Re: How did *you* get into this business?

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> Here's a question I've been wondering about for some time: How and why
> do people get into the FAQ-maintaining business? I know some
> newsgroups have a formal selection process with a vote and everything,
> but I suspect this is the exception. I'd be interested in hearing how
> you became maintainers.

When I started reading alt.sex.movies, there was no FAQ, so quite a few of
us would answer the same questions over and over.

Then, out of the blue, a FAQ appeared from someone we never heard of...
but it was good, so we relied upon it for a while.

About a month later, ANOTHER FAQ appeared, this one was three parts, also
by someone we had never heard of. (meaning not a regualr contributor)

Then calls were made for a reposting of the FAQ... and they went unheeded.
The maintainers had seemingly dropped their FAQs. I started reposting
the first FAQ upon request.

FInally, there was too much not covered in the FAQs that I combined parts
from each of the two "abandoned" FAQs. Then I started adding and changing
and revising until none of their work was left and it was all mine.

I am on the cusp of finishing the lastest revision (v5.00) and the FAQ is
now 9 parts and about 200K...

But its a good thing. I am now consulted by members of the adult video
industry who want to participate in our forum without becoming
universally hated like the first participant in or group is... the
President of Vivid Video has made the FAQ and select postings from a.s.m.
required reading for his employees...

It's a pretty exciting time, actually, because the industry never had a
collective installed fan base like they do now. Hollywood always had the
Neilsen familys of CineScores or whatever polling groups, but the adult
video industry never had such a thing. And now, if you believe Brian
Reid, we have 130,000 people (read consumers) to poll.

The biggest trick is to get them to keep their advertising in
alt.sex.erotica.marketplace... ;-)

Be well.

Jeff

+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jeff Knapp |
| "The Director" director@gti.net |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
And now for something completely different:

Monty Python On Rhymes:
He seeks them here, he seeks them there, He seeks those lupines
everywhere.
-- Lord of Buckingham on Dennis Moore

• Next message: Perry Rovers: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"
• Previous message: tombaker@acs.bu.edu: "Re: Can one submit a draft ?"
• Maybe in reply to: Bill Keyes aka the Ferret-Meister: "How did *you* get into this business?"
• Next in thread: Lani Teshima-Miller: "Re: How did *you* get into this business?"

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