FAQ's? Do we need em? will people read em?

CA 3000GT · 02-13-2003, 08:58 PM

Hey, after reading the daily "can I use my laptop screen on a pc", I was thinking we could use some FAQ's around here, I have a few thoughts on this (which I'll list below) and I would like to hear what you folks think about this.

-) Well, the first thing im thinking is its a win-win situation. Folks just getting into the car-pc forum will have easy access to the info they are looking for, and it may reduce the number of re-asked questions.

-) I wrote one for the input device forum... and Im not saying Im the one to be writing the faq's.. I could round-up the basic q&a, no problem. But Im sure there are other folks who are more knowledgable and entitled to, and these things really should be written by members that have been around a while,... less chance of them being abandoned by the creator..

-) I dont know if anyone reads the faq's... I must admit, its harder to search for the data then read something obvious like a FAQ, but most people dont search, which makes me question if they will read the faq....

hmm.
What do you guys think?

osirisdon · 02-14-2003, 12:36 AM

Seing that I am one of the newest members around here, you know for a fact how serious about this I am, I want to add my input on this subject.

When I registered, I did look for a FAQ, because we all know how annoying it is to answer the same old questions over and over again.

My first post was one of those questions, I didnt recieve any serious replys. Seing that would make me NOT want to post any other threads.

A FAQ is very important and imperative in any forum, specially this one being that its used more for tech support than anything else.

FAQ take time to build and compose, it doesnt have to be from one day to another, it can take time or even weeks or even months, just add questions as they come.

Filip · 02-14-2003, 01:25 AM

I agree. Although I've spent weeks reading through the archives, there is just too much junk. I mean, no offense, but every board has OT posts and some threads really only have a few sentences of info that are worthwhile.

As a newb I've tried to make an FAQ for myself - so i know my options. But it takes forever to read through all the posts. "Did it work for you", "No it didn't, I'll try this", "No it still doesn't work", "Ok i'll post this after I get off of work", etc etc. I mean everyone here is cool so I don't want to sound like an ingrate... but I know more about everyone's personality here than how to wire my own setup.

As the size of the board increases, the worse it's going to get. I don't know how many of you are on the DIY Audio forums, but the DIY video projector threads have gotten insane. I mean one *thread* was about 2000 posts and 130 pages long. The server would timeout when you hit "print this page" (one long page format).

I've ran into a few FAQ's made by some members here which have helped me a lot. However, many of the links to others are broken. I think the 'Projects' section is awesome. This lets someone new just "jump in" and see what works. This isn't me, but some peoplej just want a shopping list of parts that work with their pros/cons.

Ok so in summary, I think there should be a *SHORT* sticky at the top with the URL of all the different FAQ's people have created - nothing more. Now ideally, it would be cool to have one central FAQ where people could add their own Q & A, like some sort of database format. Hoopefully we can mirror or back up that in case the host leaves.

Anyway I hope I don't sound like an ***. liek I aid, I think this place is great, but I think it coulde be more productive to focus on new things instead of rehashing the old.

jstrain · 02-14-2003, 08:48 AM

this idea has been hashed out longer than i have been reading this board.

usually, it goes like this...everyone says "yeah, thats a great idea!", "we could really use something like this", "i have some web space that we can throw it on", etc.

it starts out, but never really goes anywhere. the main problem seems to be trying to figure out exactly what should go into the faq, how to organize it, and how to keep it official (i.e. keep accurate and updated info in it).

it really is a great idea, and would probably be very beneficial for those new to the board, but if you will pardon my skepticism, i don't see it happening anytime soon.

jeremy

Charliey · 02-14-2003, 03:08 PM

I think to keep it simple, easy to find an in a central location, there should just be faq threads in each forum, and they should be stickys. It keeps them from getting lost, and its easy for new people to find them.

MP3DUB · 02-14-2003, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jstrain
this idea has been hashed out longer than i have been reading this board.

usually, it goes like this...everyone says "yeah, thats a great idea!", "we could really use something like this", "i have some web space that we can throw it on", etc.

it starts out, but never really goes anywhere. the main problem seems to be trying to figure out exactly what should go into the faq, how to organize it, and how to keep it official (i.e. keep accurate and updated info in it).

it really is a great idea, and would probably be very beneficial for those new to the board, but if you will pardon my skepticism, i don't see it happening anytime soon.

jeremy

Heh, I was about to post something exactly like that. The furthest ive ever seen a general mp3car faq get is in the skeleton stage. They usually have enough momentum to get started, but when you try to compress all the knowledge thats contain in this forum into a faq, the process gets tedious. i know there are a few faqs that are specific to what users used in their setups, but nothing all encompasing. thats when it always falls back to search. and again, if this one actually works, it would be a helpful thing to the non-searching new members, but its been tried before.

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