Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 17698	2002-04-10 00:14:00	FAQ continued, attn Susan B, Graham Petrie, and others	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
42918	2002-04-10 00:14:00	The whole FAQ is damn good idea, and I have followed up as I said I would. Bad News: The gnomes aren't sure how we can do it, yet. And, it just isn't going to happen before the change. Good News: What I reckon is we divide up the list in the mean time among those who want to help (I can't guarantee prizes for helpers or anything, but I'll see what I can do, might be just glory). We can create the 'official standardised response' to problems. We can even share these with each other for answering the easy ones quickly. Then, when the gnomes are ready, we can try to incorporate somehow. Even as just a link to a list. Thing is, it is tricky. Have you noticed how newbies don't always read the instructions at the top? I don't think we can rely on the FAQ being the answer for them. I think it is better for us to customise reponses to their postings. What do you think? Volunteers can email me on F1_faq@email.co.nz so I have addresses to contact. (post your thoughts here, too, if you don't mind) robo.	Guest (0)
42919	2002-04-10 00:39:00	Great idea, look forward to it arriving. As for newbies not always reading the instructions at the top, fair call, BUT the instructions are pretty basic and when I first posted (singularly, not multiple!) I was a bit unsure of how to do it. Someone suggested a while ago that perhaps you need a box with 'making a post for the first time' on it that goes to a screen that will guide newcomers step by step. Once they have done it a few times they can then graduate to 'make a new post' or 'respond' but for absolute first-timers, this option would give them all the info necessary to post correctly. This page could perhaps also list something about FAQs. I think the main reason FAQ lists don't always work for newbies is because we're not sure what our problem is and how to describe it! Once we've checked out the site for a few months we have a better idea of the jargon and know what information to put in our posts, but in the beginning, we need it all spelled out. Some newbies don't even realise they have an operating system, let alone what it is called! But with a little guidance, hopefully we can go on to contribute to the vast pool of knowledge the site offers.	Guest (0)
42920	2002-04-10 00:58:00	I am already starting to make copies of some of my replies which make it a quick copy and paste to everyday questions such as Defrag and ScanDisk, some of my Outlook Express replies, etc and making copies of some of the other good replies to other questions that pop up from time to time though I am also careful to make sure credit is given when I paste it back in. Saves a lot of typing. Put my name down, I will help out when time allows.	Guest (0)
42921	2002-04-10 01:02:00	Point well made, Faye. I think the whole thing with this is that someone thinks they have a problem with their desktop, but it is a virus. Or they think they have a virus and they just applied a SP that stuffed something up. By being personal and everything, I think that is what makes this work so well (and despite some problems now and again, I think it works really well). Your suggestion about posting for the first time is a very good one. robo.	Guest (0)
42922	2002-04-10 01:34:00	Good man.	Guest (0)
42923	2002-04-10 04:03:00	As a 'newbie' and non pc literate as well I believe most of the newbie's don't read or understand the instructions on the posting list. They click send and nothing seems to happen, there post just reappears and they don't bother to read the fine print which tells them that it could be some 20 minutes before there post appears. I suspect that Robo is right and that most new visitors would still post anyway but it would certainly be handy if acess to the FAQ's could be kept fairly simple. I know most questions asked can be found in the various help programmes associated with the soft/hardware. The trouble is knowing how to format the question to get the answer you desire. Terminology is a big trap for newcomers, things such as left & right clicking, systems tray, desktop, seem obvious to us (even me)but not always to the newcomers. Regards PP	Guest (0)
42924	2002-04-11 07:06:00	Hi Robo, I am very willing to help out with the list. I have been reading the site since December and think it is great. I have some knowledge of PC's and am happy to share what I know. I too have also started to search the archives for some common responses that we could start to use. Cheers.	Guest (0)
42925	2002-04-11 19:26:00	Will try to keep things going but might be quiet for few days yet. As it is I can't get on here except before normal people are awake. robo.	Guest (0)
1