discuss: Dealing with poor maintenance by maintainers
Subject:
Re: Dealing with poor maintenance by maintainers
From:
"Joy Y Goodreau" ####@####.####
Date:
14 May 2002 19:15:18 -0000
Message-Id: <OFF4603199.020927F0-ON85256BB9.0068A81F@pok.ibm.com>
Policies on how we handle issues are a great idea. This would set an
standard of cause and effect relationships for actions. It seems like we
have some of the same discussions over and over again. Yet, we determine a
course of action for the one instance but not the overreaching topic. It
think it is easier to make room for the exceptions to a policy than to
re-invent the same decision for each document.
An example of a policy area that I am deciding is: new documents to the
site are being reviewed before being published, if review suggestions are
ignored, what happens then?
Another is: The same documents are called into question over and over
again. What is our procedure for addressing these "problem" documents. What
is our policy on removing the document from the site if authors refuse to
update or fix documents that are full of incorrect information.
A policy manual would also make it easier when we staffers pass on our
positions to others for them to understand where we are and how we do
things. I have been working out the policies for my areas and trying to
define my role. I feel like I have been re-defining a wheel that already
worked.
Tabatha, if you are willing to at least rough this out or define some
areas, I will co-chair or assist you in any way possible.
Joy Y. Goodreau
Linux Information Developer
LDP Collections Editor
Ofc. (512) 838-4118
T/L 678-4118
####@####.####
David Merrill
<david@lupercalia To: ####@####.####
.net> cc:
Subject: Re: Dealing with poor maintenance by maintainers
05/14/2002 07:25
AM
On Mon, May 13, 2002 at 12:14:59PM -0400, Tabatha Persad wrote:
> Yes! This is exactly what I meant!
>
> To me, the idea of being published in the LDP does give an author a place
to
> showcase their writing abiities and benefit the community at the same
time.
>
> When I incorporated the FAQ (previously the only source of information)
at
> The Linux Counter into my HOWTO, I credited the author of the FAQ in my
> credits section. Since he got credit for his original work, he was
pleased.
> Of course, it helps to point out that before I got started I did ask the
> author of the FAQ if he had created a howto or any additional help
> documentation, and he handed the job over to me since he didn't have
time, or
> anymore beyond the faq.
>
> We also now credit authors of press clippings who mention The Linux
Counter
> to encourage people to write about it, so they will have more incentive
to
> use and write about the statistics. Hey if they're going to mention our
> name, we should mention theirs too!
>
> My verbose point is that showing authors upfront how their document will
be
> handled, should they choose to stop maintaining it, should either
encourage
> them to maintain it, or consider an alternative if they choose not to. I
> suppose it would help to mention the benefits in there somewhere before
the
> detriments (if you can call it that). Above all, these authors chose to
list
> their documentation with the LDP, and with that there are standards....
after
> all, there's not an Author's Guide for nothing!
We really should develop a policy manual on how to handle all of these
things. We have traditions and conventions we follow, but not all of
them are written down.
Anybody want to try collecting that stuff into a document? Hint, hint,
Tab!
You could start with an outline of what policies we should have in it,
then we'll lay out the noncontroversial stuff, and see what
controversies we uncover. Probably not too many, we have worked
through most of those types of issues. They just need to be documented
so we have it in print and it can easily be communicated to authors
and volunteers.
--
David C. Merrill http://www.lupercalia.net
Linux Documentation Project ####@####.####
Lead Developer http://www.tldp.org
Microsoft always listens. It occasionally does the right thing, but only
when that fits comfortably into the larger plan.
-- Dan Gillmor
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