Time to shut down this list?

[Wes Peters]

On Thursday 23 December 2004 04:37, Eric wrote:
> How about rename this list "Newbie Questions" and just go on trust that
> the people asking the questions are really newbies.

Newbies asking the questions isn't the problem.  The problem is the newbies 
*answering* the questions.  ;^)

We (Core) are very interested in how best to address the needs of newcomers.  
If the newbies list is a nice, low-intimidation place to meet that need, we 
need to get better answers to the newbie questions.  

Perhaps some legwork over the holidays by a couple of not-so-new newbies to 
put together a newbie FAQ would be a start?  Perhaps a nice notice to append 
to the bottom of all newbies messages, reminding newbies of the list charter, 
where the newbies FAQ is, etc, would be helpful?  Perhaps we could find a way 
to entice more experience users from the -questions list to troll the newbies 
archive occasionally, answering questions not yet found in the FAQ?  Maybe we 
can set up a donation program where experienced users can get a Krispy Kreme 
in return for answering a newbie question?

Come on, newbies, let's hear YOUR ideas on how to get better answers for your 
questions.

(I personally wish we had the ability to clone Doug White a dozen times and 
throw all the Douglets into supporting newbies, but we keep experiencing DNA 
copy errors and the Douglets become flightless antarctic waterfowl.  Weird.  
Maybe we shouldn't gzip the DNA before transmittal...)

-- 
         Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?
Wes Peters                                                wes at softweyr.com