I don't get it. How is downloading and installing a Jabber client any easier than downloading and installing an IRC client?
Because the person looking for help doesn't need a Jabber client, but would need an IRC client. I'm sure there are web-IRC clients available too, but that's besides still the point, because Qunu gives us way more flexibility and control over the entire process. In the end it's really not about the protocol we've used, unless, of course Jabber transports allow us to connect to other IM networks. That'd be a different ballgame altogether.
It seems like the simplest, most obvious thing to do would be to provide the IRC information for people who have an IRC client already, and to provide a Java or AJAX IRC client right there in the web page. I know Java clients already exist, and you can set one up which defaults to or is limited to a specific server/room.
All academic now, at least from our perspective. We've chosen Jabber, and it's serving us well so far.
Adding to that: IRC doesn't allow you to tag your specific expertise in various areas all in one place. In IRC, IIUIC, you enter rooms. You can create rooms, sure, and hang out in them, but with Qunu those rooms only get created if someone's actually "in them", IOW looking for help - no, not only that, but in the room because s/he's looking for you. Qunu, IMHO, has a lot going over IRC. Otherwise we wouldn't have done this project, believe you me. But again, YMMV and if you're happy with IRC and think Qunu sucks, all strength to you. We believe differently, and so far the people who have used it seem to agree with us. Different strokes... but you know, they can all and will peacefully co-exist. No either-or here. They each serve their own purpose.
The vast majority of who'll be using Qunu has never heard of Qunu, either.
Which is why we're having this discussion here. qunu2 1 SanityInAnarchy 0:)
I bet it can. Name one thing you're doing that IRC can't do.
Repository of knowledge. Rating of experts. Ranking of experts. Removal of experts when they're in a chat. Bidding of Experts for paid-for freelance contracts. Work without a software download. Be available and understandable by Aunt Tillie. Make money for the community, thus for ourselves. Etc. etc... (BTW, just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.)
So, qunu2 2 SanityInAnarchy 0;)
But that's besides the point - it's not what one can do and the other can't. We've got a different audience and target application in mind. Those who get their kicks out of hanging out on IRC are welcome to do that. No hard feelings - someone's gotta do it.;) Qunu, however, will soon offer services that you won't see on IRC, whether you like it or not. Until then... happy IRC'ing.:)
Our ranking system shows those experts at the top who were fast in replying and got good ratings from users. This doesn't mean you get the right person first time, but that's life.
Also, aggregate answers as you call them will come the moment we're making the answers permanent - whichever model we'll be eventually choose for this.
There are - obviously - limitations to the way we've implemented this service, but in the vast majority of cases it's the initial contact that counts, and if a trust relationship builds, nothing prevents anyone from taking this off Qunu, which at that time has more than served its purpose.
personal comment: i guess it depends on your tags. there are, as we all know, operating systems (or software apps in general) that are used by people with a distinct lack in social interaction skills. my experience with Qunu is that I had decent people asking decent questions. in fact, it's been a real joy as a Qunu expert on 'qunu', which could, as I said, be related to the actual subject matter.
My totally unscientific guess is that even in tech "support" Qunu will be used by far more what one would call 'experts' than 'noobs'. IOW, it'll probably turn into a live expert exchange of sorts. It's not only noobs who have questions.
Sure, and for many IRC will be all they want and need - that's as far as "giving their time" is concerned.
The notion that Qunu adds a way to disturb an expert is just laughable, really, because if an expert doesn't want to be disturbed, he wouldn't be on Qunu. Easy, eh?
That said, there will be a time where a certain number of experts are dying to be disturbed, because each 'disturbance' could mean new business. And you'll have to admit, waiting for business to knock on your door beats knocking on doors yourself any day.
I repeat:
1) it helps to have an open mind. 2) it helps to give us some credit. 3) Stay tuned - what you see now is an alpha version. 4) If you're happy where you are and with what you've got, you won't need Qunu. In fact, Qunu will not need you. Soon you'll be in the minority, though, but as long as you're happy, that's fine with us and the world. We don't intend pleasing everybody, but every day we're pleasing more and more people.
