Hi folks,

I've been meaning to reply to this one for a long time, but have been held back
by just too many things to do!  However, Falonkoi raises an important issue
that should be reconsidered, and perhaps acted on.

I will begin by expressing my wholehearted support for Falonkoi's suggestion
that we compile some of the important issues raised in Gambia-L as a sort of a
reference library.  Indeed, the idea reminds me of FAQs or Frequently Asked
Questions that are a not very well-known resource on the Internet.

I would not want to bother you with the history of the FAQ collection, but
would rather point you to some archives, and you can read on from there.
Before that, I would like to mention that FAQs (I'm talking here about the
Usenet FAQs) are posted on the USENET Newsgroup news.answers and are archived
by various organizations and universities.

For example, MIT is the original archive of the postings, and you can reach
them at:  ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/  By the way, "rtfm" means "read the
freaking (or use your imagination) manual".

If you've checked out the above site, you'll notice that the postings are in
plain text, and so you cannot link directly to any Web site referenced in any
of the postings.  For this reason, the Dept. of Computer and Information
Science at Ohio State Univ. have gone a step further and created a hypertext
version of the archives at:

http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet-faqs/html/FAQ-List.html

Similar archives have also been created by the FAQ Consortium
(http://www.faq.org) and also the Computer Science Dept. at Utrecht Univ.,
Netherlands (http://www.cs.uu.nl/wais/html/na-msc/descr.html)

Finally, if you still need to know more, consult the FAQ on FAQs at:

http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet-faqs/html/faqs/about-faqs/faq
.html

What does all this mean for Gambia-L?  It means that we need a person, or
people, to take it on themselves to develop a Gambia-FAQ.  I'd be more than
happy to send you pointers about the FAQ-maintainers mailing list, and
suggestions on how to go about setting up a Gambia-FAQ.  By the way, such a
project doesn't have to be limited to what transpires on Gambia-L.  Indeed, we
can have people working on various Gambian issues and concerns that might
interest the larger Internet community. I suggest you look at the FAQ list
again to give you an idea about the range of topics that can be covered.  In
the end, what's achieved will depend on the quality of effort put into the
idea.

As for me, I will definitely not be able to take on the project.  My hands are
overflowing, as I imagine is the case with a lot of people.  But I'd be more
than happy, like I indicated earlier, to offer any suggestions that come to
mind.

Have a great week, and best wishes in your endeavors.

Katim


----------
> From: Falankoi Janneh <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: A suggestion to Gambia - L Managers
> Date: Monday, July 26, 1999 8:08 AM
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> Given the importance of some of the various issues discussed in this
> forum, I wish to suggest, if this has not already been taken care of,
> that selection and compilation of such issues be started by management
> to serve as a reference material in the future. For instance, if someone
> is writing his thesis or seeking information on any of the issues being
> debated here,  one could always contact the managers for access to the
> document even if he/she has to pay a token amount. I think Ebrima
> Ceesay's proposed directory should be considered for inclusion in the
> documentation.
>
> I believe that the forum is  palying a crucial role, not only in
> establishing  mutual understanding among its members, but providing
> enabling environment for the discussion of various burning issues about
> our motherland. No one knows which of us might  be lucky to be part of
> future governments of the Gambia, in which he/she might need such a
> reference material to help in decision making and policy formulation in
> order to suit the interest of the Gambian people more adequately. What
> do you think guys?
>
> Congratulations for the invaluable services you have sacrificed to
> provide for us in this Bantaba.
>
>
> Falankoi Janneh
>

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