I couldn't agree more. In fact, I specifically LOOKED for this FAQ thread before posting a *request* for one the way newbies should look for a Forum FAQ before posting a question that has been answered a million times.
It's not a difficult concept. I wouldn't mind helping to put one together. I do not think this subject is that wide. ALSO the site could do with a GLOSSARY as well.
Some example questions:
EXPIRED NAMES:
1.) The whois for the domain I'm looking at says X for a STATUS, what does that mean?
2.) Why does Internic.net show one date for the domain name whois expiration date, and everywhere else, it shows that it expires a year earlier?
Etc.
DomainNames is a MUCH smaller topic than Javascript programming, and there is an EXCELLENT Javascript language FAQ right here that can be modelled from at IRT.ORG.
http://developer.irt.org/faq.htm
Here are vbHacks for FAQs:
FaqBot/TomBot -
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48743
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48291
An artificially intellgent Bot that answers naturally phrased questions to people on the forum. Screeshot
FaqEdit -
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27733
Basic Faq system
Here are vbHacks for Glossaries:
vbGlossary -
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34385
Some good stuff, and it would certainly make the forum even more of a popular stand out than it already is. I'm working on similar stuff for FreeWho.com, but having these things integrated with a messageboard is a much more ideal and interactivity-rich set-up. Greg, let me know if you'd like any help with this if you're interested in pursuing or evaluating it further. I can set up a demo.
As for *content*, I would probably agree with the unspoken note that possibly some answers are to be seen as "proprietary info" and creating a "one-stop-shop" for the information is probably not desireable by most folks. There *are* questions however that are much more basic like the ones I noted above.
The objective wouldn't be to cut down the random chatter and posts in the forum, but to provide another valuable resource for members. Also, I feel bad when posts like this one (
Click Here or even this common one
Click Here) are chiefly left alone because most people have either answered or seen the answer a million times. I've seen a number of people ask the same question in a few different ways, right after each other... That's probably not the best way to go.
~ Nexus