Hi gretl users,

In my Aug 22, 2012 post (here: http://lists.wfu.edu/pipermail/gretl-users/2012-August/007948.html) I suggested that we look into switching to a format like stackexchange.com, where users can ask questions and the best answers get sorted to the top for later users to easily find information they’re looking for. For a great example of a thriving stackexchange community, check out http://tex.stackexchange.com.

The thread died out pretty fast, but I am hoping maybe that’s because everyone is busy and didn’t want to through the legwork of setting up a stackexchange site. It turns out that it’s extremely easy, so I did it myself.

You can visit it here: http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/43782/gretl?referrer=H784Ua9YLHQ1Ef1WF8pECg2

The site will remain in this “area 51” limbo stage until it reaches 60 followers and 40 questions with a score of 10 or more. So when you visit the site, be sure to log in (you can use a Google, Yahoo, or any OpenID login) and click “follow” on the left-hand side. I know there are many more than 60 people out there using GRETL, so let’s get the word out and soon we too will have a thriving Q&A community.

I took the liberty of posting a few recent questions from the mailing list so you can see how it works. Keep in mind the example questions are only question *titles*. Real questions could include long descriptions, example code, images, links, etc. You can also post example questions of the sort you’d like to see discussed on the site.

I really think this is a valuable direction to take this knowledge community, and I hope you agree. See you there!

Trevor