Asking for a favor can be scary because, in many cases, you're asking to be rejected. If someone can't (or doesn't want to) help you, there isn't much you can do about it. You can improve your chances by inspiring genuine emotion. Here are a few ways to do that.

Get to the Point

Think about the last time someone asked a favor of you. Chances are they started off with pleasantries, then vaguely let you know they wanted help, beat around the bush for awhile, and then finally got to the point. You know, kind of like this:

Hey good friend of mine. How are you? Good, good. You got a minute? Cool. Yeah, so how's life? Mine's pretty good, too. By the way, are you busy this weekend? Maybe? Well, if you're not I could use some help. I just signed a lease for a new apartment. It's really nice. You should come see it some time. You'd like it. Basically, I need help packing. Any time you could give would be great. I'm just so bad at packing, and you're so organized and together. Do you have any time to help me?

This is a silly example, but not too far off from some realities. When someone asks for a favor and they draw it out endlessly, it just gives the person being asked so much time to 1) worry about what the question is going to be and 2) figure out how to say no. We tend to waffle around the point for so long because we're afraid of getting rejected. It's that fear that does us in. Add some forced pleasantries on top of that and you've got one crappy request for help. When you want something, you need to get to the point.

Be Charming and Get Them to Feel, Not Think

When you're charming, you make another person feel good. Everyone likes to feel good, but when you want something you have to be very careful about how you employ your allure. As we've previously noted, complimenting someone before you ask for a favor makes you seem untrustworthy. The compliments fall flat because they sound, to the recipient, like you're only giving them because you want something. It's fine to compliment someone afterwards, but when it's the first thing out of your mouth it is ruined by asking for a favor. It's better to try something like this:

Hi Person,

I'm hoping you could vote for me in an online contest where I can win a big prize for my work. I haven't seen you in years. I hope you're doing well. Congratulations on all you've been doing. It's really amazing! We should grab coffee sometime.

Thanks!
Another Person

It also helps to be entertaining. When you want something, if you can make a person smile while you're asking you've probably won them over. A friend of mine worked for a television showrunner a few years back and heard this showrunner was filming a new pilot. My friend wanted to get involved and sent the following email (details redacted for privacy purposes):

Hi [RECIPIENT],

This is [SENDER]. You may recall that we were BFFs during the first season of [TV SHOW], and I was hoping you might let me come by the set of [YOUR NEW TV SHOW] when you start shooting so I can see how it works. That way I can remind you of how awesome I am, and then hopefully your show will get picked up and you can give me a job. Regardless, it'd be nice to see you again.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

She'd drafted a similar version of this letter as a joke, then asked me to help her write a more professional version. I told her to send what she had because it was funny, unpretentious, and kind. To someone in the entertainment industry, those ought to be rare and respected qualities. She sent it and received a yes a few hours later.

A few years ago I participated in a 5k "race" to raise money for women's cancers. Your participation in this race is mostly pointless if you don't raise some money, and so I sent this message to a bunch of people I know:

I'm about to ask you for money. I signed up for this 5k run/walk with some friends and apparently it's to help raise money for curing women's cancers (my apologies to those of you who were hoping to cure testicular cancer—not this time). If I raise $100, I get a stupid hat that says "Womentum." If you'd like to see me in a hat that says "Womentum" and/or you'd like to invest your money in the preservation of breasts, cervixes and ovaries, this is a spectacular opportunity. How do you get in on the ground floor? Click here.

Remember, only you have the power to make me wear a stupid hat. (And cure cancer.)

While my goal was fairly modest, I raised more than twice what I asked for. People often don't donate money to a good cause because they believe in it. Some will, but most won't. More people will donate to a cause because they like you. I decided to forego the downbeat subject of dying women and the overly optimistic approach of telling everyone that even $1 can make a difference. (Maybe it can, but nobody really believes that.) I opted to be silly about something that's fairly serious, and several people emailed me to say they were donating because I made them laugh.

So, What Did I Just Learn From All of This?

What's the moral of these stories? When you ask for a favor you should be direct, succinct, charming, and—whenever possible—entertaining. Obviously this is easier said than done and you won't always get it right. You also can't win over everybody, so don't expect that you will. Next time you need to ask someone for a favor, just remember to set aside some time beforehand and think of a way you can make them smile. If you can do that and get right to the point, you'll be in good shape.

Photo by Javier Brosch (Shutterstock), iofoto (Shutterstock), Willee Cole (2) (Shutterstock).

iOS: It's been a while since we sat down with the folks at food blog Food52, but they've recently taken the wraps off of their new iPhone app, Food52 Hotline, and if you've ever been caught in the kitchen with a puzzling problem and pages of search results that maybe have a solution inside, it's worth a look.

Part crowd-sourced question-and-answer service and part real-time help hotline, Food52 Hotline allows cooks who run into trouble to submit their questions to the site or to @food52hotline on Twitter to get immediate help with their problem. When possible, the answers will come from other home cooks and users of the app who have had—and solved—the same problems, but if a question starts to languish the editors and other "MVPs" at Food52 will jump in and help out themselves. You can even post a question on the site or through the app, and if you mark the question as urgent, it rockets to the top of the pile so you don't have to stand in your kitchen all night waiting for a little help.

Food52 Hotline is free, and available now in the iTunes App Store. It integrates with the site and its community, so if you're not already a member, signing up would be a good idea. Laziness at work, or a great way to get a human response to tricky cooking problems? Let us know in the comments below.

