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

[Hans]

Sunday, March 12, 2006, 2:44:14 AM, Patrick wrote:
> 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.

I think the Comments sections on the cookbook pages work well for
those pages which are keenly monitored by the maintainer. Separate
PageName-Comments pages are in my experience even better, because
finding one at the top of RecentChanges always means someone did post
a question or a comment, and not simply edited the recipe page.

A general Questions page can only work if it is monitored closely and
responded to immediately, like most of the questions posted to the
list here. As this is not Pm's working habit I think it will stay a
second class medium, which frankly is not good enough, since we should
expect people to post on Questions who are reluctant to join the user
list. It should be as painless and friendly a place as could be.
(of course it is not just Pm who answers questions, and perhaps others
have the same inclination responding rather to email than to a
question posted on the wiki)

But I don't even see a link to it on the SideBar, which means it is
discouraged to use it. As an alternative I like to propose we set up a
Support Forum, as a  simple forum using the wiki tools we got
(see http://www.pmwiki.org/wiki/Cookbook/SimpleForum )
This will provide an easy way for any novice to ask questions,
hopefully encourages replies and the ensuing process of further
clarifications which is often needed. The format is well structured and
forum-like, but still part of the wiki with further editing etc
possible. And devoting a whole page for a question/topic raised will
allow to act more like a tutorial, and a troubleshooting dialogue when
needed.

It will replace the Questions page, but not the FAQ, which can be
useful as a condensed help page.
The FAQCandidates page can act perhaps as a useful editors resource
for developing the FAQ page.


Best, 
~Hans