1) tech support is but *one* area we intend covering. In fact, many tags are already non-IT related 2) the vast majority of who'll be using Qunu has never heard of IRC, and will subsequently not be using it. 3) even though there are certain similarities with IRC, what we have done and will still be doing cannot be done using the IRC framework.
All I can say on this for now: stay tuned! You ain't seen nothing yet!
Fair enough. We've not set out to duplicate IRC, which is why I don't understand where all the comparisions come from. Each one has its own pros and cons, and it's up to the 'experts' to decide which one to use. Time will tell. Personally? I rather have an IM sitting in the background, pinging me when someone needs help than me having to look for it on IRC, forums or whatever. But as the saying goes... YMMMV.:)
You're welcome! I did view your comments as constructive, which is why I replied in the first place.:)
Thanks for the kind words, and yes, when you said "[...] as good as I may be with computers, I'm helpless when it comes to cooking and would sure "trade" a few words of advice in IT for some healthy recipees.", you embodied the spirit of Qunu!
Every Qunu session is a MUC (multi-user-chat) session to which others can be invited./me wonders why so many people on here on/. believe we'd spend thousands of dollars and hours on a dumb-ass service that has no discerneable benefit. Please grant us a wee little more intelligence.;-) Not only that, but perhaps open your mind a little more, because then you'll discover many a magic thing that you can do with Qunu that is to everybody's benefit. Don't look at it with reading glasses. Take off and watch it from a distance. That's when you'll see the bigger picture.
That said, the presence of a gift doesn't imply a worthy recipient. Some will never get it, many will.
... that the majority of those requiring help don't even know what IRC is, never mind how to get onto it in order to ask a question.
Qunu, OTOH, can be deployed on an infinite amount of servers for an infinite amount of services, and the person requiring help doesn't have to know zip about the technology driving the thing. That's probably the biggest advantage of Qunu.
Plus, and watch this space, the method we've chosen opens up a whole new field of expert services that aren't 'free'. IRC can't do that.
"Anyone"? No! But someone. "Tech Support"? No! But perhaps another subject. "Free"? No! Not in all areas of expertise, but in some.
Writing good documentation.... that's an excellent point, and not co-incidentally one that we're aiming to assist with on Qunu. Watch this space!
Instant Messaging... is AFAIK currently the only way connect with people in real time, so if you need a real-time answer, Qunu may be your..uhmm... answer. My suggestion: be nice, be fair and keep an eye on it. What you're seeing now is 'alpha'. After that comes 'beta'... and then a lot more that you haven't seen anywhere else. Take my word for it for now.;-)
1) remember that Qunu is still 'alpha', so there are lots of 'things' that haven't been addressed, the persistence of chats being one of them.
2) Qunu isn't for everyone, that's for sure, but for those _require_ an instant answer. If you don't mind waiting for hours, forums and emails are fine, but if you need a reply right now, they aren't.
3) It may not be obvious, but Qunu isn't just for tech support. For various reasons we've chosen to start there, but that's about it.
4) Experts are on Qunu simply because they want to provide instant help to others. Other than forums, the requests come to you, and with your presence you decide exactly when you are available. This will be fine-tuned as we go along.
5) We're aware of the French 'translation', which I personally find rather hilarious! I guess unless you have a really obscure name, there's always a chance that it sounds funny in some language. We're happy to live with the 'bare ass' for now - it's up for each one to decide if they're the one wanting to be spanked or doing the spanking. Most will probably just watch - in true French tradition;-)
6) "... how this would appeal to anybody else than the ones seeking help." Well, that you have to ask the over 1300 experts that are already signed up. Over 6000 help sessions donated in what clearly is an alpha test period speaks for itself. It may be worth remembering that we've put time and money into a concept that we're testing in IT at the moment. It may fail there - although I doubt it will - but IT isn't the world. And that's what we're after, so stay tuned and perhaps enjoy the ride with us. It's been great so far!
