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