[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: FAQs - Good or bad?

Subject: Re: FAQs - Good or bad?
From: "Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 13:00:11 -0700


The problem with a lot of FAQs that I see is that their creators seem
to miss the "F" part. A FAQ shouldn't answer questions you just
think users might ask, and certainly not all of them. It's supposed to be
short list of questions that are asked so often by so many people that
the folks who are responsible for answering user questions want to scream,
"Not THAT one again!" and strangle the person asking it every time they
hear it. Every company's support staff should, if asked, be able to rattle
off every question that belongs in a FAQ at the drop of a hat (just before
they go for your throat). If you don't have any questions that produce a
reaction like that, chances are you don't need a FAQ

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffrey Osier-Mixon" <jefro -at- jefro -dot- net>

Personally, I dislike the FAQ format because there are so many better ways to get information---such as search engines, where one can ask one's own question and base the results on keywords. When I see an FAQ I feel forced to conform my question to how I think someone else might have asked, and the answers very often are tangential to what I want to know. Give me a good well-structured reference manual and a search engine any day.



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

New from Quadralay Corporation: WebWorks ePublisher Pro!
Completely XML-based online publishing. Easily create 14 online formats, including 6 Help systems, in a streamlined project-based workflow. Word version ships in June, FrameMaker version ships in July. Sign up for a live, online demo! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


References:
FAQs - Good or bad?: From: Steven Brown
Re: FAQs - Good or bad?: From: Lisa Wright
Re: FAQs - Good or bad?: From: Jeffrey Osier-Mixon

Previous by Author: Re: A technique to get on development's good side
Next by Author: Re: A technique to get on development's good side
Previous by Thread: Re: FAQs - Good or bad?
Next by Thread: RE: FAQs - Good or bad?

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads