Contributing to StackOverflow: How Not to be Intimidated by Ksenia Coulter.
From the post:
StackOverflow is an essential resource for programmers. Whether you run into a bizarre and scary error message or you’re blanking on something you should know, StackOverflow comes to the rescue. Its popularity with coders spurred many jokes and memes. (Programming to be Officially Renamed “Googling Stackoverflow,” a satirical headline reads).
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While all of us are users of StackOverflow, contributing to this knowledge base can be very intimidating, especially to beginners or to non-traditional coders who many already feel like they don’t belong. The fact that an invisible barrier exists is a bummer because being an active contributor not only can help with your job search and raise your profile, but also make you a better programmer. Explaining technical concepts in an accessible way is difficult. It is also well-established that teaching something solidifies your knowledge of the subject. Answering StackOverflow questions is great practice.
All of the benefits of being an active member of StackOverflow were apparent to me for a while, but I registered an account only this week. Let me walk you t[h]rough thoughts that hindered me. (Chances are, you’ve had them too!)
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I plead guilty to using StackOverFlow but not contributing back to it.
Another “intimidation” to avoid is thinking you must have the complete and killer answer to any question.
That can and does happen, but don’t wait for a question where you can supply such an answer.
Jump in! (Advice to myself as well as any readers.)