ASK AN EXPERT INTRODUCTION

Part II: How to Answer Questions

Healthy Food Choices in Schools Community of Practice

Now that you have joined AaE, here is how to answer questions… expertly

Step I: You will receive an email notification when you have been assigned a question. To answer this question either click the link provided in the email, or sign in to your Ask an Expert profile by going to ask.extension.org

Your question assignments will appear here

THE GOAL IS FOR QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED WITHIN 48 HOURS 24 HOURS IS PREFERABLE

STEP II: Your Answer

1. Your answer must be concise, polite, unbiased, and research/experience based. It is sometimes necessary to look up information to provide a complete and accurate answer

2. Add any additional, relevant tags so that the question can be easily located in the future.

3. Don’t hesitate to reassign to the question if you cannot answer it (how to do this will come later)

Tags are used to make the questions and answers searchable. Your question will come to you with tags, however, you may add additional tags that you find relevant.

As you type in the “add tags” box, a list of existing tags will appear in a dropdown. Select your tags from this list if possible. If the tag you wish to use does not yet exist, a new tag can be added.

Type answer here: answer the question with straight text to accommodate the very basic settings of any email software

Tagging and Typing Your Answer

Summary of “Ask an Expert Question Response Guidelines”

Always respond or reassign!

Quality answers:

• answer the question completely

• may include links to articles on extension.org, or other appropriate sites

• use language and terminology that is broadly understood

• use the word "we" instead of "I" when referring to the author(s) of the answer

Length of replies:

• include exact answer in the first two sentences, if possible

• brief/concise replies are the most appropriate for public consumption

• search the existing questions, to verify that the question has not already been answered in eXtension

Geographic considerations:

• discuss any local, state, regional or geographic differences, denote these differences in the answer

Summary of: “Ask an Expert Question Response Guidelines” Continued

Local Contact:• include any local contacts (local extension agents, specialists, partner

agencies) that could assist with local or regional information, if applicableQuotations and references:• Reference any information collected directly from a source (ie, According

to the USDA’s Team Nutrition…)Omit opinion:• it is not appropriate to voice only opinions in your answer• answer the question only if you have factual information to contribute.Sharing or reassigning Questions:• If you do not have time to answer, if it is an inconvenient time for you, if

the question is out of your area of expertise, or if you don’t feel comfortable answering it, you can reassign it to your communities' “Question Wrangler”

Reassign a Question

• If you do not know the answer

• The question has been assigned to the wrong group/community

• You cannot answer the question within 48 hours

Reassign a Question Continued

Always reassign questions to Katherine Baildon because she is the question wrangler for Healthy Food Choices in Schools. To do this type her name in the “search by name” box.

Step III Public vs. Private

• When questions are submitted, the individual that submitted the question has the option to make the question private- this decision can not be overridden by the expert

• If the question is marked public by the individual that submitted the question, the expert can choose to make the answer private when appropriate (duplicate question, contains personal information etc.)

Step IV: Send Response

Your signature will automatically appear as you typed it in your Answering Settings, however, you can customize it for a particular answer by editing it here.

All Answers Will Include this Disclaimer

“This message for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for personalized professional advice. For specific local information, contact your local county Cooperative Extension office or other qualified professionals. eXtension Foundation does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, professional, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned. Reliance on any information provided by eXtension Foundation, employees, suppliers, member universities, or other third parties through eXtension is solely at the user's own risk. All eXtension content and communication is subject to the terms of use http://www.extension.org/main/termsofuse which may be revised at any time.”

For more information on answering questions using Ask an Expert visit:

• AaE How-to Workbook: http://create.extension.org/sites/default/files/AaE_How-to-Workbook_2013_FINAL.pdf

• Suggested Guidelines for Responding to Questions Submitted through Ask an Expert: http://create.extension.org/node/2434

• Direct additional questions to Katie at kmb338@gmail.com