A bit of ranting about Ubuntu.com

[Chanchao]

On Mon, 2006-02-06 at 14:10 +0100, Carsten Lange wrote

> >> What's the problem conducting all the users needing support to
> >> "Support", being the documentation, help, etc, part of this category

I like that. Only one place to go for anyone who's a user and doesn't
know how to do something.  

Secondly, the original question of why people start their own support
sites:  I think it is because they feel they can contribute something,
but know that a wiki is very impersonal, and that anything they do
overthere will first be moderated.  And then even when the entry gets
in, it's then no longer yours and you don't get the 'reward' of being
(seen as) the 'expert'.

So by all means keep the wiki as part of (under) the support/help
structure, but ALSO allow people to start a blog.  A blog? Yes, a blog.
A blog is personal so people will get the recognition, and they have the
freedom to write in it whatever they want.  A separate voting/ranking &
search system would make it more accessible for users just browsing for
information.  

The risk is of course that this further decentralizes support, where we
actually need MORE clarity on what is the best starting point to get
answers, quickly.  I guess blogs should be under community more than
support. 

> And you won't click on "Support" because you think you have to pay. And  
> you won't click on "Help" because you think help is for beginners. In  
> GNU/Linux world we often find "FAQ and HOWTOs". I always click there.

I like 'howto' indeed, because it suggests it's concise answers to
common real world problems people face.  But 'FAQ' is way over-used all
over the place. Too many FAQ-lists aren't frequently asked questions at
all, they're just what the supplier thinks we should want to know. Also
not all FAQs are technical, and when they include things like 'What does
the word Ubuntu mean?' or 'Will Ubuntu always be free?' and so on then
it's really no longer helpful when all you want is make your modem
work. :)

Cheers,
Chanchao