Cunningham's law

ops culture

The observation that the best way to get a right answer online is to post a wrong one.

People who will not answer a question will rush to correct a mistake, so a confidently wrong post often draws the correction a plain question would not. It is named for Ward Cunningham, who created the wiki, and it explains a lot of internet comment threads.

Cunningham's law holds that the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question but to post the wrong answer. Ward Cunningham, who created the wiki, is credited with the observation though he has disclaimed the attribution, which is itself a pleasant demonstration of how internet folklore works.

The mechanism is real and slightly unflattering. A question invites effort with no reward, and can be ignored at no cost. An incorrect assertion invites correction, which is socially rewarded, requires no permission, and is fun. People who would never answer a question will absolutely correct a stranger, and the correction is often more detailed than any answer the question would have produced.

It is worth knowing as an observation rather than adopting as a tactic. Deliberately posting wrong information wastes people's time, pollutes searchable archives that others will find later, and burns credibility when the pattern is noticed. The honest version of the technique is stating your current understanding and inviting correction, which gets most of the same effect without misleading anyone who arrives afterwards.

Also known as: Cunningham's law

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