[mapserver-dev] [mapserver-users] Adding stackexchange to our support channels

[Lime, Steve D (MNIT)]

I think this is an ok idea - I use stackexchange constantly for answers.  The issue I see is adding another support channel to watch and knowing what to recommend to users. Are the mailing list and stackexchange considered equal? Would we want to move certain questions from one to the other to improve findability? Should the FAQ be migrated to stackexchange?

Official to me means enough +1's from the PSC AND power users to add a link to the website(s), along with a message to mapserver-users.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of thomas bonfort
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2013 5:32 AM
To: MapServer Dev Mailing List; MapserverList OSGEO
Subject: [mapserver-users] Adding stackexchange to our support channels

Hi MapServer Users and Power-Users,

As FrankW pointed out during our FOSS4G presentation, I would like to propose that we add stackexchange as an "official" support channel for MapServer. You can check and subscribe to mapserver related questions
here: http://stackexchange.com/filters/90617/mapserver

Why?

- Stackexchange questions and answers are very well referenced through search engines, which would avoid recurring questions from being brought up on the mailing list
- The answers get up or down-voted by the community, allowing a user to immediately flesh out relevant information for a given question
- Asking a question on stack-exchange might help new users to seek for help, instead of having to subscribe and post to a public mailing list (which can be intimidating)

How?

- By referencing stackexchange in our "getting help" documentation section
- Most importantly, by having MapServer power users subscribe and participate to the stackexchange questions, providing answers or upvoting correct existing answers.

Users, is this something that you would find beneficial?
Power-users, would you be willing to participate to another support channel, knowing that in the long run the aim is to reduce your workload as the most common questions will answer themselves ?
PSC, should we have some kind of motion to vote and officialise this?

best regards,
Thomas
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