XOOPS: XOOPS FAQ needs your input!

Posted by: carnukeOn 2004/11/30 11:20:00 6870 reads
Resized Image[size=x-large] The XOOPS FAQ is OPEN ![/size]

We are very pleased to announce the opening of XOOPS FAQ. Check out the link on the left hand panel menu to see the XOOPS FAQ. From now on this could be your NO:1 visit even before posting on the forums!

XOOPS is "Powered by you!" So ... we need your input!

The FAQ is as good as you make it. Help XOOPS users of all levels of experience find the answers to their questions by adding questions and answers to the FAQ! The XOOPS Support Forums are a rich resource for the FAQ, your help could make it a lot easier for everyone to find the answers they are looking for!

Your skills and experience could also help make it the best, because we need your help with moderating member submissions and contributions. We need to keep the quality high, the answers up-to-date, the items findable and understandable. Thanks to the excellent moderation features in this new version of SmartFAQ it is even easier to merge and edit content. We really need just a little bit of time from a few experienced users. Can you help? This is a great opportunity to drive this project forward and create the best Content Management knowledge base on the net! We have the tools, we have the skills and experience, but we need volunteers to help us. email carnuke@xoops.org if you are interested.

XOOPS FAQ uses Marcan's excellent SmartFAQ module and will soon become the premiere knowledge base of help, instruction and advice for all XOOPS users.



XOOPS FAQ is a huge step forward to demonstrating that XOOPS is truly " Powered by you"... We have made a kick start by populating the module with 250 popular-choice questions and well researched answers that have been abstracted from the forums and wiki. We have created categories that describe the essential areas in the XOOPS experience, BUT ultimately this resource is "Powered by you" YOU submit the questions ... You submit the answers ... You add new answers and comments and together we will build the very best knowledge base of information and experience that will serve the needs of the interested enquirer, the XOOPS novice and the experienced developer alike.

XOOPS FAQ is not another forum. The XOOPS forum have accumulated over 73,000 posts to date, but finding what you want to know is not always easy, even by using the search. The same questions keep coming up, despite being answered several times before.

XOOPS FAQ is different ... every question and answer is carefully reviewed for quality and relevance and will not be automatically published. We will not build a huge list of repetitive and variant questions and answers that occur on the forums, but instead carefully select the key questions and match them to answers from you that are built from skills and reliable experiences from many users. In this way you get quality with detail and not quantity that is confusing and hard to find.

How does XOOPS FAQ work?

1- Simply click on the XOOPS FAQ link and browse the categories and questions: You'll be surprised what you may learn just by doing this.

2- Add your own skills and experience: Every Q&A combination has a link that allows you to submit extra information, corrections, or new perspectives on the subject. Add your content and we will review and append or replace the existing answer in order to build the best and most comprehensive page of information for that question.

3- Submit your own Question and answer: This option allows you to ask a question and answer it. We invite all users to consider using this, but only after ensuring the Q&A has not been submitted already. The forums are still full of valuable information that you can extract. Create your own quality Question and answer and we will review and publish it here.

4- Ask a question: This may be a question that has not yet been published in the FAQ, a forum answer that was not answered, a new question that no-one has asked before that is very relevant. Submit it here. If we approve the question, it will appear in the 'Open Question' section of this module.

5- Answer a question: You can browse the 'Open Questions' section and see a list of unanswered questions. Moderators will try to ensure that they are unique, pertinent and releavant. You can submit an answer to any of these, or simply point out that this question has been asked and answered before, with a link to it.

6- Add a comment: All Q&As can be commented. All comments are published for registered users without moderation. You might use this feature for suggestions, positive feedback or criticism, but remember, any useful or extra useful information for the Q&A can always be submitted as an answer. In some circumstances moderators may extract comments and merge them into the official answers, if they supplement the existing content.


7- USE THE SEARCH! XOOPS search will now include the FAQ content! USE it ... If you are about to post on the forums, don't do this until searching with your keywords first.

Do I still use the forums, or do I post a question to XOOPS FAQ instead??

Ah, a good question ... As stated above, XOOPS FAQ is not another forum. All content is moderated before publication. Moderators will only post material that is considered new, pertinent and original.

1- We strongly suggest that you use the XOOPS search for your enquiry before anything else.
2- Only post questions to FAQ that are not only unique and unanswered elsewhere, but may have general interest to other users.
3- Use the forums for more personal/ specific requirements and situations.

Finally, our thanks:

Module author: Marc-André Lanciault (AKA. Marcan) even up to a couple of days ago made essential modifications to improve the SmartFAQ on XOOPS.org Without SmartFAQ and your consistant drive and determination to achieve an excellent specification, this would not be possible.

Contributors: Special thanks to Mithrandir, I suspect your consultation and skills has gone a long way to ensuring the smooth resolution to this project. Also for your input to the Q&As. We look forward to seeing more input in the Q&A section from you.

To those who have seen the vision of the XOOPS FAQ and already contributed to the Q&As ... Dave_L, Herko, Herve, Marcan, Mithrandir, and others, who will see their own excellent comments abstracted from the forums and wiki.

I hope XOOPS FAQ is worthy of all my recommendations, and proves to be an early Christmas present to you all! GET POSTING ... and add to the XOOPS experience.

Carnuke.