🌟 The Cycle of Stack Overflow: How We Can All Give Back 🌟
Stack Overflow: the haven we all rush to when a cryptic error threatens to derail our projects. Luckily, someone out there has also faced the same issue and asked about it. And for some reasons that I don't know (sarcasm 😉), it was answered. And every time we face another error , we go back there, get our answers and until the next error.
But what about those times when the provided solutions don't quite fit our unique problem? We embark on a journey through endless documentation and countless links until, after what feels like an eternity, we finally crack the code 💡 .
Imagine someone else in your shoes, struggling with the same problem. Like you, they went through documentations and countless numbers of links. If they are lucky like you, they find the answer. But what if they are unlucky? They could potentially abandon the project or resort to cumbersome workarounds.
In both cases, you could potentially save them valuable time by sharing your hard-earned solution on Stack Overflow.
This post is inspired by a recent project where I needed a debug.keystore and SHA keys for Firebase phone number authentication. I scoured the internet for answers. None seemed to work until I delved into the official documentation and other resources, I discovered the key (not the SHA key 😁): building the APK with Android Studio which both generated the debug.keystore and also signed the app. And I faced this problem because I was building the APK with VSCode which was not generating the necessary files and signing the app.
The realization struck me: we're all or I am guilty of taking from platforms like Stack Overflow without giving back. Imagine the relief for that next beginner encountering a similar issue if we took a moment to document and share our solutions. So, let's break the cycle and contribute our solutions. Not only does it help others, but it's rewarding to see your reputation grow on the platform.
Here's another tip: When you master a new technology/package/library/framework and feel like a guru 🤓 , revisit Stack Overflow and explore questions related to that specific tech and try to answer them.
Thanks for reading. If you resonate with this message, consider sharing it to spread the word.
PS. the picture below indicates that my answer was accepted as the best answer 😁
