Everyday I receive emails, tweets, facebook and skype messages seeking free Joomla support. It is usually "urgent" and always without enough information for me to answer correctly.
I am happy to help anyone at anytime with their Joomla web site but are you really using the best and quickest way to ask for that help? I might not be online. I might be busy. I am not being rude and ignoring you. I just can't answer the question from the information that you have asked.
From today I will no longer be responding to any free Joomla support requests via twitter, skype, email or facebook.
Get Free Joomla Help
So if you want me to help with your Joomla problem the best thing to do is to use the Joomla forum. The forum operates 24 hours a day - I do not. The forum has hundreds of people online at any time so you will often get a faster response by asking for support there than you will be sending a message directly to me on social media.
When you have submitted your support question on the Joomla forum then you can message me with the forum link and when I am online and available I will check it out. Most likely someone else will already have given you the answer you need.
Fast support requires accurate and detailed information
Fast and free joomla support
The best way to get fast and accurate help with your Joomla problem is to make sure that you provide all the information.
The more information you provide the more accurate the response will be. The more accurate the response the faster it will be - there will be less of a need for supplemental questions and further delays.
It doesn't work and I have tried everything is NOT a support request that will get answered
Writing the perfect Support request
If you copy and paste the template below and complete ALL the sections then you will find that your question will be answered quicker than someone who just says "it doesn't work - please help"
Ask your question in the best place
Before you post your question in the Joomla forum spend a moment or two reviewing all the available forum categories. Make sure that you post in the correct one.
The title matters
Make sure that you use a meaningful title for the forum post. If you can summarise the issue in the title or at least the key words then you are more likely to get people reading your post - "it doesn't work - please help" is not a good title.
Brian's Rule No. 7 - Very few people in the world are psychic. Don't expect people to read your mind.
Free Joomla Support Request Template
- I am having a problem with?
- Describe the problem (no more than 100 words)
- What version of Joomla are you using (in x.y.z format)?
- Which template are you using?
- Did you try using the default Protostar template?
- When did your problem begin?
- Do you have a backup from before the problem began?
- What resources (exact links) have you read?
- Is this an issue with an extension, if so which one?
- If it is an extension issue have you checked the developers site?
- Link to site so we can see the issue (or screenshots)
- Is registration required to reproduce this issue?
Say thank you
I'm yet to meet anyone who doesn't like to receive thanks. I'm confident that your quick message of thanks will put a smile on their face and encourage them to continue offering free Joomla support
It will also help other people with the same problem to know that the solution provided to you worked
