Re: [NTLK] Dedicated Newton Forum?

Thanks for all the great feedback so far.
I think what I would like to do is put together a knowledgebase, like Apple's support section.  One with a nice interface where the user searches for info, rather than having to traverse loads of links in a FAQ format, or turn to google and go data mining.  It would be both GUI rich and have a version for the Newton in plain text.  I would like to take all of the information about the Newton on the web and consolidate it in easy to read, digestable bits.

One of the reasons is that first, there are so many websites, growing by the day, and it is getting harder to keep up with everything.  It took me about 6 months to really feel confident in using my Newton, after many hours of searching for things on google and asking questions on this list, which really is not the most efficient way of doing things.  I admit that I like to understand and know everything about something before I use it, but the Newton in this day and age has several caveats.

I really like this list, and it is something I will continue to turn to as there are many Newton authorities on here (Jonny Glass, Sonny, Grant, etc...), but also I can see that some of us (me!) ask questions that have already been asked, sometimes countless times.

What I would do is set up a Newton knowledgebase, a sort of version 2 of Newtontalk's FAQ/Wiki.  I would consolidate all of the information and put them in answer format.  When a user types in a question, one or more related, authoritative documents would be shown, sort of like Apple's support documents complete with document IDs, etc.

Quick answers that get to the point and are written clearly.  Not to take anything away from NewtonTalk, but some of the writing could be a bit more clear/concise.  For instance, if you type "FreeDock" or "Newton dock", an article would come up, with Sonny's pictures embedded (with his permission), and contact information for Florian and Frank, along with a quick description.

I also thought of a 3 button model on the homepage.  For instance, 3 steps.  Step 1 is for Newton beginners, and it essentially contains information for them and how to get started, with links to a few knowledgebase articles and a video (i.e. getting started).  Step 2 for those users who are past the beginner stage.  Step 3 for programmers.

Thoughts?

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The NewtonTalk Mailing List - http://www.newtontalk.net/
The Official Newton FAQ - http://www.splorp.com/newton/faq/
The Newton Glossary - http://www.splorp.com/newton/glossary/
WikiWikiNewt - http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/
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Received on Thu Sep 4 14:59:46 2008