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FAQ for rec.skiing.backcountry



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 11th 05, 01:12 AM
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Default FAQ for rec.skiing.backcountry

All,

I have 'maintained' an FAQ for rec.skiing.backcountry over the
last few years. Many may not know it exists, but it can
be found at

http://www.math.utah.edu/~eyre/rsbfaq

Life's committments have pulled me away for the group and
from properly maintaining the lists. I am wondering if anyone
has an interest in the lists, and what should be done with them
given my lack of effort.

From my perspective, the following are possible.


1. The lists simply remain inactive on my site. I can leave
it there indefinitely.

2. Someone else can take them if there is an interest or
need. (I think the latter is the real question).

3. Parts of the list could be offered to other sites for more
widespread use. For example, the hut list is very valuable, but
it requires a lot of care and maintanence. I haven't done that
in the last few years so some of the links are out-of-date.

http://www.math.utah.edu/~eyre/rsbfaq/huts.html

I personally think the list should go to one of the web based
discussion sites. It has been stolen a few times and can be
found elsewhere anyway, but it would be more widely available
at other sites. Given how hard it is to get a hut for a full
group, I'm not sure that is a good thing though .

In my opinion, content is still good for a beginning
backcountry skier. But the topics are largely covered in many
other locations on the web.

The advantage of moving them is that maybe someone will put
some tlc into them again.

The disadvantage of moving them is that they currently are highly
ranked on a number of web search engines. For example, they
come up as the 4th entry on a Google search for 'backcountry
skiing'. IIf the moved, they would be harder to find for the people
that are using them. The last time I looked at the stats they had
a pretty steady hit rate of several thousand a month (not a lot,
but some).

Any thoughts. Anyone care?

David

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  #2  
Old November 11th 05, 02:53 PM
Ken Roberts
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Thanks for setting up those pages and maintaining them for so long, Dave.
There really is a lot of good stuff there.

Many may not know it exists


My reaction is that the average internet user nowadays is more likely to
find your FAQ pages than they are to find this newsgroup itself. So if you
want to have the title of "rec.skiing.backcountry FAQ list" _mean_ anything
to most people, you better put some links on those pages to
news:rec.skiing.backcountry (and perhaps also links to some archive
locations) -- and nowadays most internet users would need explanations of
the terms "newsgroup" and "Usenet".

they currently are highly ranked on search engines.


That's another valuable aspect of those FAQ pages. Apart from the question
of what to do with the content on the pages, that could be leveraged by
putting links on the page to other good resources -- including locations
of future updated versions of the FAQ by someone who wants to nurture it.

My advice about the content is to introduce and "frame" it with some
comments like you just made in your post. That you don't have the energy to
maintain them any more, and they are what they are as of July 14, 2002 or
whatever date. Maybe take out things you think might incur legal liability.
Then the pages would become like a normal published work. And they'd
continue to be very valuable to the community and to new skiers as just
that.

I personally think the list should go to one of the web based discussion
sites.


Makes a lot of sense. But I don't think putting it up somewhere else is a
reason to take down your copy.

Anyway my experience is that there's very little connection between
discussion and static web content. A person posting to a discussion has
negative interest in wanting to learn that somebody else put up a web page
three years ago that already addresses that same topic five times better
than their current post.

Ken


  #3  
Old November 11th 05, 05:17 PM
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Ken Roberts wrote:
Thanks for setting up those pages and maintaining them for so long, Dave.
There really is a lot of good stuff there.

Many may not know it exists


My reaction is that the average internet user nowadays is more likely to
find your FAQ pages than they are to find this newsgroup itself. So if you
want to have the title of "rec.skiing.backcountry FAQ list" _mean_ anything
to most people, you better put some links on those pages to
news:rec.skiing.backcountry (and perhaps also links to some archive
locations) -- and nowadays most internet users would need explanations of
the terms "newsgroup" and "Usenet".


Hi Ken,

This is exactly why I'm asking if there is interest. I can add
a link or two, but 'maintaining' it is another issue.


they currently are highly ranked on search engines.


That's another valuable aspect of those FAQ pages. Apart from the question
of what to do with the content on the pages, that could be leveraged by
putting links on the page to other good resources -- including locations
of future updated versions of the FAQ by someone who wants to nurture it.

My advice about the content is to introduce and "frame" it with some
comments like you just made in your post. That you don't have the energy to
maintain them any more, and they are what they are as of July 14, 2002 or
whatever date. Maybe take out things you think might incur legal liability.
Then the pages would become like a normal published work. And they'd
continue to be very valuable to the community and to new skiers as just
that.


Great idea. Would you be willing to help a little? I think a link
to rsb on every page is a good idea. I can do that. I also think
a new chapter with links to internet resources would really help.

