[pmwiki-users] Troubleshooting versus FAQ versus Error Messages versus ...?

Pico pmwiki at ben-amotz.com
Sat Mar 11 23:16:18 CST 2006


Pico wrote:
> Patrick R. Michaud wrote:
>   
>> On Sat, Mar 11, 2006 at 07:26:01PM -0700, H. Fox wrote:
>>   
>>     
>>>  The first FAQ Q/A pair is:
>>>
>>>     How do I get my question answered?
>>>
>>>     The quickest and best way is to join the pmwiki-users Mailing List
>>>     and post your question there. If it really is a frequently-asked
>>>     question, it will eventually be added to this page.
>>>     
>>>       
>> While I agree that this is often the quickest way to get
>> an answer (assuming the answer isn't already in the documentation), 
>> I'm not sure it's best for many people.  
>>
>> First, I think a number of people will simply decline to ask
>> the question and will start looking elsewhere.  Many mailing lists
>> have a reputation of being unfriendly to newbie questions -- thus
>> the frequent expressions of (pleasant) surprise when people ask
>> their questions here and get a helpful and rapid response.  I think 
>> that's a great part of community building and an essential part of 
>> PmWiki, but I wonder how many people simply turn away at that
>> point.
>>
>> But the real issue has often been that I (and I suspect others)
>> don't get around to answering things on the Questions page
>> because I'm used to doing it via email, which is a push resource
>> for me.  Maybe if I get the per-page/per-person notifications in
>> place this would be easier, since I and others could subscribe
>> for notifications of the Questions page.
>>
>>   
>>     
>>>     An alternative way is to leave your question on the Questions page.
>>>
>>> The questions page has a reference to the FAQCandidate page, which is
>>> for question with answers.  So...
>>>
>>> Questions - Unanswered questions
>>> FAQCandidate - Questions with answers
>>> FAQ - FA Questions with answers
>>>     
>>>       
>> This seems to me like it's just adding more places to store
>> questions and answers and more places to search and have to
>> coordinate.  I'd feel better if we could get by with fewer somehow.
>>
>> Pm
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> pmwiki-users at pmichaud.com
>> http://host.pmichaud.com/mailman/listinfo/pmwiki-users
>>
>>
>>   
>>     
> If I was one of those bits of information (question, tip, what-have-you) 
> I would want to be a small page in a big group that covers all the 
> little pages of questions, answers, tips, all categorized and readily 
> searched.
>
> If I was one of those bits.
>
> Pico
>
> _______________________________________________
> pmwiki-users mailing list
> pmwiki-users at pmichaud.com
> http://host.pmichaud.com/mailman/listinfo/pmwiki-users
>
>
>   
Oh no, more from me ;-) 

I'd also want a pagelist with a killer include. 

A smart include that displays context according to a compelling default 
PmWikQi with iQinclude, or something,
and
provides some type of API interface for every skinner and wannabe
to create an even better PmWiQi search engine.  A GoogAlternative, or 
something.

Good night.

Pico





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