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I find it interesting that they suggest content creators should remove FAQ sections. The first response to questions in most online communities I am a part of i
by roninb 11y ago
I find it interesting that they suggest content creators should remove FAQ sections. The first response to questions in most online communities I am a part of is "RTFM," how should someone RTFM if there is no M? I guess the fact that there are so many "first time user", "nub here, where do I start?" is a pretty good indicator that the FAQ isn't the first stop shop for a good bit of users.
- hellbanner 11y agoPersonally I like when websites show a problem & solution clearly with an example instead of buzz words.. then a link to features when I click "learn more", then a link to documentation.. more helpful than a general FAQ overview. My "2c".
- cbd1984 11y agoI don't like the word "buzzword" because I've never actually seen it defined. Is "WiFi" a buzzword? Is "email" a buzzword? Is "car" a buzzword? Why or why not? It's like the word "bloat": It's a convenient cudgel to use against anything someone doesn't like which saves them from the labor of having to formulate an actual argument.
- vezzy-fnord 11y agoWiFi is a marketing term, but it actually has a concrete meaning as per IEEE 802.11. Email has a specific meaning too, from its protocol suites. Though they have evolved. Car is not a buzzword, either. A buzzword is similar to a thought-terminating cliche. It's a word (or phrase) that is meant to invoke a conditioned feeling with its actual meaning remaining ambiguous, if there is even any. They're usually meant to be positive but empty feelings, hence their ubiquity in marketing. Negative but empty feelings are much more popular in the political sphere, where they're called snarl words.
- irishcoffee 11y ago"Ingenuity Accelerated" as a slogan for a business, those are buzzwords. "The cloud" is a a buzzphrase. Honestly at this point, for 95% of software outfits, "agile" is a buzzword. Does that clear it up, or not really? (Honest question)
- cbd1984 11y agoYes, it does. I will say that "the cloud" can have an actual definition: "We've outsourced that function to a company we communicate with only or primarily over the Internet." It's like outsourcing facilities management. How often it actually means that I don't know.
- kevan 11y agoMy impression was that they see FAQ sections as an excuse to not organize content. If you don't have any FAQs then it forces you to put the content in a section with a heading that's actually descriptive and will help with SEO.
- smackfu 11y agoI've also seen companies use a FAQ as a place to put "questions you won't like the answers to."
- dragonwriter 11y ago> I find it interesting that they suggest content creators should remove FAQ sections. I whole-heartedly agree with that suggestion. > The first response to questions in most online communities I am a part of is "RTFM," how should someone RTFM if there is no M? FAQs are not manuals, they are workarounds for defects in manuals. They make some sense as a stopgap when the primary documentation may be more time consuming to get corrections published because for bureaucratic reasons, or where lots of people may continue using an outdated version of the primary documentation (in the latter case, the FAQ entries should also reference the proper locations in the updated version of the primary documentation.) But they should be used as a specific need is identified and removed if it can be completely resolved, not considered a standard thing.