Food52 Hotline | iTunes App Store via The Salt: NPR

Lawyers often get a bad rap, but if you're ever in a legal jam, there's no question a good lawyer is the most useful person to have around. LegalAdvice.com provides free answers to your vexing legal questions.

Post a question to one of LegalAdvice's registered lawyers using the online form, such as this one:

I have a copyright for my website and have found that an LLC used my information directly from my website and posted it as their own. They even copied my name in one place where it should have been edited as their own name. Can I sue them for infringement?

And you'll get replies posted such as this:

Yes. Good evidence of infringement.

and:

Certain materials are copyrightable while other materials are not. An idea is not copyrightable but the expression of an idea is. In order to answer your question one would need more specifics as to the nature of the infringement. The fact that they apparently have incorporated your name into the work product is definitely good evidence that you have a claim. I would advise either more facts here or that you obtain an attorney.

Hey, it's free legal advice. Other kinds of questions and answers deal with DWIs, shoplifting, child support, and so on.

You can search past questions and answers and locate a lawyer near you if you need more assistance.

LegalAdvice differs from other free legal Q&A forums because the profiles of the lawyers answering are much more upfront (with email addresses, pictures, and phone numbers), so there's more incentive for the lawyers to give more thorough answers.

LegalAdvice.com | via Red Ferret

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm hearing about a lot of class action suits lately, and every time I hear about one against a company I've bought stuff from, I wonder if I'm eligible and if taking part in a case is worth my time. How do I find out if I have a product or used a service that qualifies?

Signed,
Hoping for Money

Dear HM,
It's true, it seems like we hear about new class action suits daily, most recently, Ticketmaster, Carrier IQ, and Hewlett-Packard. A class action lawsuit covers consumer products and services, and acts on the benefit of a class of people or businesses affected. Essentially, they're built so a group of people can work together to sue a company.

For instance, in the Ticketmaster case above, the ticket seller was accused of inflating ticket processing fees, and in turn, was hit with a class action lawsuit to get the money back to anyone who purchased tickets between October 21, 1999 and October 19, 2011. Figuring out if you qualify is the first step, but we'll walk you through starting your own, the materials you'll need, and making the decision if a class action lawsuit is worth it.

How to Check if A Class Action Lawsuit Exists and if You Qualify

A class action lawsuit goes through several steps before you can participate. Once a trial is approved, a notice period is set, and potential members of the class are notified through a newspaper posting, mail, or email. The notice will tell you how to proceed, but typically, if you receive a notice, you are already part of the case and have to actively opt-out to get out of it.

You generally have little to lose by being a class member, but if you're not happy with how the case is being handled, you can participate as a named plaintiff with your own lawyer and have a more active role.

If you don't receive a notice, it does not mean you don't qualify to be a member. If you purchased a products, used a service, or were prescribed prescription drugs that were recalled, you might qualify. If you see a class action lawsuit you feel you were affected by, you need to get in touch with the law office handling the lawsuit to add your name to the class registry. This will ensure you get future updates, including the settlement amount. Generally, attorneys create a landing page for the case where you can find all the information you need.

If it's a suit involving a product, you may need a receipt to prove ownership, but this varies from case to case depending on the reason for the damages. Often, if a credit card statement explicitly states a purchase (especially in the case of services), the statement qualifies you. You'll find this information in your notice or from the law office.

Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives.

How to Start Your Own Class Action Lawsuit

If you think you have a case and want to be the lead plaintiff for a class action lawsuit, you will need to locate and speak to an attorney. If you need some help finding a reputable lawyer, we've previously covered a few tips. Class action suits require a judge's approval of an attorney before they can move forward, so most law offices specialize (or have a team who does) in class action action lawsuits. Your attorney will verify if you have a case, file the lawsuit, serve the summons, and eventually, if the judge accepts it as a widespread issue, publish the notice to bring in new members.

Sometimes a class action works in reverse and the law firm will publish an advertisement looking for people affected by an incident or product recall. These are the advertisements you often see on TV asking if you experience negative effects from prescription drugs or treatments. It's a perfectly valid means to bring on new members and if you see one of these you think you qualify for, you should get in touch with the law office right away.

The Reasons You Might Want to Opt Out of a Class Action Lawsuit

The main reason to consider opting out of a class action suit is if you want to file a personal claim. Since a class action suit is divided among all participants, you may not receive the compensation you feel you deserve. Alternately, you might find the situation of the class action is changed from your own experience and the class has different interests than you. The notice you receive will describe what you need to do to opt out of the case, which usually requires you to make a phone call or fill out a web form.

How You'll Receive Payment

Different classes produce different results and they vary from case to case. If the case involves defective equipment, you might be entitled to a replacement. In other cases, you get a portion of the settlement in dollars, as it's divided among all members of the suit. In others, like the Ticketmaster case we started with, you'll get a discount on future purchases from the service. You'll be notified of the settlement in the same way as you were the suit. You need to submit a claim form that proves you were affected by the case and you'll receive your compensation.

While starting your own class action suit can be far more difficult, participating in a preexisting one isn't hard at all, and unless you plan on suing for more damages, requires almost no effort on your part and has few reasons to opt-out. Have you ever participating in a class action lawsuit? What were the results?

Photo by Dustin Moore.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker