Frequently Given Answers

Many people refer to "Frequently Asked Questions" documents. But they are missing the point. The point of such documents is not the questions. If one wanted to read the questions, one could simply read the discussion forum concerned. After all, the questions are posted there frequently.

The point of the documents is the answers. The documents contain the answers that people would otherwise find themselves giving over and over again. The idea is that rather than laboriously compose and post the same answers repeatedly, people can refer the questioners to a single document with pre-prepared answers.

So really people should be talking about Frequently Given Answers.


© Copyright 1991-2003 Jonathan de Boyne Pollard. "Moral" rights asserted.
Permission is hereby granted to copy and to distribute this web page in its original, unmodified form as long as its last modification datestamp is preserved.