It is very good to see that new Stata users are always
joining the list.
However, it is not quite so good that some of those new
users seem to regard the list as an easy alternative to other
ways of answering elementary questions. The FAQ includes
the section below, which is intended to apply to all
Statalist members, new, old, small or large. It is very true
that Stata is now so large and complicated that it
is often difficult to know where to start, but starting with
some attempt at self-help does remain the best strategy.
Similarly, the FAQ is meant to be read. I get a stream of
personal messages, admittedly almost all very polite, all
someone explaining that their posting to Statalist is not
getting through and they don't know why. The FAQ is very clear that
this should happen whenever you send HTML or other mailjunk
to the list.
======================= from the FAQ
1. Before you post
Before posting, consider other ways of finding information:
the manual
the online help for Stata
-search- can tell you about all built-in Stata commands,
all ado-files published in Stata Technical Bulletins or
the Stata Journal, and all FAQs on the Stata web site,
www.stata.com. -findit- can tell you about not only all
of the above, but also about user-written Stata programs
available on the Internet.
your local Stata expert or technical support person
past issues of the Stata Technical Bulletin or Stata Journal,
if accessible
the authors of user-written ado-files (who usually have email
addresses, but are not always members of Statalist)
Stata technical support, if it is really a question for them
========================
Nick
[email protected]
*
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
