Looking for feedback: "NCWW How Do I" page...

[froglips]

I've been exploring creating a new feature/page.

The idea is not new, but new for us. A single page you can look up how to do specific tasks or answer common questions about North Carolina Woodworker.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/view.php?pg=ncww_howdoi

This is by no means comprehensive.

I'd appreciate feedback on what you think of this format and approach?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[PChristy]

That is a cool idea Jim :icon_thum

 

[RandyJ]

Looks like a great idea Jim.

Not sure how far you want to take it. Would you also include how-tos on joints, finishing, turning, machine setup, etc?

 

[froglips]

Its a great idea.

I'll keep that in mind as I look at tools.

What I'm working on is a specific FAQ/Page for questions about NCWW.

Jim

Looks like a great idea Jim.

Not sure how far you want to take it. Would you also include how-tos on joints, finishing, turning, machine setup, etc?

 

[b4man]

Would there be any value to have links below each question for an at length answer and keep the page to a minimum word count? Seems like we sometimes can't see the words for the paragraphs:eusa_thin

Thanks for another great suggestion!


Barbara

 

[SteveColes]

Looks like a great idea:thumbs_up:thumbs_up

 

[Gotcha6]

Looks great, Jim. :thumbs_up:thumbs_up Even I can understand it.

 

[nelsone]

:icon_scraHuh, go figure! I thought we already had a faq page!:dontknow:

Looks like a great idea!:widea:

 

[jhreed]

sounds great. Would be a wondeful tool for someone like me who is trying to learn from scratch.
James

 

[cskipper]

It is a great idea. Ed - there is a "How to" forum, but this is different kinds of info.

 

[Bas]

:thumbs_up :thumbs_up :thumbs_up
I actually learned something new from that page

 

[Dragon]

Sounds like a winner to me!!!!

 

[TracyP]

:notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:

 

[ScottM]

Great idea...go for it.

 

[meredj]

Very good idea!!

 

[McRabbet]

I am in 100% favor of the Page -- let me know if I can help with any additions to the links listed there.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Would it have a search feature?

 

[McRabbet]

Alan -- I'm not sure if you saw it in his opening post, Froglips provided a link that shows what he is proposing. Since the objective is to provide "one-stop shopping" for Site-related answers, I suspect a search feature isn't needed, but maybe it is possible. The built-in search features on the Nav bar should suffice for forum content searches. As an example of the objective of the new page, I just added a link on it to my thread in the Help Forum entitled "Symbols and Shortcuts on Index Pages", which should help newcomers understand all of the small icons displayed on many pages.

 

[froglips]

Thanks for the kind words of support!

I have been looking at other FAQ tools, and they are pretty nifty. But, I'm not sure they make the job worth the effort.

What I setup is "simply" a collection of threads on one page. I think it fits our "style" to use threads with posts as the heart of the collection. Many FAQ tools are very restrictive and don't offer room for discussion.

I envision a thread being so helpful, we promote it to a How Do I entry. Over time, I suspect we will recognize those threads easily. Many of our Help Desk threads end up being immensely useful How Do I discussions.

While a search feature hadn't been on my list, it might be doable. I'll add that for consideration in the "next release".

Keep the ideas coming!

Jim

 

[red]

I think it is a great idea.

Red