[wp-hackers] Wordpress StackExchange is ready.

[Potkanski, Jason]

I was in the middle of writing a similar response, I'll scrap it and fully agree with Eric. How about a "+1".

For Support: A Q/A format is great. The Q/A format groups the question, and a tidbit of the post in the search results. On the actual Q/A page, the question is on the top with the best answer right below the post. Subsequent threads on the answers are in tiny font. I have the Q/A, and further context if I really need it.

For Howtos: A wiki format is the best here.

For Development Discussion: A traditional forum format is best here, or mailing list.

Maybe this is more about UX Design of wordpress.org?

-Jason Potkanski
Tribune Technology


On 6/2/10 1:27 PM, "eric at eamann.com" <eric at eamann.com> wrote:

That's exactly where the dichotomy is - between a question/answer site
('WordPress Answers') and a conversation site (wordpress.org forums).  If I am
looking for the solution to a particular answer, seeing a list of potential
answers with community votes and a "this is the right answer" flag is far more
useful than an endless list of "I have this problem, too!" posts.

I've been using the wordpress.org forums ever since I started using WordPress.
I asked questions that went unanswered.  I answered questions that seemed stale
and forgotten by the community.  But all the while, the "answer" and "support"
feeling of the forums was missing.  It's a great place to have a conversation on
a topic, but if I'm looking for a specific answer, it's the last place I go.

I've had much more success using Google to search for information ... and 9
times out of 10 I find the answer on either Stack Overflow or a miscellaneous
user's personal tutorial than on wordpress.org.

What I'm trying to say, though, is that there's a need for both.  We need a
question/answer site and we need a community forum.  Trying to fill both needs
with one solution is a flawed strategy from the get-go, and you'll always end up
with people in both camps claiming the others' efforts are misguided.

~Eric


On June 2, 2010 at 6:02 PM Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 12:59 PM, Arlen Beiler <arlenbee at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> P.S. *Assuming* WordPress Answers really takes off (as it appears it
> >> might), probably the best thing Automattic could do would be to embrace it
> >> fully and configure it to be served from http://answers.wordpress.org.
> >> JMTCW.
> >
> > That is one thing I have been thinking of since the beginning, and I like
> > the idea *VERY much.*
>
> I'm personally very much against that. StackExchange and that whole
> set of sites in general is extremely user unfriendly. Even I find it
> difficult to use and hard to find what I'm looking for on there.
>
> I'd rather we revamp the existing forum structure into something
> better, with new features. Forums are better than weird
> "question/answer" sites that nobody can follow or have conversations
> on.
>
> So no, I'm not supporting this notion at all.
>
> -Otto
> _______________________________________________
> wp-hackers mailing list
> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
_______________________________________________
wp-hackers mailing list
wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers