[resent because I left one of Majordomo's magic words unmangled,
apologies in advance if this appears twice]
This seems to be the same debate that led me to uns*bscr*b* from this
list several years ago, and the signal:noise and light:heat ratios do
not seem to have changed much over time.
Let me see if I can summarize these debate topics
in a format appropriate for those on this list:
Q: What is the best format for my FAQ?
A: One that works for you and the readers of that FAQ.
Q: What is the best format for everyone else's FAQs?
A: One that works for them and the readers of those FAQs.
Q: Shouldn't there be *one true FAQ format*?
A: No.
Q: How is "FAQ" pronounced - "fack" or "eff-eh-cue"?
A: It depends.
Q: Is it "a FAQ" or "an FAQ"
A: That depends on the previous answer, usually:
"an eff-eh-cue" but "a fack"
Q: How do most people format FAQs?
A: It depends:
1) some standard structured format (HTML/XML/SGML/etc.)
that can be processed into plain text
or other structured formats.
2) some text format (digest, etc.) that can be processed
into some structured format(s).
3) some non-standard structured format
that can be processed into plain text
or other structured formats.
Q: Which format should I use?
A: One that works for you and your readers.
Q: No, really, which format should I use?
A: Really, one that works for you and your readers.
Q: Okay, what are some formats I should consider using?
A: As a start, in order from simple to complicated
[description improvements welcome]
1) As plain text for posting to net newsgroups,
possibly split into separate posts.
2) As plain text available in one file on a web site.
3) In HTML, in one file, with a table of contents (TOC) that has
internal hyperlinks to sections of the file/page/document,
and perhaps links to each question and answer.
4) In HTML in "section" files, with a top-level TOC of hyperlinks
that includes links to all the section files and the questions
within those files, and with similar TOCs in each section.
5) In HTML in "leaf" files, with each question and answer in a
separate file, but otherwise linked similarly to 4.
6) combination and variations of 1-5
7) combination and variations of 3-5, implemented with more
recent HTTP tools - CGI, SSI, PHP, etc.
8) combinations and variations of 1-5 and many other formats:
Postscript, TeX, LaTeX, PDF, and more, often depending on
the interests of the readers of a particular FAQ.
My personal preference is for 3 or 4, but opinions vary widely.
If you choose 5 or above, consider making a 2 plain text version
available for people with slow, erratic, or high-latency connections,
and for people who may want to do text searches on the whole document.
Q: How do people set up hyperlinks in FAQs?
A: Some do links so that URLs persist into a
rendered/posted/printed copy, like:
You can use Deja News at
while others just use the URL once, like:
You can use
[HREF lines folded here to emphasize repetition]
Q: What about navigation links?
Recall that readers may leap into the middle of your FAQ from a search
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A: Links back to section and master TOCs, and to the
top of the current and next sections are useful.
engine result, and may want to navigate from that point without
having seen any context or introductory material.
in any language except like, VAlgol, for sure.]
--
Denis McKeon
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