Would anyone be interested in hosting and maintaining that? The
rsb page could link to that site.

David

  #4  
Old November 11th 05, 05:49 PM
Switters
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On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:17:24 GMT, allegedly wrote:

Great idea. Would you be willing to help a little? I think a link
to rsb on every page is a good idea. I can do that. I also think
a new chapter with links to internet resources would really help.


I maintain the FAQ for rec.skiing.snowboard, having taken over from Mark
Wallace a few years back. It's interesting that the "REALLY IMPORTANT
DISCLAIMER STUFF" is practically the same for both of us. I suppose that
both were derived from the original alpine FAQ and the text copied
verbatim.

In terms of links to the newsgroup, I did this for the front page and for
one of the questions, so it's visible when someone visits the front page
but didn't require me to go and change things all over.

In terms of links to other resources, I found this a labour intensive
section. People remove their sites, new ones pop up all the time or the
content changes to something that you don't necessarily want to recommend.

For me, I'm winding down that section, with links to the CSAC and a few
others that I hope won't move. It's now down to 5 links. At the end of
the day, google is a better resource for stuff like that. IMHO.

For maintenance, I tend to update it once or twice a year when sat in
airports waiting for a flight. Keeps me out of trouble.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
Securing your e-mail

  #5  
Old November 11th 05, 06:46 PM
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Switters wrote:
On Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:17:24 GMT, allegedly wrote:

Great idea. Would you be willing to help a little? I think a link
to rsb on every page is a good idea. I can do that. I also think
a new chapter with links to internet resources would really help.


I maintain the FAQ for rec.skiing.snowboard, having taken over from Mark
Wallace a few years back. It's interesting that the "REALLY IMPORTANT
DISCLAIMER STUFF" is practically the same for both of us. I suppose that
both were derived from the original alpine FAQ and the text copied
verbatim.


Glen Baker maintained the original rec.skiing FAQ. It dates to the
late
80s. I haven't seen his name on a post in a long time...


In terms of links to the newsgroup, I did this for the front page and for
one of the questions, so it's visible when someone visits the front page
but didn't require me to go and change things all over.


I was thinking that I could do this with a script that would search for
rsb
and add a link to the group.


In terms of links to other resources, I found this a labour intensive
section. People remove their sites, new ones pop up all the time or the
content changes to something that you don't necessarily want to recommend.

For me, I'm winding down that section, with links to the CSAC and a few
others that I hope won't move. It's now down to 5 links. At the end of
the day, google is a better resource for stuff like that. IMHO.


Yep. The hut list is the same. When the list was originally composed,
time dated information was intentionally avoided. Links turn out to
be very fluid.

For maintenance, I tend to update it once or twice a year when sat in
airports waiting for a flight. Keeps me out of trouble.


There's an idea!

David

  #6  
Old November 16th 05, 02:52 AM
shields
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The posted information is very useful and should not be lost. Thank you to
the poster
Perhaps a backcountry equipment seller could help out some way on the
financial support end.. I know there is a lot of work in maintaining a web
site;
but the solutions to the problems are in the hands of the web-engineers. In
my experience, few backcountry skiers are able to edit web pages.

Anyway my experience is that there's very little connection between
discussion and static web content. A person posting to a discussion has
negative interest in wanting to learn that somebody else put up a web page
three years ago that already addresses that same topic five times better
than their current post.

Ken



  #7  
Old November 16th 05, 10:25 PM
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Default

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article ,
Kurt Knisely wrote:
In article , shields says...

In
my experience, few backcountry skiers are able to edit web pages.


I guess it depends upon where you live and who you ski with, but many of the BC
skiers I know are Software Engineers and design web pages and backend systems
for a living. It's not rocket science.

David, I'm willing to help, but it would be nice to get a better consensus as to
what everyone wants?


_ Do we really even need a FAQ any more? There's not much very
frequent about anything on this group....

_ Booker C. Bense



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  #8  
Old November 17th 05, 12:20 AM
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Posts: n/a
Default

shields wrote:
Perhaps a backcountry equipment seller could help out some way on the
financial support end. ... few backcountry skiers are able to edit web pages.


It just takes time, which is in short supply.


Kurt wrote
David, I'm willing to help, but it would be nice to get a better consensus as to
what everyone wants?


Thanks...


Booker wrote:
Do we really even need a FAQ any more? There's not much very
frequent about anything on this group....


The bottomline question. I think Ken's suggest to link the newsgroup
to
the page is good. I also think his suggestion to leave it as published
content is good and that doesn't take any effort from anyone.

The only page that I use but can't keep up is the huts page. I offered
it
to Mitch, but I haven't heard from him.

David

 




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