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NEW MEMBER FAQ: Possible idea

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LAN_403

EEYORE

Tue Feb 10 2009, 07:51PM

Registered Member #99 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:10PM
Location: florida, usa
Posts: 637

Hello all,
In light of the issue reguarding "newb" posting, I have an idea to act as a crutch until a more suitable solution arises; A new member FAQ. This thread will be devoted to answering all the common topics that get reopened time and time again.
1-"Where can I get x ?" -Check Ebay. Most the stuff people get tends to come from ebay if not from some broken down TV or the like.
2-"I wanna build a mad coolz tesla coil, how do I do this?" - GOOGLE. Steve Ward, Steve Connor, ect. (as well as many more) has an EXCELENT site for both beginners as well as experts.
3-"I wanna blow things up with laserz. How do I build/buy a laser?" - SAMS LASEER FAQ is far more advanced than any of us here. The few here that dabble in laser stuff likely learned from SAMS LASER FAQ. Alt.Lasers is a better place to ask laser questions. Buy stuff on Ebay.
The list can go on and on, and we can refer ALL new members to this thread upon signing up, just as is done with the site rules.

This is just an idea. Someone with a bit better literary skills could type it up better than me.

What do you guys think?
Matt

KLH

Tue Feb 10 2009, 10:51PM

Registered Member #1819 Joined: Thu Nov 20 2008, 04:05PM
Location:
Posts: 137

This is a great idea. This way, none of the other forums will be inundated by common questions (I see it everywhere, not just here).

By the way, it's n00b, not newb

...

Tue Feb 10 2009, 11:55PM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

Or.. we could tell them to go look in the wiki since that is what it is there for...

Bjørn

Wed Feb 11 2009, 01:47AM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

The good thing about a well made FAQ is that it answers the questions you did not hink about asking but you probably need to know the answers to anyway.

A wiki is good when you know what you are looking for but not so good otherwise. There is probably room for one good FAQ for every category in the wiki.

Proud Mary

Wed Feb 11 2009, 11:35PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

I had thought of suggesting a whole new section of the forum called something like "Hints and Tips" which would contain all sorts of practical, proven workshop advice i.e. how to drill holes in glass, how to make a non-standard size capacitor clamp, how to wind a toroid without tears, how to solder dissimilar metals, how to use taps and dies, how to make your own wavewinder, how to make neat, accurate holes in a metal sheet, and so on, and so on.

I also feel that there ought to be an FAQ - or Holy Writ - on minimum acceptable safety standards, so that we start to see fuses, contactors, kill switches, overload cut-outs, flame-proof resistors, EMI/RFI filters, and so on, appear more often in circuit diagrams on the forum. For my own part, I have found the occasional promotion of foolhardy, reckless, dangerous and even illegal ideas on the forum far more disconcerting than the newcomer's sometimes vapid questions, which are, as I have suggested elsewhere, perhaps just as much an attempt to open a social dialogue as they are to elicit information.

aonomus

Wed Feb 11 2009, 11:44PM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

Well we could always add a new section to the wiki, I'm not sure if we can have a separate section with its own sub-sections for electronics, chem, physics, etc.

There already is a 'how to' section, but its fairly labor intensive to write up entire step by step articles like that, whereas documenting the implementation of basic fundamental parts such as a GDT, fullbridge, ZVS, ZCS, etc would be helpful.

Proud Mary

Thu Feb 12 2009, 12:02AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

aonomus wrote ...

There already is a 'how to' section, but its fairly labor intensive to write up entire step by step articles like that, whereas documenting the implementation of basic fundamental parts such as a GDT, fullbridge, ZVS, ZCS, etc would be helpful.

Perhaps you're right, but I'm sure that I recall cases where posters have accomplished all kinds of wonderful simulations, but simply have no idea how to cut accurate holes in a metal sheet, or other basic workshop procedures.

Bjørn

Thu Feb 12 2009, 01:28AM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

I had thought of suggesting a whole new section of the forum called something like "Hints and Tips" which would contain all sorts of practical, proven workshop advice...

I also feel that there ought to be an FAQ - or Holy Writ - on minimum acceptable safety standards...

Both are good ideas, all permanent information like this should go in the wiki since it is made for things like this. When we get it more integrated with the forum it will come to its own.

There already is a 'how to' section, but its fairly labor intensive to write up entire step by step articles like that

I put together the four articles in the How To section of the wiki. Some based on forum threads and others on other material. This is a fairly efficient method so if someone don't have the time or for other reasons don't want to write a complete wiki article they can just start a thread on the forum and someone else can transcribe it to the wiki. A .ZIP file or an URL to a webpage is also practical.

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