Good support channels matter
Why we should learn to stop worrying and love the Stack@ronjouch - slideshare.net/ronjouch/good-support-channels-matter
● @ronjouch, {information, music} nerd● Learned Python recently● First project: simple GAE-based music
discovery service, dailygrooves.org
Who
Wat?!
● Python newbie?● GAE?● Oauth2?● First project?
This didn't go as planned...
Moar.
Still there?
Yup.
This is getting familiar.
Oh well.
But one thing was smooth:
● The tool enabling me (as user of a software project) to get support from competent people:
● Why?
1. Rubber duck problem solving
codinghorror.com/blog/2012/03/rubber-duck-problem-solving.html
● SO encourages to ask well:– Describe, give just enough context
– Express yourself clearly
● As a result,– You may answer your own question
– Question potentially ready for answers
2. Standing on apt UI/features
● Formatting: Bold, Italic, Links, Numbered lists, Inline/block highlighted code, Separators, ...
● Clear separation of:– Initial question
– Answers– Discussion
● <Insert pet feature here>● All possible with HTML mailing lists.
In practice though, it's often a mess.
3. There's no 3.
All in all
● What if we actually chose the Q/A tool powering new projects?– Mailing lists: great for discussion.
But what about focused Q/A?
– Revisioning / collaboration tools are moving fastWhat about our support tools?
Caveats / Things I'm not saying
● Doc is useless. No.→
● SO saves your project from newbies asking documented things.
→ I'm proof it won't... But I'd probably have done the same in a mailing list / Newbies →
can only digest so much.● Who cares about the why, SO askers just want the how.
No! And SO is a fine place to ask/tell about the → why.● Mailing lists are obsolete / StackOverflow all the things!
ML good for many things, SO g→ ood for QA and QA only.
Thing I'm saying
● When thinking about support channels for your next project or meme cat generator,– Have a mailing list...
– … and consider a more apt channel for QA:
● Cloud: StackOverflow● FOSS: AskBot, OSQA...
Thank you! Questions?
@ronjouch - slideshare.net/ronjouch/good-support-channels-matter
