just remember one thing.., we can probably help you, but most of us probably won't help you with spelling like that.., because we DON'T want to.
You obviously aren't taking your problem seriously, so why should we?

..another question that will usually get ignored pretty quick (or start a rant) is:

• Why is SFM still in beta?

It's still in beta because Valve decided to abandon it for other projects.., simple as that.
We don't know specifically why they chose to do this, but ranting about it on the discussions isn't going to fix the problem, learn to live with it.
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So there ya have it, your title is important if you really want help, so make sure it's a good one.

I'm pretty sure titles like Hot Girls, Check this out and others similar to these might be a nice try, but eh eh, that is what's known as 'click bait'. Most of us know what it is and will ignore it faster than a snake crossing a hot road...

If you truly want quick help, ask the right questions...
Remember, the only stupid question is the one you never ask.

Your question should be as detailed as you can make it.
Your explanation of what happened should include such things as:

1. Your system specifications. (Everyone really should know this one, or at least how to find out.)
2. What you were doing when the problem started. (Animating, posing, importing/exporting, etc.)
3. What model or models were you using. (A link to the model may also be useful here.)
4. What map were you using. (A link to the map may also be useful here.)

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Questions like, "SFM broke, how I fix?" are not very helpful in determining 'what's broke' so chances are, it's gonna take a while to get help because you didn't bother to add any details.
Now we have to ask you (sometimes repeatedly) for information that you most likely should have shared at the very beginning.
Granted, some who visit aren't native English speakers, so this can be overlooked to a certain degree as long as other details about the problem are mentioned.

So, what happens when you just can't quite find the words to describe your problem?

Read the next section to find out...

Ok, suppose you have a situation that you just can't seem to find the right words to describe what exactly your problem is.., how do you convey that?
Ever heard the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words."?

That's right, add a screenshot to your post to illustrate what your problem is, when you just can't quite put it all into words.

Screenshots can be taken several ways:

1. The PrtScrn button.
Simply press it, open Paint (or similar program), and paste it in.
Alternatively, you can use the combo 'ALT+PrtScr' to take screenshots of just the active window.
To make a window active, simply click anywhere inside it.
This comes in handy for those 'pop-up error boxes' Windows likes so much...

2. F12 (in the Steam Overlay)
F12 is the default button for 'in-game' screenshots when using the Steam Overlay.
Once you have taken your screenshots and closed the program, you will be asked to upload them to the Steam Cloud. This will make it easier to share them throughout Steam, including the discussion boards.

3. Screen Capture Software
Use your favorite screen cap software to take screenshots of the problem.

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In each of these cases (with the exception of F12) you will need to upload your screenshot to the web and add a link to your post.
You can upload them to several free sites and get the link from there, one that comes to mind is Imgur[imgur.com].

NOTE: Make sure to take a full-sized screen shot of the entire SFM interface for best results. Not only do we need to see the issue, but in most cases, we also need to see what your SFM environment looks like as well.

This guide may also be of use here if you are unfamiliar with how to upload your screenshots and post them to the discussion boards.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1377815899

We know that most problems arise when you are right in the middle of doing something.., it's happened to us too.

Ask your question and then please be patient, wait for an answer.
Please don't make multiple posts asking the same question just because you didn't get an answer in like 30 seconds.
Not only is it spamming (which most board admins frown upon) but it's also rude.
It's ok to 'bump' a post if you haven't got an answer in an hour or longer, but every 5 minutes (yes, I've seen people do this..) is just rude and utterly ridiculous.

Look, we all have lives outside of SFM, plus we all live in different areas of the world, so it can take some time for someone who knows a fix for your problem to reply. You may have posted it at 5pm your time, but if the person helping you is a continent or more away, it's probably 5am to them, they may not even be out of bed yet. How are they going to answer your post when they haven't even seen it yet?

We know what you have going on is important to you, we feel the same way about our projects too, but please be patient and wait for an answer, it will come, trust me. :D