Cunningham's Law (Best Way to Get Answers Online)

Ward Cunningham's observation that 'the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer.' People are more motivated to correct errors than to answer questions—the urge to correct is stronger than the urge to help. Cunningham's Law reveals a deep asymmetry in human motivation: correcting someone (asserting superiority) provides more psychological reward than helping someone (serving them). Applied to information gathering, product development, and organizational communication, this principle can be used to extract knowledge that direct questions fail to elicit.

When to use it

When direct questions aren't producing useful responses; when expertise exists but isn't being volunteered; when product feedback from surveys is unhelpful but user complaints are informative; when you need to elicit hidden knowledge or tacit expertise that people can't articulate unprompted.

How it can help

When you need information and direct questions aren't working: present your best guess (even if you suspect it's wrong) and let corrections flow. In product development: share a prototype (even a flawed one) to elicit feedback that no amount of surveys or interviews would produce. In meetings: state a tentative conclusion and let the team correct it rather than asking an open-ended question that produces silence. In research: publish a preliminary finding to provoke the expert response that direct inquiry couldn't access.