Feedster Support
Feedster has a blog where they’re recording questions users send to their support e-mail address. The questions and answers are logged in this space. A blog can be a great way to share and develop a knowledge base.
During a brief discussion on an e-mail list I’m on, some people working on frequently asked questions lists expresssed hesitancy when it came to posting the entire text of an e-mail online, even without the inquirer’s identity, as Feedster does. I met one of these support guys. Maybe I’ll drop him a line to see how he does it–if they’re sharing the text verbatim, getting permission from the inquirer first, or what. Will people be less likely to ask a question if they know their e-mail might be posted for the world to see? That was certainly a concern of one of the contributors to that recent discussion about FAQs.
Addendum 10/27: Scott addresses the privacy issue I raised with regards to Feedster. For those of us maintaining FAQs, is it appropriate to use a similar disclaimer?
October 29th, 2004 at 5:10 am
No. It’s appopriate to ask for specific permission. What you will write for a private communication with a vendor may not be what you would want to write for public consumption and negative consent is a trap for the unwary.