Piazza Best Practices
NOTE: This page should be read in conjunction with the "Internet Use FAQ" from the syllabus.
Piazza, and discussion boards in general, are a powerful tool if used correctly. Used incorrectly, it can become a disaster. Here are some guidelines for getting the most out of Piazza, as well as being a good citizen:
Read Piazza at least daily. While it seems like a lot of work to keep up on Piazza, it's even more work to be doing work that's not required: going to a lab that's been cancelled, working on a bug whose fix has been posted, etc. If you're the type who hates to wait, turn on "Real Time" forwarding of messages to your e-mail. That's what I use.
Search before you post. This is kind of like "look before you leap" or stopping at an intersection before you drive into it. With so many people in the class, your question has quite possibly been answered already. Why wait for someone to point you to an old post, when you can find it immediately yourself? Use a small number of search terms (one or two is often enough), or click on one of the "folders" like lab1, reading_quizzes, etc. to show relevant posts.
"Do your homework" before you post. There are few new technical questions, and almost every one has been answered on the internet. If you want to post about a bug, for example, someone else has had that bug, too, and probably posted it on the internet. Also, a little bit of debugging might be enlightening. Even if you can't find the answer, you might narrow it down, helping others answer your question on Piazza. See the syllabus's "Internet Use FAQ" for details.
Provide details. Specifics are essential. If you're posting about a bug, excerpt the error message, for example. Having "done your homework" (previous bullet), tell us what you learned, so that the person who replies to your post doesn't waste their time telling you something you already know. Screenshots can be helpful. Could such details be an academic integrity violation? Unlikely, because your code doesn't work.
Return the favor. Try out your knowledge by answering other people's questions. It's OK if you don't have the whole answer. You'll learn by helping, you'll be making the world a better place, and maybe you'll save the the instructional team some time, so they'll have have more time to answer your question quickly when the time comes.
Further Reading
Eric Raymond, How to Ask Questions the Smart Way.