On Sun, Jan 07, 2007 14:57:02 PM +0100, M Henri Day
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
> Based on this experience, my suggestions to reduce the number of
> repeat questions from new users are as follows :
>
> 1. Update FAQs frequently.
> 2. Redo the search function for the User Mail List Archives so that it
> searches not only subjects but email texts.
I'd add here:
3) strongly (but metaphorically of course) hit with a ruler the
fingers of all the "experienced" users who *answer* any message
with a "you must put a summary here" subject, or that answer
without substituting that string with a decent, informative
subject.
One of the reasons why searching by subject is so seldom useful that
questions are repeated all the time is exactly that:
* many newbies forget to put a decent subject (which _may_ be
excusable) and
* even more "experts" *hide* the answer because they don't change the
subject to match what the solution they put in the email body (much
less excusable)
what's worst is that some of those "experts" are the same that then
scold newbies for "not bothering to search the archives before
posting, I answered this yesterday..."
HTH,
Marco
--
The right way to make everybody love Free Standards and Free Software:
http://digifreedom.net/node/73
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