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Rachel
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Can the opening line in the FAQ be updated to match the About page?

The opening line of the About page says

Server Fault is a question and answer site for professional system and network administrators.

however the opening line of the FAQ says

Server Fault is for Information Technology Professionals needing expert answers related to managing computer systems in a professional capacity.

I'm not a very active member of Server Fault, however I am active on other SE sites, and the FAQ is typically the first place I check when I want to know if a question is on-topic or not.

I found the About page opening much more helpful than the FAQ opening at describing the site's scope, so can the FAQ opening be updated to match the About page opening?

Server Fault is for professional system and network administrators needing expert answers related to managing computer systems in a professional capacity.

Edit

Just to clarify, I realize that you are not trying to exclude non-network admins from using your site, however the current phrasing does not accurately convey your site's scope to many users.

For most people (including me), "Information Technology Professionals" just means "a person who makes a living by working in the field of information technology", so it indicates to most users that your question is OK providing you:

  • work in the field of information technology
  • are asking a question about managing a computer system in a professional capacity
  • and it's related to one of your on-topic bullet points, such as "servers" or "routers" or "firewalls"

It does not immediately bring to mind the job duties of a network or system admin, which is the actual site's topic.

By changing that phrase to "professional system and network administrators", it immediately brings to mind the job duties of system/network admins. Sure you might be a developer, or a dba, or a security technician, however if you are seeking answers for something that would typically be accomplished by a systems/network admin, then it's easily understood that you're OK.

The change already exists in the About page, and I thought it did a much better job at introducing users to the site's scope, so I thought your site would benefit from copying that change to the FAQ as well since that is where most SE users go when they are trying to figure out if they should post on your site or not.

Don't forget the FAQ is for the new user, not for the existing users, so it should try to cater to them as much as possible.

Rachel
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