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Why RTFM is broken ( and how to use your FAQs )

2 pointsby delinquentmealmost 14 years ago
Information FASTER please.<p>RTFM is easy... for YOU... RTFM is there because WE ( those already knowledgeable individuals) are lazy.<p>200 page manual vrs a paragraph who would choose the prior? nobody.<p>Simply put: RTFM assumes that the user knows the language of what they're after: ( whats a "method", how is an "array" different from a "variable", how do "variable pointers" differ from "variables" themselves )<p>If this was a solved problem Natural Language Processing wouldn't be the massive field that it is today.<p>In conclusion:<p>1) I need to work on giving better answers to those asking me questions<p>2) Keep a current FAQ ... but also realize you're the expert on the matter... and theres quite a bit of value in being the proxy between a user... and the information they're after.

1 comment

russellalmost 14 years ago
Several decades ago I was a principal in a startup that produced a word processor. For the first release we included a brief manual that covered the features, less than 100 pages. Users liked it. For the second release we included a thorough 300 page manual. Users hated it. It was too short! They couldnt find anything they needed.
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