General Tips for posting

I see a lot of posts that take 3-4 replies before the required information for troubleshooting is obtained. I also see people posting long drawn out rants, or even worst, 2 worded posts like "Fix it!". This is not an efficient use of forum space, or use of energy on part of both the Moderators (who I won't speak for) and the other customers who are just starting to post helpful responses here. This isn't to say these are rules of any sorts, just personal guide lines I fallow and which some may find helpful. Thank you.

1. Be specific - This varies depending on the problem, but here is a good general guideline.
   1. Include technical details, such as the model numbers of equipment involved, and any software or programs which may be relevant. 
   2. State what the actual problem is. Again, try to provide details. If your cable isn't working, maybe discuss what the TV screen looks like when not working, Thats where problem vs symptoms come in. You might say "Internet is Slow" as problem, with the symptom as; video take a long time to stream, pictures take a long time to upload, sometimes I can't get online at all, etc"
   3. When and Where. Self explanatory. Try to outline when the problem occurs (night, morning, weekends, when it rains, exactly 9AM,etc) and where (all TV's in house, just one TV with a box, every person in building, etc). Also the general area you live in, like State (CA) or Market (New England)
   4. Troubleshooting. Does anything fix it short term? If so, what? Did you try anything that didn't work? When is it worst?

       2.   Don't be TOO specific - Details are good, but you don't want to give out personal information or account information, unless to a moderator. Also, you don't want to list every little thing you did or anything that isn't relevant. So if you got a new cat the day before, probably not relevant. Telling us every S/N of every HDMI wire or how many times you turned the coaxial connector, probably not helpful.

     3.  Golden Rule- Try to focus on the problem, and not the feelings or the drama of the issue. Not to say you don't have the right to be upset or happy, but emotions tend to cloud the situation, which leads to it taking longer to fix, and a less helpful answer. Remember, it's not just Cox employee's who read this forum. If your not nice to your fellow customers, they probably won't help you. Would you help someone who wasn't being nice?

    4. Google is your friend- I don't mean to insinuate that asking a question before you search google is wrong, I am just saying that doing some research to properly frame the question can do wonders for the type of result. This is specifically important if the question lays on the line of what is Cox support, or even those problems which are over that line, and you are looking for input from other users.

   5. Scope, not just a breath-wash- Most of us here are pretty smart, and we enjoy helping people. However, it is important to remember that not all questions can be accurately, or even prudently, answered through a forum. For example, if someone came on the forum and asked how to hack their registry to get around admin controlled user lock, I would be very hesitant. Not only are there ethical concerns, but a computers registry is not something you should go messing around with unless you know what your doing. A good rule of thumb is if it's a question you would ask a stranger, then its probably OK to ask here.