by macki

Should the answer to an FQA consist entirely of an external link?

No. The content of the external link should at least be copied over. Otherwise, what's the point of creating the FQA? Eventually the obscure link will die and the Answer will become useless.

 


Annotation by strick :

Here's what I think makes a good FQA:

  • Tell a good story.
    I learned this from Cliff Stoll, who taught me that Moby Dick is the world's greatest manual on whaling, because it tells the best story about whaling. So if he wanted to write a textbook on computer security, he would tell his own story, like he did in The Cuckoo's Egg.

  • Make the question interesting.
    Spend a little time thinking of various ways to pose the question. Avoid tired formulas like "where can i find X?" or "what is X?".

  • Tell an answer.
    Like macki says, don't just link to it. Tell any answer you want, in your own words! But tell a good story while you're at it!

  • Provide credit and references.
    Filter through some of the google results for your readers, track down home pages for people, and stuff like that.

 


 
Read more of   The Yak's Frequently Questioned Answers   (mod.2010-02-10)

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404.   How can I limit the ammount of bandwidth rsync over ssh (or anything else) uses, without a complicated firewall solution?   [leif/2004-02-06]
393.   What does a pedestrian crossing light mean?   [overcode/2003-11-08]
295.   How do I get a cheap EPOC R5 (Symbian) handheld?   [combee/2001-12-07]
220.   Where can I find serial/parallel controllable, backlit LCD screens?   [rupe/2001-05-30] ( sidd/2001-05-30 )
201.   Where are Mir, the Shuttle, and the ISS right now?   [rupe/2001-03-22]
199.   Where can I find pictures of cool PC cases?   [rupe/2001-03-13]
165.   What's the story with NTSC, PAL, SECAM?   [jss/2001-01-22]
153.   Where can I find Windows drivers for the Baystack 660 802.11 PC Card?   [rupe/2000-12-22]
151.   How can I tell ICANN to screw off?   [fury/2000-12-09]
130.   How do I resolve the incompatibility of many older Mac applications with OS9?   [rupe/2000-10-08]
112.   Where can I find information on older SGI systems?   [rupe/2000-07-09]
90.   What happened to Jesse and TreesN at sf2600 may2000?   [strick/2000-05-06]
75.   Where can I get an Isreali standard issue military gas mask for under $30.00 US?   [simon/2000-04-05]
55.   How can i find out what other websites have links to my website?   [jamison/2000-02-11]
45.   Do I have JAVASCRIPT on?   [strick/2000-02-03]
23.   What is an extropian?   [strick/2000-01-19]
8.   Does strick have a home page?   [strick/2000-01-19]