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.2008-06-12)

399.   What are some common methods of radio-based navigation?   [overcode/2004-01-03]
332.   What is the best hostel to stay at while in Amsterdam?   [jake/2002-10-25]
309.   What does the YAK do about SPAM?   [strick/2002-02-26]
230.   What is a good book to get started with Python?   [rupe/2001-05-30]
213.   When and where is the next space launch?   [rupe/2001-04-17]
175.   What's the best wine with chocolate chip cookies?   [strick/2001-02-11]
169.   Where does The YAK go out to eat?   [strick/2001-04-24] ( combee/2001-05-29 )
164.   what are the first 4096 digits of the numerical constant PI?   [jesse/2001-01-17]
163.   What is the easiest way to pause execution of a program in java, without threads?   [jesse/2001-01-13]
146.   What commands do UNIX system administrators commonly use?   [rupe/2000-11-09] ( strick/2001-01-04 )
121.   What time is it?   [rupe/2000-09-18] ( josh/2001-04-03 strick/2001-03-10 )
81.   How do I do port-forwarding with ssh?   [robey/2001-03-25]
76.   How can I run my 486 25 at 247 mhz?   [jj/2000-04-16]
37.   What is this "goo" that holds the yak together?   [robey/2000-02-01]
34.   What are some good World Wide Web facts I can impress my friends with?   [simon/2000-01-28]
25.   What does CLEC stand for in the telco business?   [simon/2000-01-22] ( jesse/2000-11-22 )
23.   What is an extropian?   [strick/2000-01-19]
1.   From whom did The Yak borrow the idea of Frequently Questioned Answers?   [strick/2000-01-19]