Please Read: Knowledge Base

[Kent McLean]

Mark L. Chang wrote:
> I'm undertaking the knowledgebase by myself.

You go, guy.

> I am utilizing a Wiki format for the knowledgebase. I like it, and
> really don't feel like editing web pagaes by hand.

I can see why.   :-)

I vaguely recall this attempt from a year or so ago.
I don't recall the details of Wiki, so I'll just let my
vivid imagination soar.

There are two things (for now) that leap to mind.
The first is how to organize it.  I believe that, since
"the Bentley" is "the bible", that the numbering
scheme or table of contents should mimic that
(assuming Wiki lets you build a ToC).   That way
someone reading the manual can reference the
KB to see if there are any additional thoughts on
the task at hand.

The second is that I like FAQs. As in, "My window
won't go down (up). What do you think the problem
is?"  These Qs should probably also be categorized
using the Bentley ToC as a guide. And I take the F
seriously. Limit it to those questions that are asked
all the time -- timing belt, windows that don't work,
funky dash lights, door handles, weak headlights,
turbo boosts, stuck sunroof, etc. -- no more than 25
or so. You might want to include a discussion of
T*rsen vs. Haldex (or you might not). Or maybe the
answer is a link to the appropriate Wiki section.
(How does Wiki work, again?)

OK, three. And this is probably a good idea along
the lines of, "I think we should cure cancer."  There is
a wealth of information in the archives. A knowledge
base, in fact. If there were some way to extract the
relevant messages pertaining to a topic, it might
expedite the process. A good idea, but probably
no practical way to do it short of manually reading
every message, evaluating it, then adding the relevant
ones to the KB.

Four (hey, they're free), does Wiki let you include a
web page, or just an email message? I'm thinking
of the existing body of work by some people (SJM,
Chris Miller, and Huw, among others; used with
permission, of course, or maybe just a link to the
appropriate page) that addresses many of the
common issues of keeping an old(er) Audi running.

And last, the topics might need to be categorized
by model/type, if the task is not generic (e.g., tracking
down an electrical drain). This could be daunting.
4000s, 5000s, 100s, 200s, 80s, 90s, V8s, A4s,
A6s, A8s, TTs. And that is just US models...

OK, that's it. Now, what can we do to help? If you
break the KB into Bentley-like categories, maybe
you could ask for volunteers to search the archives
to populate a specific section (e.g., brakes). Or
maybe someone with a specific area of expertise
could build a "proper" section.

Mark, I admire your desire and courage to undertake
this challenge. Best of luck.

Kent