Gustavo Seabra wrote:
> By the way, what is the problem with having too many users here? isn't
> this the fedora-/users/ group? If there are too many user/dumb
> questions, maybe you could just start a usenet called /fedora-help/ or
> something like it. Then the /fedora-users/ title would be preserved for
> the other discussions...
You know, I've been on this list for getting on to a year. I think this
is the first time I've seen anyone from Red Hat address how this mailing
list is working.
Wouldn't it have been nice: wouldn't it have been *community-minded*:
wouldn't it have been polite for Red Hat to have asked *us*, on *this
list* "is there a problem? What can be done?" Rather than come up with
solutions on their own?
Because I can think of a very easy way to improve this list: use the
community! Use volunteers! A busy list *is* a community, and it's
probably the biggest one Fedora has.
* Reword the standard list signature! Put a link to the FAQ in there.
At least have a "before posting, please read this link".
If Red Hat Legal wants a FAQ that doesn't mention "how to install MP3
support", fine. We can do that. We can mention "other RPM
repositories" (and explain the legal situation) if necessary. Get
some trusted people from the community (like the current
fedorafaq.org maintainers, if they're happy to work like that). If
you must, and get them to sign a legal form.
And make all this "please read this" obvious when users join up.
There are standard ways of handling Frequently Asked Questions that
have been in use for well over a decade. If frequently asked
questions are a problem, and this is supposed to be a community-
oriented list, *use the community standard solution*.
* We need a "posting norms" guideline that we can point out when
necessary. It doesn't have to be long: this might do for a start:
"Please:
No HTML
Trim quotes as much as is reasonable
Don't quote an entire digest
Put your text underneath what you're replying to
Keep it civil!"
* Have *some* way for issues raised on this list to be brought back to
the Fedora developers. If developers can't read the whole list, have
a few trusted volunteers who can summarise in a line or two and
provide links.
* If the list owners aren't going to read the list, let them have
trusted volunteers who can point out situations that need attention.
And then, at *least*, post a "keep it civil!" note!
Mutt highlights for me, in red, all the e-mails from redhat.com
addresses. Whenever someone from Red Hat posts to the list, I read it.
So I don't think I've missed anything from them.
I'm posting this not in the hopes that anyone from Red Hat will take it
seriously, but so at least I know I tried.
Sorry. Rant mode off.
James.
--
James Wilkinson | For example, in year 1 that useless letter "c" would
Exeter Devon UK | be dropped to be sure they wouldn't deliver it broken
E-mail address: james | into two pieces.
@westexe.demon.co.uk | -- The megahal program, trained on my quote file.
