From: Doug Parker (dougparker_at_progressdata.com)
Date: Tue Mar 25 2003 - 07:24:51 PST
Simplified newbie scenario #42:
A newbie buys a Newt.
The newbie googles her way to newtontalk.net and subscribes.
The newbie finds experienced Newt users talking about Newts.
Here's an important question: Will the newbie Newt user find a community of
experienced Newt users talking about Newts in such a way that she will
immediately understand the discussion, or will she have to lurk for a period
of time to hash through experienced postings before she'll learn the lingo,
the links, the environment, the shortcuts, and the jokes, and start to get
it?
Put yourself in her shoes. If all discussions are generated with the
understanding that every discussion is going to be read by newbies (yes, as
well as by seasoned Newties), then the discussions will be the most helpful
to her. In other words, every response (ideally) should be written as if it
was the first time it has ever been answered, because we never know when a
newbie will be reading a particular post, and every post has that potential.
I'm suggesting that to some degree, you assume that *every* post will be
read by newbies.
It should be an understood, unspoken rule that all replies are
simplified--directed to the experience level of the newbie. It may get
tiring reading answers you already know the questions to ;-) , but the
alternative is a sort of clique-ish community that gives the impression that
newbies, their curiosity, and their enthusiasm is disliked and not welcome.
So assume that every question is always being answered for the first time.
For this, FAQs are useful, but then when a particular question lends itself
to redirection to the FAQ, even that has to be done as if it was the first
time it has ever been done. Compare:
1) Go read the FAQ. www.chuma.org/...
is a bit abrupt.
2) Hey, I totally understand your question.
There's a great Frequently Asked Questions
list (FAQ) at www.chuma.org/...
even spells out what FAQ means in case the newbie has never heard of it
before.
Tedious? Yes.
Helpful? Immensely.
Accommodating? Absolutely.
We are Newt users.
Doug Parker
-- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
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