What are the best ways of solving problems or finding answers?

Question

Obviously, lots of people think that Yahoo! Answers is a great way to solve problems or find answers, but is it really the best way? How many answers make a good enough selection for example?

Alternatives could include: asking your friends/family, seeking out a professional, using one of those random answer books (or websites! ;-) ), going with your gut feeling.... what else! What do you think is the best way to solve a problem? Give examples - thanks.

Answer 1

A good shrink would say we all have the answers within ourselves. We sometimes need to hear ourselves discuss the options to understand what we really think or want.
Thus, expressing a problem is half-way toward solving it, just to hear what you yourself think.
Another good way is to take a long brisk walk, or to see a movie which "takes you out of yourself" so that you can approach the problem in a fresh way, after.

Answer 2

The internet, even a simple Google search, can be very beneficial. A lot of the questions hear could have been answered with a quick internet search.

However, for most problems the template:

Plan, do, review,

springs to mind.

Also, you can make an informed oppinion on the source information, wheras Answers contains a lot of people just ranting and one can sometimes encounter difficulties sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Many medical questions that have been posted should have gone straight to their GP, or NHS help line. "Gee, I'm bleeding. What do you think?" Dumb. Very Dumb.

I suppose, what I am saying, is that there are other, more valid ways of getting answers, before asking Answers.

Answer 3

The best way to solve a problem
1 Has something changed?
2 Have the conditions changed?
3 Identify the possible causes.
5 Narrow the causes to three.
6 In most likely order identify the cause
7 Check the cause
8 Correct the cause
9 Test
10 Note the effect and the correction for reference.

Answer 4

I would say G o o g l e it. As long as you key in the correct keywords you should get your problems sorted more accurately.
I can't imagine anything we think is not on the internet.

Thinking about a problem while you go to bed is another way of solving a problem. Although it is not recommended it works fine for me

Answer 5

I figure things out myself by logic if possible.... or check Wikipedia if not.... generally.

I typically only ask questions here if I want to put people in an awkward situation and force them to think for themselves (i.e. not to actually get an answer) ...

I have a friend who I'll occasionally ask general questions of because she is the only person who I know is more intelligent and knowledgeable than myself (generally speaking) ... I have a few other specialist associates who I ask specialist questions of.
"Seeking out a professional" is totally off... unless I know them on a personal basis.

Answer 6

As clear as possible, identify the problem, go through a process of eliminating causes, and look for the simple answer first, as that is usually the case.

Answer 7

Bring the question to its logical conclusion, drawing in information from outside sources, and run it through, considering the causes and effects of each on the question itself before the answer.

Answer 8

One way to solve problems its to divide the big problem down into smaller "sub-problems". These smaller problems are usually easier to solve. Solve all the smaller problems, usually the big problem gets solved, too.

Answer 9

Not on here that's for sure!!!!

Have you tried the Bible? Although its written about people from a different time period and culture, humans are still having the same problems. There are answers to all of mankinds problems if people would only read it.

Answer 10

the best way to solve them is by experiencing the problem first hand then live it out, it works for me.