[rhn-users] NIS or automounter problem

[Máirín Duffy]

inode0 wrote:
> On 1/23/07, Dan Hunter <dmhunter at charter.net> wrote:
>>
>> New users usually don't know where to get help.
>> I can understand their posting to the wrong list.
>> If you know the answer, tell them.
>> If you know the correct list for the question,
>> tell them...  after you answer the question.
>> Not everybody knows the Redhat lists backward and forward.
>> A little dab of understanding please.
> 
> It surprises me that people can find this list but can't find the
> redhat-list which seems to me to be at least as well advertised and
> more appropriate. IMO this list might as well be merged with that list
> if people really don't want a list with RHN as its focus. The noise
> ratio on this list is currently very high.

How did folks here initially find out about this list (if you can remember)?

It's obvious the explanation of the list and pointers to other lists on 
both the list info page [1] and in the 'welcome' email for new 
subscribers isn't sufficient to help folks find the appropriate list for 
their questions and to avoid off-topic discussions on this list.

Any suggestions on other things we can do are welcome.

Some ideas I had:

(1) We could make a policy that if an off-topic question is asked, we 
first let the question asker know that this is not the appropriate list 
and provide a list of links that might be helpful for them (I can come 
up with that list if needed, although the list info page is a good start 
[1]).

(2) We could cc the reply with the quoted question to the appropriate 
list with the answer if we know it. (Is this terrible mailing list 
etiquette?)

(3) We could reply to the question asker privately (I think it's better 
for everyone if questions are answered publicly, though, for the benefit 
of folks running into the same problems in the future searching for an 
answer.)

(4) We could send out a monthly reminder to mailing list subscribers 
with an explanation of what the mailing list is about and redirects to 
other lists (I don't like the idea of sending out so much mail, but I'm 
on other mailing lists that do this - they send out their policies/rules 
on a monthly basis.)

~m

[1] https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/rhn-users