I think some general questions are useful, but it is a question of how general. At some point the question gets too vague, and I think the question you asked was just too vague. Some other questions that are still fairly general, but can be answered well are:

* [Tips for getting to grips with the command line.](https://askubuntu.com/questions/565/tips-for-getting-to-grips-with-the-command-line)
* [What's the easiest way to get started with LaTeX on Ubuntu?](https://askubuntu.com/questions/501/whats-the-easiest-way-to-get-started-with-latex-on-ubuntu)
* [What video players do you recommend for Ubuntu?](https://askubuntu.com/questions/198/what-video-players-do-you-recommend-for-ubuntu)

These would provide background information, but the questioner in these cases has been specific enough that a good answer can be provided. Your question wasn't. As I said in a comment to your question, I'd be up for specific questions with use cases - for example 

* LAMP server - what needs to be backed up and how?
* I run a mail server using postfix, are there any tasks I should be doing regularly?