Re: How did *you* get into this business?

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J.D. Falk (jdfalk@cais.com)
Sun, 4 Jun 1995 12:19:21 -0400 (EDT)


On Fri, 2 Jun 1995, Pat Berry wrote:

> Here's a question I've been wondering about for some time: How and why
> do people get into the FAQ-maintaining business? I know some newsgroups
> have a formal selection process with a vote and everything, but I
> suspect this is the exception. I'd be interested in hearing how you
> became maintainers.

My first two FAQs were for the ShadowRN and NERPS mailing lists;
as a frequently correct poster in both lists, I was considered a good
choice to take over when the listowner realized he didn't have enough time
to mail 'em out to all new subscribers.
Next was alt.internet.media-coverage -- I was the person most
vocally saying "we need a FAQ!" in the group, so I sorta got stuck writing
it. After I had posted a few drafts, Tristan Louis <tristan@dorsai.org>
filled in enough blanks that he'd written half the FAQ, so I asked him to
be co-maintainer (which he still is.)
As for dc.forsale, I was contacted by some D.C. area people who
knew about my work with the media-coverage FAQ. So I took a look at the
group, realized that it really did need a FAQ with posting guidelines
(one out of four postings was non-local), and modified the phl.forsale
FAQ to fit in better with D.C.
That was going to be it for me. But, having seen my work with
dc.forsale, some of the admins here at Capital Area Internet Service asked
me to do a FAQ for a system-local newsgroup called 'cais.social', and said
they'd stop charging me for this account. Of course, I agreed.
Just call me Five FAQs Falk.

-------------========== J.D. Falk <jdfalk@cais.com> =========-------------
| "The First Amendment was designed to protect offensive speech, |
| because nobody ever tries to ban the other kind." |
| -- Mike Godwin, staff counsel, EFF |
--------========== http://www.cais.com/jdfalk/home.html ==========--------



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