Although, like Chris, I sometimes get tired of seeing the same questions asked time and time again, I have a different outlook on the matter than my other esteemed colleagues who have posted so far.
First of all, I don't think that the f.a.q. page does anything about helping newbies with answers to frequently asked questions about the DR. The f.a.q. page is only about the mechanics of the message board. There is nothing there that will answer any of the questions that I recall being asked frequently about any aspect of the Dominican Republic.
So I take strong exception to Robert's statement that by clicking on the f.a.q. button will provide answers to most questions. Click on the button and see for yourself.
There are answers to the frequently asked questions in the archives, obviously. But I think there are problems with them. First of all, I think a better job can be done of explaining how to use the archives. This is all that is said about searching the board in the f.a.qs "You can search for posts based on username, word(s) in the post or just in the subject, by date, and only in particular forums. To access the search feature, click on the "search" link at the top of most pages. You can search any forum that you have permission to search - you will not be allowed to search through private forums unless the administrator has given you the necessary security rights to do so."
For somebody who is familiar with surfing the net and who makes frequent use of search engines, this may be sufficient. But I have the impression that not all the newbies are computer wizzards. If we are going to close threads because questions have been asked before, then I think we need to be sure the newbies know how to access the archives. More of a tutorial on using the archives could make a big difference.
As far as the organization of the archives is concerned, there seem to be some serious problems to overcome. I frequently use the archives, and I am often surprised at the seemingly large number of unrelated threads that appear when I search for a particular topic. For example, go to "search" and see what you get when you look for "buying a house". I would like to think that something could be done to the search program to reduce the chaff that comes with the wheat.
The 4 letter minimum is also a problem. If someone does a search for "importing car", for example, he is going to be turned down because car only has 3 letters. If the person is savy enough and then tries importing cars, the search engine will produce a long list. But that assumes the newbie is not discouraged by the turn now and is savy enough to retry using cars.
Clicking the colored "Living", "Legal" , etc buttons at the very top of this page produces much info that answers repeated questions. But how is a newbie to know this?
Then in several of the sections there are "stickies" that contain lots of info. But again, there is nothing to tell the newbies what is available and where.
If we are going to take a hard line about repeated questions, then I think we must be sure that there is a very good alternative. Otherwise, we are sure to see a noticeable drop in the number of participants as newbies get discouraged and go elsewhere for their information. I for one think there is still work to be done to make what is already available more accessible to the newbies to the board.
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