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.2008-11-08)

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