7) Qunu is free for now, and it always will be, but this doesn't mean that soon Experts won't be able to bid for 'business' that cannot be done in a quick chat. Take that outside tech support and your eyes may open up REALLY wide.;)
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Because the person looking for help doesn't need a Jabber client, but would need an IRC client. I'm sure there are web-IRC clients available too, but that's besides still the point, because Qunu gives us way more flexibility and control over the entire process. In the end it's really not about the protocol we've used, unless, of course Jabber transports allow us to connect to other IM networks. That'd be a different ballgame altogether.
It seems like the simplest, most obvious thing to do would be to provide the IRC information for people who have an IRC client already, and to provide a Java or AJAX IRC client right there in the web page. I know Java clients already exist, and you can set one up which defaults to or is limited to a specific server/room.
All academic now, at least from our perspective. We've chosen Jabber, and it's serving us well so far.
Adding to that: IRC doesn't allow you to tag your specific expertise in various areas all in one place. In IRC, IIUIC, you enter rooms. You can create rooms, sure, and hang out in them, but with Qunu those rooms only get created if someone's actually "in them", IOW looking for help - no, not only that, but in the room because s/he's looking for you. Qunu, IMHO, has a lot going over IRC. Otherwise we wouldn't have done this project, believe you me. But again, YMMV and if you're happy with IRC and think Qunu sucks, all strength to you. We believe differently, and so far the people who have used it seem to agree with us. Different strokes... but you know, they can all and will peacefully co-exist. No either-or here. They each serve their own purpose.
Which is why we're having this discussion here. qunu2 1 SanityInAnarchy 0 :)
I bet it can. Name one thing you're doing that IRC can't do.
Repository of knowledge. Rating of experts. Ranking of experts. Removal of experts when they're in a chat. Bidding of Experts for paid-for freelance contracts. Work without a software download. Be available and understandable by Aunt Tillie. Make money for the community, thus for ourselves. Etc. etc... (BTW, just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.)
So, qunu2 2 SanityInAnarchy 0 ;)
But that's besides the point - it's not what one can do and the other can't. We've got a different audience and target application in mind. Those who get their kicks out of hanging out on IRC are welcome to do that. No hard feelings - someone's gotta do it. ;) Qunu, however, will soon offer services that you won't see on IRC, whether you like it or not. Until then... happy IRC'ing. :)
Our ranking system shows those experts at the top who were fast in replying and got good ratings from users. This doesn't mean you get the right person first time, but that's life.
Also, aggregate answers as you call them will come the moment we're making the answers permanent - whichever model we'll be eventually choose for this.
There are - obviously - limitations to the way we've implemented this service, but in the vast majority of cases it's the initial contact that counts, and if a trust relationship builds, nothing prevents anyone from taking this off Qunu, which at that time has more than served its purpose.
personal comment: i guess it depends on your tags. there are, as we all know, operating systems (or software apps in general) that are used by people with a distinct lack in social interaction skills. my experience with Qunu is that I had decent people asking decent questions. in fact, it's been a real joy as a Qunu expert on 'qunu', which could, as I said, be related to the actual subject matter.
My totally unscientific guess is that even in tech "support" Qunu will be used by far more what one would call 'experts' than 'noobs'. IOW, it'll probably turn into a live expert exchange of sorts. It's not only noobs who have questions.
Sure, and for many IRC will be all they want and need - that's as far as "giving their time" is concerned.
The notion that Qunu adds a way to disturb an expert is just laughable, really, because if an expert doesn't want to be disturbed, he wouldn't be on Qunu. Easy, eh?
That said, there will be a time where a certain number of experts are dying to be disturbed, because each 'disturbance' could mean new business. And you'll have to admit, waiting for business to knock on your door beats knocking on doors yourself any day.
I repeat:
1) it helps to have an open mind.
2) it helps to give us some credit.
3) Stay tuned - what you see now is an alpha version.
4) If you're happy where you are and with what you've got, you won't need Qunu. In fact, Qunu will not need you. Soon you'll be in the minority, though, but as long as you're happy, that's fine with us and the world. We don't intend pleasing everybody, but every day we're pleasing more and more people.
Let me repeat:
1) tech support is but *one* area we intend covering. In fact, many tags are already non-IT related
2) the vast majority of who'll be using Qunu has never heard of IRC, and will subsequently not be using it.
