On the risk of starting this discussion again (3rd time in the last
year?), I still think that Harold is absolutely right! An effort should
be made to reconsider the way we communicate, because the one we are
having now is annoying for users that just want an answer to their question
Arnold Huzen
Harold Fuchs schreef:
On Friday, January 05, 2007 2:27 PM [GMT+1=CET], James Mckenzie
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Harold:
No the problem is that our Readme makes it look like
users@openoffice.org is a technical HELP DESK. That is, I send you a
message and a panel of service agents send me a reply with the
answer. This NEEDS TO BE FIXED. A better readme would definitely
help. If people were aware that users@openoffice.org was a mailing
list and we ENFORCED SUBSCRIPTION that would end a lot of the "I need
a widget" messages.
James McKenzie
<snip>
James,
I think you probably know my feelings abut forced subscription to this
list. I think it's a mistake because of the high volume of, to the OPs
(mainly newbies), largely irrelevant traffic. If I asked a question
about why my OOo version x Writer on Windows version y behaves as it
does or how to make it do xyz I'd be *very* irritated with dozens if
not hundreds of replies about Calc on Linux or Base on a Mac. Think
what you'd feel if it was a commercial Help Desk and you got all that
"garbage" in response to a simple question. I'd doubt the company's
competence and therefore the quality of its product.
There are many schemes where a user can submit a question via a web
form and request to be notified by e-mail whenever (and only when)
anyone responds to the question. This way the newbie only gets
responses to his/her question but can, by browsing the archives, read
other people's Q&As. Most of these schemes require "registration" in
the sense that they want to verify your e-mail address before thay
allow you to post a question. I have *no* objection to that. Many of
the schemes require, during the registration process, that you enter a
string of letters and/or numbers that are displayed graphically (non
text, usually distorted in some way). This is to avoid automated
registration programs. I have no objection to that either. I doubt it
would be complex to include a "let me see everything" option so that
you and I and the other volunteers would get all the questions as well
as all the answers.
It might even be possible for me to say "let me see everything except
Mac stuff" or for someone to say "Write and Calc but not Impress or
Base". But that's possibly gilding the lily.
Another benefit of using a web form is that we could *require* certain
info like OOo version number & Opsys/version which we seem to spend a
lot of time asking for because the OP doesn't give it.
Regards, Harold
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