General Question and Answer Database Idea

[sidneykidney]

There are currently 3 'FAQ' threads now going. I would encourage you all to take a look at them, pass an eye over them and comment on the content please.

Please try to keep general discussion and additional suggestions not related directly to the thread in question in this thread. Thanks.

The threads are:

Shave ready razors

Vendors and Services

Why do some razors require more honing?

[Sticky]

I'd like to add a nomination for Hone Lapping 101 for the hone section of the Q&A. It's complete w pics and pretty darn nice.

YMMV

[sidneykidney]

I'd agree with this. The thread is an excellent starting point. However it seems to answer two question: Why do I need to flatten my new hone? and How do I flatten my new hone? As such I think it should be split into two threads.

Furthermore should we consider making a video on videojug or some such and link to the video on the thread?

Just an idea.....

[randydance062449]

I'd like to add a nomination for Hone Lapping 101 for the hone section of the Q&A. It's complete w pics and pretty darn nice.

YMMV

I second the motion. There is no need to break it up into two threads. A video would be nice but not necessary. The problem with vids is that they are stored and controlled off of SRP so they could disappear at any time.

[jcarey9149]

I also spent several weeks reading before diving in. Forums can serve as a good information source, but Wiki-style information can also be helpful. They have different structures, and, because of that, different purposes.

As an example, this wiki (good router software, by the way) shows what I mean. There are forums here as well. A forum does not have the tree structure that a wiki does. I find that a long forum listing can be hard to navigate when I'm not sure what I'm looking for, and the posting subjects don't necessarily help. Our forum structures have at most 2 levels, and, if I'm new, I don't necessarily know the terminology, making searching difficult. Stickies help, but they still tend to have the linear structure of a forum.

One reason I picked that site is that (most likely) you guys don't know it. I also think it is fairly well-designed. Imagine you are interested in getting a box to make your wireless router's range increase. Finding it in the forums is hard (hint: search for "repeater bridge").

[azjoe]

Wikis are useful and have their place. But I guess I have somewhat of an aversion to implementing a wiki on SRP. Why? Because I fear that it will distract from the "community" spirit we embrace so strongly here... the interactivity... the camaraderie... the barbershop atmosphere! Granted, a wiki is by definition a community activity, but most of the better ones I've visited had, in reality, the majority if not all of a given topic entered by one or two authors. To me a wiki seems more like a book... something you slink off by yourself and read... alone and in a vacuum. ... and in the long term I just don't think that is necessarily a good thing.

Wikis are a popular buzz word now and, like many other aspects of "new technology", lots of websites believe they need one to be as good as the "Jonses". But new technology doesn't necessarily mean better technology... it just means different (eg, Flash is a great feature... but I'm not sure every site that has swamped their home page with a 5-min download of their intro is better). Good Marketing has always been able to convince people they "needed" new technology, whether they really did or not. Certainly a car is an improvement over a horse... but I'm less sure my late model car was worth the cost to upgrade from the first car I owned.

Honestly, when I compare the two (wikis vs forums, not horses vs cars ), I don't see (m)any clear advantages to using a wiki. But that's the case with everything, I guess, new or old.

To wit:

• If a user doesn't know the terminology, searching for topics on a wiki can lead to just as many off the mark hits as are returned by a poor search construct on a forum.
• Both forums and wikis suffer from garbage in - garbage out syndrome... ie, nothing you read can necessarily be believed. But on a forum what was said remains... opposing viewpoints can't be deleted by others... and so you see when a consensus is reached. On a wiki, traditionally it's harder to see the evolution, opposing viewpoints, etc. because on many wikis anyone can change/delete other peoples entries, and on those that disallow that it becomes a moderator intensive job. Can you imagine a malcontent deleting almost everything... shades of the database being rewound back to last October last week!
• wikis are traditionally self moderating... that's not always good, particularly when you're aspiring to produce good technical answers to questions.
• Both wikis and forums are easily driven off-topic with idle chit chat.
• Wikis seem to me to be better used as encyclopedias as opposed to a how-tos. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder... early encyclopedias were organized like dictionaries, later they evolved to being organized by topical concepts. Hmmm... do they even still print encyclopedias?

.

As Ed would say... just another datapoint.

[Sticky]

...
One thing I wonder in light of Bruno's post is how do you qualify people as vendors - there was something about enthusiasts etc. I'm not disputing whether Bruno should be added or not, just thinking that you don't want to be put in a situation where you have to make subjective decisions who gets listed and who doesn't.
...

My suggestion here is limited to the question: "how do you qualify people as vendors -"?

Do it the same your own state does. i.e. if the entity in question has a business license (in many states this is simply a license to collect taxes and be tax exempt on purchases), then you are a vendor. Otherwise you are a hobbyist seeking only recompense for your materials used.

Just have the "Vendor" thread and a list of "Hobbyists" in that thread. Most members will be smart enough to know that the hobbyists' work can be just as good or even better than the "pro" vendors. Add the usual disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER: This idea is not meant to reflect on the author or anyone that reads it. It does not constitute an endorsement either for or against anything in particular...

[sidneykidney]

Can I just say i'm feeling a little disheartened now.

Doing the FAQs the way they have been done so far has been ALOT of hard work. It involves contacting lots of people, waiting for replies, editing posts, reading the 25+ PMs a day that have started coming to me, reading as MANY forums as I can to take it all in.

We only have 3 FAQs so far and already it has taken alot of work. Loads of people have expressed their gratitude and for that I am very grateful.

But when I start reading posts saying 'it shouldnt be done that way, it should be done this way' it makes me just want to cal the whole thing to a halt until people decide which way it should be done. And let me tell you this is ONE BIG SNOWBALL to try and stop!



End of rant. Sorry, its late and I have a headache. Its just a bit disheartening. Thats all

Sandy

[Sticky]

Can I just say i'm feeling a little disheartened now.

Don't get discouraged yet, save that for later! Starting out, you have a boat-load of different ideas/faqs all at one time. Just "chunk" the big stuff up into smaller bite-size pieces.

Doing the FAQs the way they have been done so far has been ALOT of hard work. It involves contacting lots of people, waiting for replies, editing posts, reading the 25+ PMs a day that have started coming to me, reading as MANY forums as I can to take it all in.

We only have 3 FAQs so far and already it has taken alot of work. Loads of people have expressed their gratitude and for that I am very grateful.

Taking on this kind of job can take a lot longer (and more effort) than it first appears to. I appreciate your efforts to pull it together.

But when I start reading posts saying 'it shouldnt be done that way, it should be done this way' it makes me just want to cal the whole thing to a halt until people decide which way it should be done. And let me tell you this is ONE BIG SNOWBALL to try and stop!
...

Anytime you get 5 people in the same room, you're gonna' get at least 10 opinions. You can't make everyone happy. Just use your best judgment. When in severe doubt ask one of the older mods/admins for advice, they've seen "faq/sticky" threads before.

[azjoe]

Sandy,

Thank you for what you're doing.

This should require much less of your personal attention after the first couple faqs get completed... by then most people will understand the process and they can help guide anyone unfamiliar with it.

There's no rush, so go at your own pace and don't let anyone push you faster than you feel comfortable going. Nor do you have to do all the work... anyone can nominate new faqs and then THEY get to honcho them through the process. All the weight should not be on your shoulders alone.

Let me know what I can do to help.