Re: [libreoffice-l10n] Improving the usage of help.libreoffice.org site

Hi :)
I like the questions and sub-questions.  I think the only thing that was missing were sub-questions 
about how confident people are about using the results of help they get from each method.  

Do people trust all the answers they get from google-searches (or other internet search), or from 
the guides, or in-built, or Ask, or mailing lists.

2nd addition might be "Do you check answers before implementing them?" with a sub-sub-question "Do 
you feel the system has a method of checking itself"

Perhaps ask if people already have or would prefer to have 'traditional' telephone support?  Either 
as a Yes/no tick-box type or as an open-ended question for people to type in comments (or give 
space for both)


I know a lot of people that are only familiar with MS products and other proprietary systems who 
are a bit scared of trying LibreOffice because there is no 'professional' telephone support.  Such 
people tend to distrust user-led support from "well meaning people that don't really have a clue" 
because they have only experienced forums such as the Yahoo one.  

My own experience (and probably the experience of anyone that really has used proper 
forums/mailing-lists) is that telephone support is entirely dependant on whoever you happen to get 
when you call.  If their idea was rubbish then no-one steps in to give a better approach.  By 
contrast in forums and mailing-lists if you manage to get any answer at all you tend to get several 
different view-points and approaches.  Any inaccuracies in a forum tends to make other people jump 
in with warnings.  Also their answers are easy to copy&paste into google although people tend to 
give clickable links (I've never had a clickable link from a telephone call!).  Also i tend to find 
most answers from most people on mailing lists are a much higher standard than answers from 
telephone support.  People really seem to care about getting a good result and in helping access 
official documentation or wikis.  

With published books and the in-built help i tend to trust that it's gone through several stages of 
proof-reading and verification before being published.  Generally i find in-built help difficult to 
navigate but often it pops-up with something directly relevant to what is on-screen so that usually 
makes it easier if that is what my question is about.  However, in-built help usually looks like 
some bad Win 95  thing and in many apps gives the impression of being very out-of-date.  

With wiki's i've heard people grumble that they don't trust the motivations of people writing them 
and hence worry that the knowledge may be biased, misleading or even dangerously wrong.  Errrr, i 
am a wiki-editor btw lol.  My answer is that pages tend to settle down once more people add to them 
as biases tend to get"get ironed out".  (So i tend to avoid maintaining pages where i am the only 
one editing the page unless its just the first week or so).  Also it's fairly easy to check the 
history and compare changes.  Also it's easy to check external and other references.  I trust 
properly published guides more but find wikis easier to use quickly.  

Regards from
Tom :)






> ________________________________
> From: Zeki Bildirici <zeki@ozgurlukicin.com>
> To: website@global.libreoffice.org; LibreOffice-l10n <l10n@global.libreoffice.org> 
> Cc: michael.meeks@suse.com; Jan Holesovsky <kendy@suse.cz> 
> Sent: Saturday, 16 February 2013, 0:26
> Subject: Re: [libreoffice-l10n] Improving the usage of help.libreoffice.org site
>
> Hi,
>
> After reading the replies, and remembering the previous arguments, i
> want to point the important distinction between which is better
> approach and which way we should improve approach.
>
> Previously i said that we should change people's habits to get help,
> and all stuff we had discussed are hypothetical base which we stand
> on. But i am wondering that do we know people's choices, habits and
> their experiences on reaching help info or their thoughts?
>
> User surveys are best for in this conditions to get to know the users
> behavior. I can give my example about a user survey about the Pardus
> GNU/Linux which i've prepared and had very good results and feedback
> from users. It was about the problems on getting help, inclusion on
> contribution and their discouragements and plus and minus points.
>
> Maybe we should issue a survey about the general help picture of
> LibreOffice. English is not my native language thus it may have
> considered a weird language. I've used kwiksurveys before, that was
> very simple and has good options, if we have a better platform then it
> will be better.
>
> The basic questions can be as follows:
>
> --------------------------&<------------------------------
>
> - Have you ever heard the following help channels of LibreOffice
>
> --- ask.libreoffice.org portal
> --- LibreOffice forums
> --- LibreOffice user e-mail lists
> --- #LibreOffice IRC channel
> --- LibreOffice bundled/online help on help.libreoffice.org
> --- LibreOffice user guides
>
> - What will you do if you need help on LibreOffice
> --- I search the info for the solution on internet
> --- Ask to my friends who knows LibreOffice better
> --- Ask for help on genereal (non-LibreOffice) forums
> --- Ask for help on LibreOffice forums
> --- Ask for help on LibreOffice user e-mail lists
> --- Search on LibreOffice bundled help
> --- Search on LibreOffice Users gide
>
> - If you have used ask.libreoffice.org, could you please rate your
> satisfaction (1-10, 1 is worse 10 is very satisfying)
> .....
> (same question for other channels)
>
> - Have you ever used LibreOffice bundled help, to learn new stuff and
> improve your skills to use LibreOffice components?
>
> - Have you ever used LibreOffice Guides, to learn new stuff and
> improve your skills to use LibreOffice components?
>
> - What do you feel during your search about getting help on LibreOffice
> --- I have no idea how to get help for my problem
> --- I am generally hopeless to find help, but i keep on trying
> --- I rarely find help
> --- I am very disappointed about all my this tries to get help
> --- I can usually find help
> --- I am a self learner and i love to find my own solutions, thus i am confident
> --- I always find help from real life friends
> --- I can find help from people on various internet platforms
>
> - What do you think about bundled help (help.libreoffice.org)
> -- I have no idea about it
> -- Yes i know it but i never used it for help
> -- It is crap, it gives me no help
> -- Not very good but sometimes useful
> -- Very good for self learning
> -- It is nice, have plenty of information and info about LibreOffice
> functions and tips
> -- Very good and satisfying
>
> - What do you think about LibreOffice Guides
> -- I have no idea about it
> -- Yes i know it but i never used one for help
> -- It is crap, it gives me no help
> -- Not good but sometimes useful
> -- It is nice, have plenty of information and info about LibreOffice
> functions and tips
> -- Very good and satisfying
> -- Teaches me all the stuff i need
>
> - Have you ever tried to learn more about using LibreOffice components
> and improve your skills by LibreOffice bundled help? If so, please
> rate it (1-10, 1 is worse 10 is very satisfying)
>
> - Have you ever tried to learn more about using LibreOffice components
> and improve your skills by LibreOffice Guides? If so, please rate it
> (1-10, 1 is worse 10 is very satisfying)
>
>
> - What do you think about ask.libreoffice.org
> -- I have no idea about it
> -- Ooo, the ghost cowboy town you mean?
> -- People are rude and they don't help me
> -- Finding answers could be late but it works
> -- Nice though
> -- Very good, the first place i ask for help and get it
> -- Thank god for it!
> (irc and e-mail list questions may be added similarly)
>
> - Did you ever got help from using social media (facebook, twitter,
> linkedin etc)
> -- Never tried, does it works?
> -- No, i am not a geek nor my network!
> -- Asked some but no one helped me
> -- Yes i had some
> -- My network is cool, and it is the fastest way to get help
>
> - Have you ever used Microsoft Office bundled help or help portal, if
> so, please share your thoughts
> (free format answers)
>
> --------------------------&<------------------------------
>
> If we could understand people's behavior better, we should focus on
> the minuses and improve them.
>
> But i should say that, getting help is about willing to get help and
> about self learning and willing to learn more. Which is the key point
> that we can promote it by our help resources.
>
>
> Best regards,
> Zeki
>
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