Re: A database theory resource - ideas

"Gene Wirchenko" <genew_at_ocis.net> wrote in message news:bfsrv2hl721alnmgdn8hdeuc5tnd2p01nl_at_4ax.com...
> "Walt" <wamitty_at_verizon.net> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
> >I love the idea of a FAQ. IMO, the hard part in building up a FAQ is not
so
> >much finding the right answers as finding the right questions. Once your
> >question base reaches critical mass, it will pretty much feed itself, I
> >guess.
>
> So do I, but I have found most FAQs to be useless unless I
> already know much of the material. If one is just starting in an
> area, being told to read the FAQ can be very discouraging. Typically,
> FAQs are full of jargon, and you have a long read to determine if what
> you want to know about is even in the FAQ. Even if it is, it might
> not be written in language that one understands.
>

I think I know the answer to this one, although I can't prove it.

I believe the answer has to do with learning how to write hypertext correctly.
I've mastered the rudiments of hypertext, the same as most c.d.t. regulars probably have. But using hypertext to good effect involves style as well as technique. We need style guides for hypertext.

We also need a map of how beginners frequently view the interconnectedness of a subject. I suspect that the map for a beginner is very different than the map for an old hand. Then we need to take the FAQ, and organize it into hypertext in such a way that the beginner will be able to follow the right links to get the right stuff.

This is easier to describe than it is to do. Received on Mon Mar 19 2007 - 14:10:04 CET