Writing a FAQ - Dan's thoughts

[Dan Simoes]

I've been observing the discussions on this with interest.

A detailed FAQ would be great.  But, have you ever wondered why one
doesn't exist?  Even a "pretty" site like Audiworld does not have many
technical FAQs for common things like changing brakes, thermostats, etc.

Simple - there is just too much information for one or a few persons to
write.  Let's do a 4000q FAQ - where do we start?  Engine?  Brakes?
Body?
By the time we're done, we've duplicated the Bentley and then some.
I could shut down the site today and spend the next 2 years turning the
archives into a FAQ, but how many people would actually read it all?

Consider also the audience of the FAQ - how many people actually want to
change their own suspension, brakes, etc?  Granted that a majority of
the people on this list have an interest in working on their own car,
but most of us won't take the time to write out what we already know.
Every time I do something on the car (for example, I just changed the
threaded rod on the ebrake of my 90q20v) I think of getting out the
digital camera, but I barely have the time to fix the car, let alone
document the process.

I've thought of trying to reward people ($) for creating detailed
"howtos", but this site has not been the financial success I had hoped
for :).

Around 4 years ago I started saving key posts, as others have done, with
the goal of turning those into html documents that could be revised.
This is still a viable goal, but in order for it to succeed, every
category (such as 4000, 200, brakes, etc) needs a coordinator, who is
willing to sit down and sort through information, format using an
agreed-upon template, and link to other documents as needed.

Most of us have jobs/lives besides our cars, so it's a challenge to
actually find time to do what is described above.

With that said...
If you think you are able to be a subject matter expert for a category,
in terms of collecting/formatting information, or have html skills you
want to donate, either send me a private email or join the staff mailing
list.
The most common FAQs or the best information posted here that are not
found in a Bentley deserve to be showcased.

| Dan |