[sdiy] Wikipedia as synth resource

[Magnus Danielson]

From: "john mahoney" <jmahoney at gate.net>
Subject: [sdiy] Wikipedia as synth resource
Date: Sat, 1 May 2004 11:27:50 -0400
Message-ID: <0b7401c42f90$dd48d330$6400a8c0 at BABYUTEST>

> Rather than answering the same newbie * questions every month, or telling
> people to search the archives, we could direct people to Wiki pages -- if
> those pages had the right info.

> * That's not meant as a slam on newbies, as they can't help but have the
> same old questions.

Actually, I think this kind of reasoning is rubish!

First, on Synth-DIY most of the newbie question isn't a problem, and to be
honest, not on AH either. However, the dry and sometimes even rude comments to
check the archives is much worse! It doesn't give a welcoming feeling to the
first thing slap people in the face. Also, I often find that it is even the
newbie questions that sometimes causes the interesting discussions among those
who actually know stuff. The newbie has in his blessed state of ignorance of
what the view is been able to ask the wrong question in a interesting enought
way that we have something new to discuss. If everybody agrees about everything
there is not needs for discussions and thus no need for the list. I even find
it challenging (in a positive way) to correctly answer a newbie question.

This kind of "bandwidth compression" way of thinking may have been usefull for
the USENET NEWS but I don't think it is a good way of doing things for us. It
doesn't promote to get a good discussion and working social community. It is
even since we lack it in Synth-DIY that we work better than some other places.
The archives exists (is BTW really everything in the archives? I don't think
so!) and they are a great resource and we should always recommend a visit
there, but I don't think it is useful to always refer to it, and specifically
it isn't usefull if you don't know the correct search-terms. The best way to
refer back to the archive is by actually give a sufficient reference in order
to actually find it in the archive, else it is like just pointing to the
library and not say which section of a particular book in the library the
answer could be found.

I don't think it is a bad idea to have alot of information online, on the
contruary, but I think bringing the politics of it into the list is a definite
no-no and is just a missleading idea. Don't fix it, it works!

In my mind the same could be said to your post on the AH, but it is much more
politically polarized and IMHO that doesn't really solve anything there.
So, please do not fiddle with how things are done here at Synthi-DIY, I think
we are doing well enought as it is. Not all perfect, but manageable most of the
time.

Cheers,
Magnus