As new people find this place, some of the same questions are asked over and over.
I think a FAQ might help, with a pointer to it as a "sticky" article in one of the forums.

If enough people agree, I volunteer to take first watch as FAQ maintainer. I can even
host it if ETS would rather not get officially involved.

Thoughts?

Yes, absolutely. There could be a list of frequently repeated questions/topics to refer to. It would be very helpfull for the newer people and save searching for some piece of info that I didn't print for my ETS binder. How many times have Vasoline & cotton Balls come up ? Any support for a "Good Deal At ___________" section ?

Dave

You think so? So much of this stuff is so subjective though.

Yeah, there's a lot like that. But even for the subjective stuff, I'd still like to collect the
best of the current thinking on the subject. For example, some of the comments in
the "what's the best knife" threads.

I don't want the FAQ to get huge. I mean, ETS' "Gear and Equipment" section already
takes care of that. The FAQ should suppliment the ETS info, and be specific to the
sorts of questions that are asked on here from time to time. Other parts of it
could be as if you were reading the ETS site with someone experienced sitting
next to you. Questions like "hey... do they really mean I have to...".

Terms
* What does EDC mean?

Blades
* Ok, so what kind of knife do I really need?
* Does the metal / handle / lock make much of a difference?

Water
* How do I store water?
* But I can't afford that! Isn't there anything cheaper?
* Wow, that's a lot of water. Why do I need that much?
* Can I keep water in my car?

Fire
* What's a firesteel, where do I get one, how do I use one?
* Fire starting for Dummies (foolproof or nearly so technique for getting a fire going).
* What's tinder, and how do I make / use / store it?

Tips and Techniques
* Soda straw carry for cotton balls

Cool Gear
* Credit card sized diamond knife sharpeners

Traveling while Equipped
* Air travel advice / recommendations (for example, great post several months
ago about what to take when traveling).


Like that. I've more or less just started picking through old posts. Suggestions
are definitely welcome! I don't expect the FAQ to keep people from asking
the questions. I want something already written up so that when the questions
are asked, we can just post a link to the part of the FAQ that answers the
question.

Of course a lot of that information is already on http://www.equipped.org .

Some is. But I've noticed that ETS tends to be "what" not "how". Not that this is bad, but it does leave
room for some extra information. For example, in "Gear and Equipment", the "Fire" section, there
is lots of discussion about various fire starting gear, but none about how to actually build
a fire. Somewhere I have some info from other boards where the "how" was laid out
in great detail, along with some excellent advice to newbie fire builders.

Or take the recurring "What's the best knife" threads (not making fun... I started one myself).
Doug's Knife section is excellent, very complete. And yet, people still have questions. Mostly,
I think it's just wanting to hear someone else make a recommendation or affirm the information
in the ETS site. Dunno, But something's missing....

And then of course, there is stuff that's mentioned on ETS, but not in great detail. Some of my
favorite threads on here have been how people deal with real world situations I find myself in.
Blackouts, hurricanes, ice storms, travel, EDC choices, etc.

This is why I'm asking the question, though. It could very well be that we don't need a FAQ.
I think there's enough info to start a small one, but I won't unless more people see a need.
(And either Chris or Doug weigh in on whether or not we can.)

Good idea. We can certainly host it. It can be done either as a closed thread or threads or as a HTML page or pages. Leave it to you guys to sort it out.

Problem is that people don't use the search function. We are going over the same stuff over and over again. Instead of asking what is the best edc knife I can get they should say... well I've read some recommendations on the blades, I think I want partially serrated, with such and such handle, and this kind of lock, now what are your opinions. We should be educating people on the basics but when such information can be compiled into an faq forum we can get to the bottom of the problem. I mean to recommend one brand over the other would be kind of wrong and limiting so I would pretty much stay away from that but using brand as an example would be excellent.. Also with lighting and FAKs a lot of stuff can be answered way before somebody pops the question and instead of them asking generic stuff they can be more focused. With lighting we can write up the advantages of LEDs, bulbs, different strobes and multifunction lights out there. Same goes with FAKs and basic breakdown of the items with their purpose. Also lighters/fire section should be there that tells people about fire starting supplies so instead of I want to carry a source of fire with me the question would be well I know I want a Jet flame lighter what do you guys recommend. I also think we should have a gear review section as well as EDC section.

A FAQ would be a good idea. If it´s feasible it might good to have the option to suggest topics and maybe add information to the topics. That way it could evolve in a Wiki-like manner. Maybe the forum software already offers a way to permit answering but not starting new topics.

I think in general the FAQ is a good idea. My suggestions would be these:

1. Lets try to stick with the objective, factual stuff as much as possible and not put to many opinions or other subjective material in the FAQ.

2. Let also try not to be simply restating information that is already documented on the website. I think a lot of us get so involved in the forums that we may forget from time to time the wealth of information that Doug has already provided throughout the rest of this website. Much of the things already mentioned in this thread (such as information about knives and fire starters) are subjects that Doug has already covered in great detail on the html pages throughout the website.

a faq qould be a great idea even if its only done as a sticky without an option to post.

for example it could list the rules of 3, some useful tips and maybe a few reliable sites that ets likes that we talk about on here like countycomm etc.

just my idea to help keep it from getting derailed too fast.

the search button: a forum's best kept secret <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

A great idea, allowing the forum to continue with specialised topics. I believe that some info on the FAQ can be similar to what can be found on the site in order to make it a complete one.