[plug] Newcomer Website

[Arie Hol]

I would like to share with the list a message  that I sent to Carl Gherardi in response to an 
off-list email he sent me earlier. 


Hey Carl,

Thanks for the input.

On 29 Jan 2005 at 12:44, Carl Gherardi wrote:

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I have been absolutely blown away by the quality and quantity of the off-list responses.

At the moment my ego needs a bigger house to live in, but I am daunted by the expectation 
that has been laid at my feet.

I plan to continue with the project in its' current form, I realise that I cannot please everybody -

but I will do my best to achieve a happy medium. 

I will take the site to the full extent that I have already planned - then I will polish it up 
based on input from other people and where possible the needs of newcomers.

There are many avenues that can be followed and many ideas that are so tempting, but I 
will stay within my own abilities and comfort zone.

I like the K.I.S.S. approach but I do realise that I must embrace and promote the learning 
and advancement aspects of what I am doing.

The basic philosophy I am trying to observe :

Start simple (boring for some - sorry !)

Up front the site will appear simple and hopefully attractive to newcomers.

As users feel more comfortable with what they find on the site, hopefully they will dig deeper. 

As they do - the context and content will gradually advance to more technical ideas, language 
and content. Many users will not want to get too involved with terminology and activities of a 
technical nature. 

But they must also realise that to come into our world, they must at least understand some
aspects in order to communicate and derive  lasting benefits from the help and guidance they
receive.

If a user visits the site and works their way through the areas which are relevant to them - it
would be my hope that they have successfully built and installed a "dual boot" computer. 

When they have got that far they will no longer need my help.

They can then move into the Linux world as a user with a working machine, then they would 
pick up the normal flow of learning - just like everybody else.

Hand holding - Yes, wet nursing - No.

Have you ever been lost in the dark, alone and frightened ?

Well I just want to shine a light and lead someone to the door.

Building the site will not be a problem, my challenge lies with crafting the pathway from :

newcomer -----> new user  -----> happy user ---->  willing helper -----> mentor

This is where I will need the help of more experienced Linux users - and as I have said before 
there are a great many talented people available through this list and P.L.U.G.

It is one thing to have a newcomer with a problem - but it is a nightmare for all concerned if that
user cannot explain what the problem is - or doesn't know how to frame the question. 

By the same token the helper may be pointed in the wrong direction and provide an inappropriate
solution.

"The secret of learning lies not in the knowing of answers, but in the knowing of the questions." 

Regards Arie
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