Dizkus

Hello does anyone have, know of or can make this module. It will basically be a FAQ. Users can type their question, press enter...then their answer will come up. If there is something like this out there, please let me know, otherwise if you can create this module, I could pay you for your work. Let me know and thanks in advance.

LOL, yeah and while you're at it, make a "Life" FAQ module, so I can type in my question, press enter and then the answer will come up ;)

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If the answer were already available, couldn't they just read it? How is it that with a name like bee, as in busy bee (bees are very industrious), you want a feature for slugs?

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HAHAHA

Now a Magic 8 Ball type module could be cool.

Me: "Will I become a millionaire?"

Magic 8 Ball: "Signs point to yes"

I asked that question and got the same answer. Then I asked "when?"

The answer was "only time will tell".

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Yes, I have checked the pnGuide and done a search on the forums before posting my question.
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How To Find Answers and Ask Questions

I understand the humor but here's an example of what I mean.
http://www.snc.edu/admit/

Maybe you could offer some ideas otherwise, I don't really see the point of posting nonsense.

Did you bother to click on the link beside the text box?

http://www.academicengine.com/

It looks like they put a lot of work into the technology. I doubt it's something someone could simply "offer some ideas" about here. That's not a simple undertaking.

A simple question like "Can I smoke dope on campus?" was kinda fun though.

(Drat. I thought I posted a reply hours ago but it didn't make it past the preview stage. I can't stand it when that happens.)

Thanks for the example. It helps to understand what you are thinking of in context.

I ask again, if the answer were already available, couldn't they just read it?

Programs like the one on the site you cited make it harder to find answers, not easier. This is true because they make an interpretation of what you are asking based on key words in your search terms and deliver what they consider to be relevant results. Even major corporations like Microsoft, with billions to spend, haven't solved the problem of delivering relevant results consistently. It's a hit or miss situation. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you spend an inordinate amount of time changing and refining your search terms only to find there is no answer. That can be aggravating and frustrating, not to mention time consuming.

See for yourself. I entered Can I smoke dope on campus and got a relevant answer. I also entered:

Can I keep Coke in the dorm?
Can I keep Pepsi in the dorm?
Can I keep a dog in my room?

and none of the responses came close to answering my question.

When I asked can I keep a refrigerator in my room, it gave up. It said "We cannot find any answers to your question. You may want to reword your question. Please feel free to contact the Admissions Office at 1-800-236-4878 or via email at admit@snc.edu"

Compare that with a well written FAQ such as About PostNuke Notice the sequence of questions and how some build on the earlier ones and are related to each other. They can answer additional questions that one might get and even provide some (along with the answers) that someone might not even think to ask.

I think the best solution overall is a combination, such as the support knowledge base program the company I lease my server from once had (until a larger company bought them out and service went downhill). The FAQ was divided into categories. One could click on a category and read all the questions in it. If you were in search of a specific answer, it was easy to skip all the questions that were close but not what you were looking for. You could also read all the questions sequentially without going into each category.

It did more than just answer a single question, it was a learning tool that allowed you to progress from one question to another fast and easily. As such it was especially beneficial to newcomers with a thirst for knowledge.

There was a search feature also, which allowed a search by category or the entire FAQ, Additionally, questions could be submitted by users (much like the PN FAQ) and be added to it.

Something like this is far more likely to be developed for PN, and much closer to your budget (unless you have a lot of zeros in your balance after a number and before the decimal point (or comma if you are in Europe). You're basically talking about search engine technology and I can almost guarantee that you won't find it in a PN module when companies like Google spend huge sums developing theirs.

I've been meaning to post about some problems I found in the PN FAQ module that need fixing. I'll add this feature suggestion to that post.

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Yes, I have checked the pnGuide and done a search on the forums before posting my question.
PN Guides for Beginners
How To Find Answers and Ask Questions

Thanks for all your answers. I wrote my own mod which does this for me. I think you all misunderstood how it works. It's not that complex. It picks up on keytopic, then associates with keywords...or just use keywords and then spits out an array of answers. Most of the answer are vague, yes but they have a purpose and that's quick answers to general questions.
Thanks.

I've looked at it from an admin perspective. It's not that complicated. I've seen more complicated PostNuke modules out there than this. I've already duplicated most of what it does for my needs. Thanks anyways.

To the contrary, it is you who does not understand the limitations of that method of searching. I understand how it works. That is why I don't care for it.

They aren't answers. They are responses and it does no good to give quick responses when they don't answer the question that was asked.

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Yes, I have checked the pnGuide and done a search on the forums before posting my question.
PN Guides for Beginners
How To Find Answers and Ask Questions

Duster, sorry but I do know the limitations to that system. However, my system is quite flexible. It will give you the answer you desire. I did originally intend for it to give vague answers to general keywords because it's purpose was to summarize and link you to the detailed pages. After I finished it though, it turned out completely different. It doesn't only work off keywords. It picks up on the keyword and as well as all the words in the sentence...and yes, it is smart enough to read the whole question and answer it correctly and specifically.

For example, your questions:
Can I keep Coke in the dorm?
Can I keep Pepsi in the dorm?
Can I keep a dog in my room?

Yes, my system can tell you things that you specifically want to know and can give you answers to those questions and more.

I think the only limitation on this discussion is your view of this concept. Maybe if you thought beyond the regular keyword searches then you would understand what I'm talking about.

So, you say how does it work? Quite simple and so much better than a regular FAQ. Who really wants to read a whole FAQ pages or go through thousands of FAQ questions that you don't even care for?

The system is only as good as the database.
The database consists of keywords, which are topics (or categories if you will)...within each topics are sub-keywords and on and on...for as many sub-keywords as you want, the more you have the specific you are with a topic. Once a keyword is activated, sub-keywords from that topic is searched for matches....which topic, which keyword, which sub-keyword does it know to pick for thousands, millions of words? By a list of priorities that I tell it what word is more important than the other and within which topic, which subkeyword has priority over which one.
From that it logically picks out the correct answer to your questions...even as specific as ...can i keep pepsi in my dorm? it will give the correct answer to you. So, i tell you it can be done.

Great. I'd love to see it in action.
That would put it ahead of a bunch of people I know (another site, another forum).
I understand the concept quite well. Ask Jeeves is supposed to use something like it. If it works so well though, why do more people use Google instead of Ask Jeeves?
Saying it is so doesn't make it so. Besides, you're overlooking the other benefits of an FAQ that I already mentioned.
If you have an FAQ categorized and organized properly, answers are easy to find if they are present.
True enough. For that reason, it requires more work than an FAQ.

I never said it couldn't be done. I said it is difficult to do well. I'd enjoy seeing an implementation that works well.

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Yes, I have checked the pnGuide and done a search on the forums before posting my question.
PN Guides for Beginners
How To Find Answers and Ask Questions

Bee, In reference to your first question - yes I can see what you getting at. I tried 3 different questions at the site you suggested.

How do I find the campus?
How much does it cost?
Can I study engineering?

And all gave me exactly what I needed - I personally thought it was great. From a users perspective, it would obviously be ideal to research your information on the front page of any given website, without trolling through some FAQ (well constructed or not)

There is a book called The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman, which provides a very clear picture on why things like traditional FAQ structures are cumbersome.

I would be very interested in testing anything you come up with.

Cheers