3) even though there are certain similarities with IRC, what we have done and will still be doing cannot be done using the IRC framework.
All I can say on this for now: stay tuned! You ain't seen nothing yet!
Fair enough. We've not set out to duplicate IRC, which is why I don't understand where all the comparisions come from. Each one has its own pros and cons, and it's up to the 'experts' to decide which one to use. Time will tell. Personally? I rather have an IM sitting in the background, pinging me when someone needs help than me having to look for it on IRC, forums or whatever. But as the saying goes... YMMMV. :)
Give Qunu a try - you'll like it!
You're welcome! I did view your comments as constructive, which is why I replied in the first place. :)
Thanks for the kind words, and yes, when you said "[...] as good as I may be with computers, I'm helpless when it comes to cooking and would sure "trade" a few words of advice in IT for some healthy recipees.", you embodied the spirit of Qunu!
Welcome!
Every Qunu session is a MUC (multi-user-chat) session to which others can be invited. /me wonders why so many people on here on /. believe we'd spend thousands of dollars and hours on a dumb-ass service that has no discerneable benefit. Please grant us a wee little more intelligence. ;-) Not only that, but perhaps open your mind a little more, because then you'll discover many a magic thing that you can do with Qunu that is to everybody's benefit. Don't look at it with reading glasses. Take off and watch it from a distance. That's when you'll see the bigger picture.
That said, the presence of a gift doesn't imply a worthy recipient. Some will never get it, many will.
... that the majority of those requiring help don't even know what IRC is, never mind how to get onto it in order to ask a question.
Qunu, OTOH, can be deployed on an infinite amount of servers for an infinite amount of services, and the person requiring help doesn't have to know zip about the technology driving the thing. That's probably the biggest advantage of Qunu.
Plus, and watch this space, the method we've chosen opens up a whole new field of expert services that aren't 'free'. IRC can't do that.
"Will anyone do tech support for free?"
..uhmm... answer. My suggestion: be nice, be fair and keep an eye on it. What you're seeing now is 'alpha'. After that comes 'beta'... and then a lot more that you haven't seen anywhere else. Take my word for it for now. ;-)
"Anyone"? No! But someone.
"Tech Support"? No! But perhaps another subject.
"Free"? No! Not in all areas of expertise, but in some.
Writing good documentation.... that's an excellent point, and not co-incidentally one that we're aiming to assist with on Qunu. Watch this space!
Instant Messaging... is AFAIK currently the only way connect with people in real time, so if you need a real-time answer, Qunu may be your
Hi Olivier,
;-)
;)
1) remember that Qunu is still 'alpha', so there are lots of 'things' that haven't been addressed, the persistence of chats being one of them.
2) Qunu isn't for everyone, that's for sure, but for those _require_ an instant answer. If you don't mind waiting for hours, forums and emails are fine, but if you need a reply right now, they aren't.
3) It may not be obvious, but Qunu isn't just for tech support. For various reasons we've chosen to start there, but that's about it.
4) Experts are on Qunu simply because they want to provide instant help to others. Other than forums, the requests come to you, and with your presence you decide exactly when you are available. This will be fine-tuned as we go along.
5) We're aware of the French 'translation', which I personally find rather hilarious! I guess unless you have a really obscure name, there's always a chance that it sounds funny in some language. We're happy to live with the 'bare ass' for now - it's up for each one to decide if they're the one wanting to be spanked or doing the spanking. Most will probably just watch - in true French tradition
6) "... how this would appeal to anybody else than the ones seeking help." Well, that you have to ask the over 1300 experts that are already signed up. Over 6000 help sessions donated in what clearly is an alpha test period speaks for itself. It may be worth remembering that we've put time and money into a concept that we're testing in IT at the moment. It may fail there - although I doubt it will - but IT isn't the world. And that's what we're after, so stay tuned and perhaps enjoy the ride with us. It's been great so far!
7) Qunu is free for now, and it always will be, but this doesn't mean that soon Experts won't be able to bid for 'business' that cannot be done in a quick chat. Take that outside tech support and your eyes may open up REALLY wide.