Date: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 20:27:33 -0000 (GMT) From: Duncan Barclay <dmlb@computer.my.domain> To: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> Cc: "freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG" <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: FW: One step forward.... Message-ID: <XFMail.980328202733.dmlb@computer.my.domain>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On 28-Mar-98 Sue Blake wrote: > On Fri, Mar 27, 1998 at 10:33:34PM -0000, Duncan Barclay wrote: >> >> On 27-Mar-98 Sue Blake wrote: >> > On Fri, Mar 27, 1998 at 08:56:00AM -0800, John M. Purser wrote: >> >> On Friday, March 27, 1998 8:21 AM, Duncan Barclay >> >> [SMTP:dmlb@ragnet.demon.co.uk] wrote: >> >> > >> >> > Hi John, >> >> > >> >> > Hope you -newbies don't mind me (been around FreeBSD a few years) >> >> > helping out? >> > >> >> Mind? Hell no bud! If you've got the patience and have worked out these >> >> thing >> >> before then speak up! >> > >> > >> > ... but PLEASE always move your conversation to freebsd-questions if the >> > matter is at all suitable for that mailing list. Answers to questions, >> > solutions to problems at any level belong on -questions where others can >> > see >> > them. >> >> I was a bit unsure about answering directly and nearly email you for >> "permission" (guidance really). I guess the best is a direct reply and >> cc: to -questions (which I don't read). > > I'm not sure whether that was supposed to say -questions or -newbies? > It was meant to say -questions! >> > I'm not so much worried about this one specific conversation but if I >> > don't >> > respond loudly to the above comments, others will take it as being open >> > season. >> > >> > Anything that covers "how to go about learning" rather than "how to fix >> > the >> > problem" sits well in a newbies-only environment, *because* newbies can >> > fairly safely help each other on that without being pre-empted by more >> > advanced users. >> > >> >> Out of interest, how do you think things are shaking out? > > Well it seems like the other newbies are getting something out of it, but > that's really for them to decide. > >> The list has been up for a few days now and it seems to be attracting the >> target audience. I wonder if it is worth you creating a few standard >> replies to the common problems (to save you typing the same things dozens >> of times!). > > Actually now that you mention it :-) A weekly posting is due to go out > today. > A few people have been suggesting the kind of information they'd like to see > distributed regularly, but since it was in private mail we haven't discussed > it much yet. It's a lot easier to say what you want after there's something > to start from. We'll see what sort of feedback the first one brings. > >> The list below is really what you already manage to handle >> (very patiently too!) >> >> - email formatting, and why it should be so. > > I think Greg Lehey's document has that pretty much covered. We should be > working towards what is expected on the other lists so it makes sense to use > that one. If there's call for a slower more step by step intro we might take > a look at doing that soon. > Maybe a pointer to this would be helpful in the weekly posting. >> - questions vs. learning/hey I did this... > > It could be worth thinking some more about that one too. > The "hey I did this" does seem to be popular, this week at least. > >> - maybe a documentation reminder listing not only the >> manpages, FAQ, handbook and tutorials but other things. > > That's largely covered in the regular posting, and the rest will be on our > resource list which should have some shape to it within a week from now. > >> - a note saying don't be afraid to say to use ee and other >> "simple" tools, that's why they are there. > > Oh really? You mean it is OK to admit to using them? :-) > >> A historic >> note: every now and then a debate on -hackers starts up >> on the benefits of ee and most of -core stick up for it as they >> see it as the best for the job (new users, commands shown on >> screen, >> and small enough to fit into the boot/install floppies). >> >> The third one could be set up as an auto responder to people posting to the >> list for the first time (procmail I guess). > > It would probably be easier done with majordomo in our case, but it's not a > bad idea. If the regular posting and the resource list aren't enough we could > consider falling back on something like that. > > Another thing we need help on is the technique of framing questions well. > The difference between a well worded question and one that's almost > impossible to answer is very obvious to those who do the answering. If it > were so obvious to us we wouldn't be writing bad ones, would we! :-) > That's the sort of thing that can only be learned through studying lots of > examples and doing lots of practice. How we'd do that here or in a document > I'm not real sure yet, but I'm working on it :-) > One thing I've just thought of is how to deal with non-native english speakers. Some of these people post some very convoluted questions which is purely down to poor language skills on both sides. How about asking for volunteers/whatever to be available for translation/replying in a native language? > > Thanks for the suggestions! > --- ________________________________________________________________________ Duncan Barclay | God smiles upon the little children, dmlb@ragnet.demon.co.uk | the alcoholics, and the permanently stoned. ________________________________________________________________________ --------------End of forwarded message------------------------- --- ________________________________________________________________________ Duncan Barclay | God smiles upon the little children, dmlb@ragnet.demon.co.uk | the alcoholics, and the permanently stoned. ________________________________________________________________________ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?XFMail.980328202733.dmlb>