D
David Mark
"This newsgroup is not a help desk" is likely a familiar refrain for
anyone who has spent time in it. I enjoy advising people here when I
have the time, but like all who do similar, I cannot be expected to
solve (or even attempt to solve) every problem that floats in here.
Discussion threads may lead to solutions or may lead to nothing. It
depends on a number of factors: the volume of posts, the clarity of
the question, the number of interested parties around at the time,
etc. Some questions may well go unanswered (though far fewer than in
Web forums) or may only lead to highly technical (and possibly
unrelated) arguments among regulars. Usenet is always a gamble.
I want to remind everyone that I run a very reasonably priced support
service for browser scripting professionals. It's a fixed monthly
fee, up to three questions* per day (but obviously not three *every
day*) and answers are *guaranteed* within 24 hours and typically come
much sooner.
In the first few months that I've offered this service, I can only
think of a handful of questions that involved any sort of back and
forth discussion. It's virtually always asked, answered, done. Of
course, you still have to write good questions.
It's a month-to-month contract and if you ask too many questions in a
month (or your questions require more than a minute effort to answer),
future rates are subject to renegotiation, though I've yet to have to
do that. Standard rates for new clients may be raised at any time as
well as I don't run a phone room (all answers come directly from me)
and there are only so many hours in a month. Existing clients are
guaranteed the same rate for a year.
Sorry for the blatant advertisement, but having been recently exhorted
to share my knowledge and experience in book form, I thought I should
remind readers that books are a relatively limited (and static)
medium. When problems come up, the odds of finding the specific
answer in a book are long. Confusion about concepts or best practices
have better odds, but are still far from a sure thing, no matter how
many books you buy. In stark contrast, the chance of finding the
answer in an email or IM from me is a virtual certainty.
So if you have to deal with the rigors of browser scripting on a daily
basis, what are you waiting for? Despite virtually zero advertising
so far, I'm still disappointed in the number of sign-ups. Seeing
thousands of people getting wrong answers on StackOverflow or posing
questions at the bottom of blog posts in hopes of a lightning strike
tells me that there is a huge market for this service (a sort of
insurance policy against time-wasting). And, of course, there's the
almost daily occurrence of newcomers to this group getting frustrated
by the "staffers" discussions of their present problems.
*Conditions apply regarding the scope and depth of questions that may
be asked
anyone who has spent time in it. I enjoy advising people here when I
have the time, but like all who do similar, I cannot be expected to
solve (or even attempt to solve) every problem that floats in here.
Discussion threads may lead to solutions or may lead to nothing. It
depends on a number of factors: the volume of posts, the clarity of
the question, the number of interested parties around at the time,
etc. Some questions may well go unanswered (though far fewer than in
Web forums) or may only lead to highly technical (and possibly
unrelated) arguments among regulars. Usenet is always a gamble.
I want to remind everyone that I run a very reasonably priced support
service for browser scripting professionals. It's a fixed monthly
fee, up to three questions* per day (but obviously not three *every
day*) and answers are *guaranteed* within 24 hours and typically come
much sooner.
In the first few months that I've offered this service, I can only
think of a handful of questions that involved any sort of back and
forth discussion. It's virtually always asked, answered, done. Of
course, you still have to write good questions.
It's a month-to-month contract and if you ask too many questions in a
month (or your questions require more than a minute effort to answer),
future rates are subject to renegotiation, though I've yet to have to
do that. Standard rates for new clients may be raised at any time as
well as I don't run a phone room (all answers come directly from me)
and there are only so many hours in a month. Existing clients are
guaranteed the same rate for a year.
Sorry for the blatant advertisement, but having been recently exhorted
to share my knowledge and experience in book form, I thought I should
remind readers that books are a relatively limited (and static)
medium. When problems come up, the odds of finding the specific
answer in a book are long. Confusion about concepts or best practices
have better odds, but are still far from a sure thing, no matter how
many books you buy. In stark contrast, the chance of finding the
answer in an email or IM from me is a virtual certainty.
So if you have to deal with the rigors of browser scripting on a daily
basis, what are you waiting for? Despite virtually zero advertising
so far, I'm still disappointed in the number of sign-ups. Seeing
thousands of people getting wrong answers on StackOverflow or posing
questions at the bottom of blog posts in hopes of a lightning strike
tells me that there is a huge market for this service (a sort of
insurance policy against time-wasting). And, of course, there's the
almost daily occurrence of newcomers to this group getting frustrated
by the "staffers" discussions of their present problems.
*Conditions apply regarding the scope and depth of questions that may
be asked