What is the best way to get help on Bioconductor packages?

Question

[Deepak Tanwar]

There are number of Bioconductor packages published. If anyone have some problem, how can they really contact the authors of the package, to get the help or to ask about their doubts?

After getting stuck a number of times, I google the problem, and if I don't find answer, I write email to the authors. Among the emails I wrote in past, I received only one response for my problem, that I was facing with qusage package. I am not mentioning about the package for which I didn't get any response from authors.

I know that one way could be to to post query on Bioconductor Support. Can there be a online forum or service, by which, the authors of the package also get an online page for that package, to ask question, may be at the end of the page of their package on Bioconductor website. I believe that author of the package would be able to able to answer more clearly to the questions of users.

Just creating a package, publishing it and forgetting is not good!

I have also posted the same on Bioconductor Support website.

[Manvendra Singh]

A Guy replied you there :)

[Deepak Tanwar]

I have seen and up-voted the answer. Waiting for more suggestions/ answers. :-)

[Manvendra Singh]

Guy has a point, may be you share your sessionInfo() or you can email [e-mail]

You would know that at least your question reached everyone willing to have notifications

Answer 1

[Steve Lianoglou]

As Dan mentioned in his answer on the bioconductor support site, just post the question on the support site and tag it with the name of the package. They have implemented maintainer integration with the support site which tries very hard to tickle the listed maintainer of the package via email whenever a question is posted that is tagged with a package they maintain.

If the maintainer doesn't tune in to the website to provide an answer, then you're already talking to an audience that would be your 2nd best bet to get an answer from.