Lee (and the list),
The concept of what you are suggesting is great and much more
importantly, very valid.
However, wouldn't a simple extra line in the footer with hypertext
directing to the FAQ be a better idea? It seems to me that the
following reasons would apply:
1. EVERY message would have the information automatically.
2. One wouldn't have to wait for the month to roll around.
3. Probably simpler to program an extra line in the footer than a
monthly insertion.
IMHO,
Rand E.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"R. Lee Hawkins" wrote:
>
> Hi all:
> Many lists out there send at some regular interval (eg monthly) a list
> information message. Typically these messages contain:
>
> * Location of the FAQ's, so new users avoid many commonly
> asked questions.
>
> * How to use the archives.
>
> * Unsubscription info.
>
> * Any "rules" for the list.
>
> I think the reason we haven't had such a message here is that,
> until the last year or so, we've been a pretty small group. However,
> recently I am noticing lots and lots of repeats of the following topics:
>
> * "What battery type should I use in my OM's?"
>
> * "How do I tell if my lenses are multicoated?"
>
> * "Where can I find lens tests for my lenses?"
>
> All of these things are covered in the FAQs, and thus should *never*
> have to be asked on the newsgroup again. We should be able to move on
> to more esoteric topics like "How can I fire 20 OM's at once, with a mix
> of Winder 1's & 2's and MD 1's & 2's, assuming each body is driving a
> mix of 9 T-20's and T-32's." ;) Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the
> discussions on the list, but it's becoming clear to me that many new
> users are not reading the FAQ's first before asking questions (let alone
> checking the archives). This is perhaps because they don't know where
> they are located. A monthly information message would solve this problem.
>
> Thus, I have a few questions:
>
> 1) To the newer members of the list: would you have found such
> a message helpful?
>
> 2) To the older members of the list: Would you find such a message,
> repeated periodically, more annoying that having people
> continually ask a question that has been beaten to death in
> the past?
>
> 3) To Shawn: Would you be willing to send out such a message?
>
> At the very least, I think a message such as this should be sent to
> every new subscriber at the time they subscribe, with the advice that
> they read it completely and have a look at the FAQ's and the archives
> before asking what might turn out to be a question for which a large
> body of information already exists. We have determined that the 357
> battery is the best battery to use in an OM. Period. Further
> discussion on the list is not necessary :).
>
> Cheers,
> --Lee
> ________________________________________________________________________
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