Jim Dettman
jimdettman at verizon.net
Fri Aug 7 07:51:19 CDT 2009
Charlotte, I'd be the first to admit that the PAQ database (Previously Asked Question) has gone down in quality tremendously. When the site first started out, it was of course smaller and had much more of that "community feel" to it like Access-D does. There were far fewer questions and answers were more concise. In the Access area, there were only a dozen or so at most of Access Experts. Now with the number of members in the millions, it has moved more to a "ask a question, get an answer" type format rather then relying on the PAQ. Although EE still says that about 80% of the members still don't ask questions and get their answers from the PAQ, I find it hard to believe. You need to wade through a lot of stuff. Personally, unless you have a very specific question (ie. you have an error message or something like that), it's very hard to get a answer from the PAQ anymore. Your far better off to simply post a question and get an answer and with the number of people now on the site, that happens fairly quickly. That's really no different then what happens here on Access-D. You post and get an answer or someone says "search the archives". I think here on Access-D though there is a lot more quality to the posts then a lot of what you'll find on EE. It's turned into too much of a points race there (Experts get points for answering questions) so answers tend to be short and quick. That all started when they allowed members unlimited question points. Before that, the amount of points you had with which to ask questions was limited, so you asked good questions and were more involved with the answer. Now that's not the case and many questioners simply give up and move onto another question since it basically costs them nothing. This is another reason why the PAQ has gone way down in quality. EE has finally started to put a cap on that by limiting the number of questions you can have open, but it's too little too late I'm afraid. As far as the paying part, I always remember TANSTAAFL; There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. As I've already pointed out, you sign up and pay or contribute and get the service for free. They do have a limited membership for 30 days that is free to try things out, but 30 days is all you get. And to be clear, my point for posting all this is not to do this as a form of promoting EE here, but trying to figure out what it is about EE that everyone dislikes so much. I have to say, I was quite surprised at the level of resentment towards EE the last time this came up. So much so that you guys actually worked out a way to eliminate it from Google search results. What I want to understand is it a matter of EE being misunderstood, or the way in which it actually operates that is the problem. Frankly I'm surprised that more of you have not shown up there or else where. I guess though that is a testament to Access-D. Jim. -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Charlotte Foust Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:05 PM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: Re: [AccessD] Moderator Message I have often wondered how Experts Exchange stays in business. I have been a member in the past, but never could find the answers I needed (where were those MVPs then, I wonder) and I resent not being able to preview an article before I decide that I'm willing to pay for it. It irritates me no end to follow a search link and discover I have to pay up and sign in to even find out whether the piece is relevant. Charlotte Foust -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim Dettman Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 12:33 PM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] Moderator Message Ken, <<3. Co-opt Experts Exchange It burns me that experts-exchange, AKA 'drooling idiots trying to charge money for non-answers', is so dominating in technical search results. They understand SEO, and are clobbering use in terms of exposure, even if they have nothing to offer. What a waste!>> I think you really need to ask yourself that if they have nothing to offer, then: A. Why are they still in business? B. Why do they have so much exposure? I don't know what you and others have run into on Experts Exchange, but at last count, there are over 200 Microsoft MVPs that call Expert's Exchange home. I don't believe there is a larger concentration of MVP's anywhere on any site. Certainly there are idiots that will spout off non-answers, but there are also a lot of qualified folks who hang out there as well. I find what seems to gall people the most is that they charge for the service and make money at it. Personally, I find nothing wrong with that. EE incorporated in 1996 and almost went bankrupt along with a lot of the other .com's that burst. But they changed their business model to something that worked and as a result, their still around. That allows them to continually work at and improve the site. As you yourself point out; when's the last time Access-D had an overhaul and why not? Outside of all that, you can earn a membership by answering a few questions a month. So if you contribute, then it costs you nothing. I've been involved with the site since 1999 (after CompuServe went more or less belly up - they sold out to WUGNET) and so far, I have not paid a dime. Of course if your looking for more exposure and something that's free, then I suppose you could try the Microsoft news groups. They haven't changed their format either, but they certainly show up in the search results more often then Access-D. Jim. -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com