Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!uwvax!rutgers!ucsd!ucbvax!decwrl!mejac!gryphon!richard
From: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Introductory Postings Needed?
Summary: comp.sys.amiga.newusers ?
Keywords: Commonly asked questions
Message-ID: <4984@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: 25 Jul 88 06:16:06 GMT
References: <8807222120.AA01368@decwrl.dec.com>
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Organization: People who can't spell ``Distribution''
Lines: 70

In article <8807222120.AA01368@decwrl.dec.com> plouff@nac.dec.com (Wes Plouff) writes:
>Even though comp.sys.amiga is an unmoderated group, the influx of new 
>Amiga owners is causing repetition of the same basic questions every 
>couple of months.  I suggest that someone, preferably one of the more 
>senior posters to this conference, start sending out monthly 
>"introductory" postings.
>
>The goals of these postings would be to familiarize new readers with the 
>newsgroup, and to cut down the number of basic questions, conserving 
>net.bandwidth.  It's important that the postings be factual, objective 
>and barely opinionated.  It's also important that disagreements about 
>contents of introductory postings not turn into flame wars.
>
>If some one person (and the rest of the net) feel up to these 
>guidelines, here is a possible structure.  The introductory posting 
>could consist of a short explanation of comp.sys.amiga, and answers to 
>about 25-35 common questions.  The posting could run, say, 300 lines.  
>Some general topics which could provide four or five questions each are:
>
>1.  Usenet groups concerned with the Amiga, and how to use them.  Also, 
>general Usenet information and netetiquette.
>
>2.  Infrastructure.  Pointers to magazines, BBS lists, Fish Disks, 
>resource guides.
>
>3.  CATS.  Presence on the net, stuff for sale, how to become a 
>registered developer.
>
>4.  The machines.  Differences among models, expansion, PC emulation, 
>next release of the OS.
>
>5.  PD software.  Comp.sources/binaries.amiga vs. archives and Fish 
>disks, how to download and unpack, rules for posting, discussion of 
>viruses and other nasties.
>
>6.  Miscellaneous questions.  Boot colors, cables, cheap expansion 
>products, rules for reviews and product comparisons on the net, 
>discussion of product cost vs. parts cost (why is it so expensive), etc.
>
>These are just thought starters.  Seems to me we can apply a little 
>intelligence to improve the quality of life in this group without 
>controversy.

Hard disks !!  A LOT of the postings recently, in both amiga and
.tech have been about harddisks. Funny, they wernt here 2 years
ago :-)

The PC and mac groups have had the same problems, tons and tons
of hard disk postings, this may account for their high volume.

Of course I'm biased -- I just got a hard disk.

The concept of a .newusers group is not new, but it's gonna take
somebody a lot of work. The same issue popped up a while back in
comp.graphics - the same questions kept popping up againa and again
and again and again; everybody decided that a comp.graphics.newusers
was the way to go and then noting happened.

Maybe a big posting every three weeks (bi monthly being too frequent
and monthly not frequent enough) with commonly asked questions would
be the best way to habdle this, with some good mechanism to add
stuff to it.

It's going to take somebody who really cares about the NET and who
has a fair amount of time on their hands.


-- 
        Many have been bought by rich people, from other countries.
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM                               {backbone}!gryphon!richard