How can I ask, "Why did you send me this link?" in a polite way?

The context is I told someone I'm looking for meetups in my area to network with certain people and this person sent me a link that does not seem relevant at all. How do I ask, "Why did you send me this link?" in a polite way?

If I didn't care, I'd just ignore the link, but the reason I want to ask the question is because maybe they understand a way to use the resource in a way that I don't. I'd be doing myself a disservice by not learning that.

Solution 1:

"I've taken a look at the link you sent me, but there must be something about it that I missed. What was it that you were particularly wanting to draw my attention to there?"

Solution 2:

A polite way to get someone to explain something is to suggest that the problem is yours:

I seem to be a little slow today and not quite getting the connection between my question and the information you shared.

Similarly, when someone is not responding in a way that suggests they don't understand, you can say

I was not too clear, let me try again [and then recast your original question].

Solution 3:

Unfortunately, there isn't a pithy one line sentence that expresses gratitude, and asks for clarification in a polite manner without appearing to be curt or rude. That is the nature of emails. Tone is very hard to convey in words unless you resort to elaborate and seemingly long-winded phrases.

In BrEng it is the norm to first apologize and then use softening expressions such as: Sorry to bother you; I was wondering if you could; Would you mind verb+ing; I hope I'm not creating a fuss; etc.

The first request is really an apology. You are openly blaming yourself for your "incompetency". This type of polite request could backfire if your interlocutor feels like an idiot for not noticing the error himself (if there is any error involved). Then again, the person could simply reply with a "Oops! My bad/mistake I sent you the wrong link."

I'm sorry, perhaps I am mistaken, but the link you kindly shared doesn't appear to be relevant for my situation. Am I'm missing something?

The second request implies that you know the link must be pertinent but you don't know where to look or how to use that information.

Sorry for bothering you, but I wanted to thank you for the link and ask if you wouldn't mind explaining how it can be useful to me.

Solution 4:

You mentioned that perhaps they can use the resource in a way you don't understand. You can say

Can you explain how this link is related to what I asked?