Hello too!

[Cindy C.]

Abigail wrote:

> 1. I'm a bit fuzzy about the difference between a Fantastic Posts 
>essay and a Hypothetic Alley essay.  How exactly do you determine 
>whether a discussion will be covered by a FP or HA?  For example, 
>if we were writing a Harry FP, where would Stoned!Harry go?  

Ah, OK.  Good question.

HA is supposed to refer to TBAY discussion and theories.  An HA 
entry should just summarize the theory briefly (and hopefully in a 
mildly entertaining fashion) and include links to the applicable 
TBAY posts.

The FPs are compilations of posts written in an essay style.  There 
can be overlap between the subjects discussed in HA and FP, of 
course.  An FP can take a very long time to write, but an HA update 
is usually only a paragraph or two -- unless it is a kitchen 
appliance.



 
> 2. I've been looking around the FP, and I notice a great variety 
>in how the articles are set up.  Some essays are bullet points with 
>relevant message numbers, and others present arguments in condensed 
>forms while pointing to representative messages of those  
>arguments.  Is there a preferred form?

Yes, there most definitely is a preferred form -- whatever form 
makes *you* happy.

<waits for chorus of "awwwwwwww" to die down>

Seriously, you can write your FP in any fashion that suits you.  
Porphyria, bless her, came up with standard templates so that the 
FPs resemble one another visually, but content, organization and 
style are completly up to you.

Unless you violate the guidelines Porphyra wrote up for FP writers, 
which are somewhere in the files section.  You should read them 
before you start writing.  If you deviate from Porphyria's  
guidelines, well . . . there's nothing I can do to save you from a 
hideous fate.  ;-)


 
> 3. When writing an FP, how do you decide which topics go in?  Is 
>one person responsible  for an FP from beginning to end, or is the 
<work parceled out?

Again, it's totally up to you.  Often, it is a good idea to 
collaborate with someone else.  If it is something that comes up 
frequently, it is probably a good candidate.  Personally, I tend to 
rely on the posts that say whatever it is most clearly and 
succinctly.  We're not trying to reflect every post on the subject; 
just the better ones, I think.

 
> 4. The biggie: what is the purpose of Fantastic Posts?  Are they 
>meant to serve as a stepping stones for newbies, providing an 
>alternative to Yahoo!mort's dreaded search 
> feature, or are the essays supposed to be 'position papers', 
>providing a condensed analysis of their topic for whoever might be 
>interested?  I suspect the answer is both, and 
> also some other things which I haven't thought of.

We have to have a **purpose?**

OK.  I hereby move that we adopt the following as the FAQ List 
Mission Statement, to be enshrined on our home page:

"Our challenge is to continually foster performance based synergy so 
that we may competently initiate process-centric scenarios to meet 
our members' collective needs.  It's our responsibility to 
progressively revolutionize accurate opportunities so that we may 
seamlessly leverage other's resource-leveling methods of empowerment 
and enthusiastically coordinate cooperative services through 
continuous improvement. Finally -- and most importantly -- we build 
trust and teamwork to conveniently facilitate enterprise-wide 
leadership skills to allow us to credibly negotiate cross-unit core 
competencies and also distinctively leverage existing virtual 
potentialities because that is what the member expects. "

Second?

Actually, I don't know the answer to your question, so I'd go with 
both.  I think the FPs are meant to provide an overview of the best 
of past discussion, largely to help new members get up to speed.  
After all, if they have to rely on Yahoo's search function, then new 
members will be stymied before they even get started.

 
> 5. Brainwave: what about Nimbus?  


Hey, this is a very good idea!  I don't know what the Nimbus team is 
planning, so I'll kick this question over to them.

Heidi?  Gwen?  Penny?


> Well, I have to go - today is Student Day, a 36-hour-long 
>extravaganza, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time.  
>Mostly it's an excuse for corporate sponsors to harangue a captive 
>audience, but they're bringing in some good bands.

Is there, um, beer involved?  ;-)

Cindy -- who just had her car towed to the mechanic and who is 
waiting for The Diagnosis