Re:Ask HN: Where do you go to ask questions that don't fit s...
by b3morales on Tuesday May 24, 2022 @10:55AM
(#31492931)
You're right, but it's also not quite as dire as you make it. Experts generally speaking are vulnerable to nerd sniping. The key is to have an interesting problem to ask them about. (The definition of "interesting" is going to vary from expert to expert, though.) If you have that and you can find a place where they congregate, they will be eager to give you an answer. Not so much in order to help you, but in order to satisfy their own curiosity or demonstrate their own knowledge.
How do I find experts that care about helping a person they have no connection to with a problem for no reward?
There’s lots of easy to access experts on every subject, however, you’re asking for their time for free: that’s a very different proposition.
If you’re happy to pay, just tweet or post on LinkedIn asking for an expert and offer to compensate them fairly, you’ll have offers in no times.
I’d argue the problem is not that the forums are gone, it’s that people aren’t looking to help for free when there’s so many other ways to put value out into the world — better run a podcast about your favourite subject than answer emails about it.