Re: FAQ document - HELP

[Scott Miller <smiller -at- PORTAL -dot- COM>]

FAQs include the most frequently asked questions, but they can also be
used effectively, even in online help, to cover such things as:

- Telling about hidden features.
- Describing mysterious things in the UI.
- Explaining software behaviour that is counter-intuitive.
- Describing capabilities that are possible only when combining more
than one feature.

In other words, you can use a FAQ as a sort of grab bag for things that
otherwise get lost in the normal documentation, or just don't fit in
logically in the normal documentation organization.

The danger with FAQs is that they can only support so much information.
They're just a sort of random list of info tid-bits, and if the list
gets long, nobody will bother with it. You can organize it into
categories, for example, FAQs about installation, FAQs about
configuration, and so forth, but then you quickly start to run into
organization problems, such as which category to put a question in.

One real benefit is that you can present information in an informal,
almost casual way. Therefore, you don't have to worry about how it fits
into an existing structure, or if it's repetetive, and so on. You can
also use a FAQ as a navigation tool, that is, present a Q&A and then
point to where to get more information.

- Scott Miller
smiller -at- portal -dot- com

--------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know what an FAQ document is, how to create one, or have a
> sample of one?
>


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