Technical support on the list [was Re: rogers rocket stick sierra 330U]

Fri Sep 14 14:43:25 UTC 2012

Mathieu,

you have made very valid points.  Thank you for doing so. 

This list and user group meetings are both necessary. 

I would also like to clarify and point out to experienced Ubuntu  users who are giving advice, to explain in lay language what they are explaining.

Almost always I am not able to understand the technical jargon and acronyms being used.

In fact, I can't say I understood or fully understood one post where something was explained,  since I got on here a couple of months ago. 

To all explainers,  when you do explain something please remember that you may know the person who asked the question and know his level of experience.

But remember also remember he may not know or understand as much as you think,  and that there are others who are beginners, who are not the least bit familiar with the tech jargon and acronyms.

So; to all posters, if you are using jargon or acronyms of any kind, always define and explain them clearly, in a way that a beginner will understand what they mean and how they are used and what they do. 

Thanks,

David 

> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:35:23 -0400
> Subject: Technical support on the list [was Re: rogers rocket stick sierra	330U]
> From: mathieu-tl at ubuntu.com
> To: ubuntu-ca at lists.ubuntu.com
> 
> On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 6:47 PM, Kip Warner <kip at thevertigo.com> wrote:
> [...]
> > Imagine that a new non-Ubuntu person is living in Canada and just got
> > excited about Ubuntu. They Googled around and discovered there's this
> > thing called "Ubuntu Canada". Cool! They have a mailing list too.
> > Great!! So, they join up (subscribe), and start reading prior posts to
> > get a feel for the state of Ubuntu in Canada.
> >
> > What do they find? Ubuntu never works. The list is mostly silent but
> > then suddenly erupts into a flood of "How do I get my blah working with
> > blah on my blah, blah..." followed by a bunch of "Try this try that." In
> > short they find: *A whole lot of fail.*
> 
> No, what they find is that *when* something doesn't work, they can ask
> and get an answer pretty quickly, and have a reasonable chance to get
> things working. I still haven't seen a response about the Sierra 330U,
> but that doesn't mean it didn't work.
> 
> > If we really want to build community and spread Ubuntu, please let's
> > not fool ourselves into thinking random tech support on a mailing list
> > is the answer. Let's actually do something real. Get away from your
> > screens, host an Ubuntu hour or similar event in a public place. Invite
> > people. Be fun and friendly. And, if you see someone on the list asking
> > for help, give them real advice that helps everyone: send them to an
> > official Ubuntu support channel. Better still, find someone locally near
> > them to lend a hand in person, the Ubuntu way.
> 
> Let's not fool ourselves and think tech support on a mailing list
> isn't the answer. Some people would much rather use a local mailing
> list than AskUbuntu or calling in to Canonical to get support. Some
> other support channels are even more daunting to new users or people
> who are trying Ubuntu but don't necessarily know much about computers.
> Would you send just about anyone to #ubuntu on IRC for support? IRC
> tends to be scary to a lot of people.
> 
> Let's not fool ourselves and think that everyone who touches Ubuntu
> suddenly wants to go to activities organized by a group of Linux
> users. I think it's unfortunate, but some people just don't care about
> this and simply want to use their computer. Then there are those who
> live too far to get to whatever might be organized (let's keep in mind
> this is Canada...) or are simply too shy to go to user group meetings.
> 
> Let's not fool ourselves and think there aren't very capable people on
> this mailing list who can give clear, effective answers to technical
> problems. If you disagreed with any of the advice that was written in
> the thread, please make sure you clearly respond to the sender to tell
> them what you think was wrong, of if there is an easier way to do
> something. It's always appreciated.
> 
> I'm not saying don't host events. They're a great way to get to know
> better the people you communicate with on a mailing list, or to show
> your gratitude to someone who may have helped you out.
> 
> I'm just saying that technical support on a mailing list is very
> effective, and actually accomplishes something.
> 
> If you feel the list is mostly silent and doesn't show that the Ubuntu
> Canada LoCo is active, then by all means, please write on the list
> more often, share your ideas, organize more events...
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre <mathieu-tl at ubuntu.com>
> Freenode: cyphermox, Jabber: mathieu.tl at gmail.com
> 4096R/EE018C93 1967 8F7D 03A1 8F38 732E  FF82 C126 33E1 EE01 8C93
> 
> -- 
> ubuntu-ca mailing list
> ubuntu-ca at lists.ubuntu.com
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-ca

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