Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 10:35:54 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Some thoughts on a FAQ Proposition
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
These projects always start off good with a lot of enthusiasm but wind up
bogged down.
I'd suggest that anyone that has an intertest in participating should
gather a list of their favorite VW information links and sit on them
until we're ready to take an inventory of the subjects that DO NOT need
to be covered.
After these links are collected they can be associated with Bentley
chapters.
I've got a bunch of links on my Power Search page that I commonly use to
refer list members to.
This is the link to that page ........ go to the bottom
http://williamwareagency.com/forsale/stanvan/POWER.HTM
This is presented only as an example and has many non relative links.
Additional FAQ need to be prepaired for Sunbaru and Conversions of other
types. Links to these pages is also needed.
Hopefully I'm not the "Boss of This Thing" because I can't contribute
much more than what you can find at my website or what you can glean from
my posts in the archives after you strip the BS out of it.
I would be willing to clean my own house, so to speak, and edit all of my
posts in the archives for a FAQ relating to Air Cooled.
I believe that someone should spider down the archives if they aren't in
a protected drive and burn a few CDs with the archives. This will provide
those interested with searchable databases to start working with.
Stan Wilder
83 Air Cooled Westfalia
On Wed, 29 May 2002 08:04:30 -0700 Bill Kasper
<dragonlist@IPMTS.UCSC.EDU> writes:
> i am with stan on this one. it would be much more useful to have it
> keyed to bentley, since it's common ground. ben huot's page is
> excellent, and a site done in that manner could be a great adjunct
> to
> the vanagon.com website (not that i am expecting ben to do it, not
> with
> his girlfriend smiling, ready to go "camping").
>
> frank, stan, and gary (and whoever else), i'll take a shot at
> something. don't have a lot of knowledge, perhaps just enough to
> be
> dangerous.
>
> bill
> '87 syncro westfalia
> santa cruz, ca
>
>
> On Tuesday, May 28, 2002, at 10:14 , Stan Wilder wrote:
>
> > I've got this mental picture of a wretched web document that
> surpasses
> > the bulk of the Bentleys manual, definitely a document with great
> thud
> > value if you use the 80 - 91 Version.
> > I'd suggest a different approach:
> > #1) A supplement to the Westy Equipment manual furnished with the
> Westy,
> > to contain tips and tricks relating only to Westy Equipment.
> > #2) A supplement to the Air Cooled and Water Cooled owners manual,
> to
> > contain tips and tricks relating to minor maintenance.
> > #3) A chapter by chapter supplement to the Bentleys manual with
> simple
> > tips and tricks and chapter corrections. Anybody that has repaired
> a
> > Vanagon or Westy using the manual finds holes in their
> information
> > delivery.
> > Taking this approach will provide structure and an architecture
> that can
> > be rendered up as a web document that is of reasonable size. In
> addition
> > it discourages plagiarizing the existing materials for content.
> > Additionally bringing the FAQ index into the context of providing
> links
> > to the many very informative sources on Vanagon / Westy / Bus
> > Maintenance that already exist on various member sites and other
> VW
> > sites.
> > If an individual wishes to FTP this information down and put it on
> a CD
> > then let be. Just zip it and park it at the Shareware Site.
> >
> > Stan Wilder
> > 83 Westfalia Air Cooled
> >
> > On Wed, 29 May 2002 00:32:10 EDT Frank Grunthaner
> <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>
> > writes:
> >> I have been surprised and pleased to receive a significant number
> of
> >> email
> >> responses expressing enthusiasm for the FAQ upgrade proposition.
> I
> >> also agree
> >> that really putting together a FAQ is a stunning amount of work
> for
> >> any one
> >> individual. I also agree with Stan and others that there is an
> >> impressive
> >> amount of garbage in the archives along with superstition and
> >> hearsay wisdom
> >> and anecdotal observations. But there is also a hard core of
> good
> >> information, increasingly hard to find.
> >>
> >> My proposition about using volunteers to take on one topic of
> >> personal
> >> interest was based on several tenets, including:
> >> 1. Some volunteers are already expert in the area. Their
> >> contribution to the
> >> group will be invaluable in any topic they choose.
> >> 2. The newbie (nubian is another topic entirely) who takes on a
> >> topic will
> >> soon become an expert in the area. Some experts have hands on
> >> experience, but
> >> many are just conversant with the literature. The archives are
> our
> >> literature, and the topical summary/assessment/response would be
> >> the
> >> equivalent of a solicited review paper.
> >> 3. The BS could be filtered by putting the material on the list
> in
> >> draft form
> >> for comment and discussion (peer review possibilities).
> >> 4. The topic writer could use any sources ... the archives
> surely,
> >> but the
> >> technical literature, the Bosch Automotive handbook, listees and
> >> other web
> >> sites, or their own base experience. The topic could include
> >> archive
> >> references, other web links, etc, etc.
> >> 5. I would suggest that the cognizant listee maintain
> responsibility
> >> for
> >> his/her contribution into the future and have the ability to
> edit
> >> and update
> >> as their whim may dictate.
> >> 6. Time investment for any topic could range from days to weeks.
> >> 7. Some stalwarts could take on translating some of the German
> VW
> >> design
> >> articles that effect us all.
> >> 8. In the end I would hope the FAQ development would contribute
> to
> >> content on
> >> the list and generate a new crop of informed old timers.
> >> 9. For a further example, I could see a resource similar to that
> >> maintained
> >> by the Porsche Club of America. A list is maintained of topical
> >> experts to
> >> whom you can address (email with copy to the list) a critical
> >> question to.
> >> The answers often go beyond the limits of the FAQ, but are often
> >> truly
> >> thought provoking.
> >>
> >> OK, I would be willing to shepherd such a FAQ experiment with a
> less
> >> than
> >> frenetic time commitment. I would assume that this effort could
> take
> >> place
> >> over many months. My availability is minimal until June 7. I
> would
> >> suggest
> >> that the first order of business is a listing of juicy topics.
> Let
> >> our full
> >> community suggest topics. Each listing might start with the
> title:
> >> FAQ:XXXXXXX where XXXXX is a short topic ID or description.
> After
> >> June 7, I
> >> will collect the responses and post a list of topics for
> >> volunteers.
> >>
> >> Now Karl Wolz's suggestion that Gary Hradek is already off on
> this
> >> course,
> >> may indicate that he is the best person to oversee the effort.
> >> Better than I
> >> for me! We will need to communicate here.
> >>
> >> Anyway just a suggestion,
> >>
> >> Frank Grunthaner
> >>
> >
> > ________________________________________________________________
> > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
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> >
>
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