FAQ

It is a demonstration website for a home-grown content management system. It exists primarily to show what the system can do, rather than to sell you anything.

There are probably several bits of it that are considerably more complicated than they need to be. That's sort of the point.

Yes. No. Maybe.

The website is real, the content is partly real, the CMS is real, and the reasons for putting all of this together are probably best discussed over coffee.

The CMS was developed by Chris Maggs, who is also responsible for this website.

It has been developed over a rather long period of time, with new ideas, features and the occasional bout of completely unnecessary tinkering added along the way.

Because it is demonstrating the CMS rather than winning a design award.

The important thing is what happens behind the scenes. The same system can produce completely different designs, layouts and types of content depending on what is required.

Yes.

FAQ items can be organised into categories, making large collections of questions considerably easier to navigate.

For example, a site could have:

1. General Questions
2. Products
3. Ordering
4. Delivery
5. Technical Support
6. Frequently Asked Questions About Frequently Asked Questions

The last one may not be necessary.

CMS FAQ

Yes. An answer can contain normal formatted content, rather than being restricted to a single paragraph.

That means you can include things such as:

• Lists
• Headings
• Links
• Images
• Tables
• Emphasis and other formatting
• Longer explanations

Basically, if the CMS can handle it as content, the FAQ answer probably can too.

CMS FAQ

Because blank modules are not particularly interesting.

Demo content makes it possible to see how a module behaves when it contains actual information. It also makes it much easier to spot things that need improving.

A module containing:

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..."

doesn't tell you very much.

A module containing 15 questions, different answer lengths, lists, tables and images tells you considerably more.

Within reason, yes.

The whole idea of using a CMS is that you shouldn't need to rebuild a page every time somebody thinks of another question.

If you have 500 genuinely useful questions, however, perhaps consider whether you actually need an FAQ or whether you have accidentally written a book.

CMS

That's generally when you ask the question.

If this were a real support FAQ, you might find a contact form, telephone number or email address here.

As this is a demonstration site, you could also try shouting at the screen.

Results may vary.

There are probably people who have written books about this.

For most websites, though, the basic rule is simple: ask the question people actually want answered, then answer it clearly.

There is little point having an FAQ question like:

"What are the key considerations relating to our service provision?"

when the person actually wants to know:

"How much does it cost?"

FAQ

Because you have to demonstrate an FAQ module somehow.

And once you start asking questions about questions, things can get surprisingly philosophical.

Q: Is a question still a question if nobody asks it?

A: That's probably a question for another FAQ.

FAQ

The Internet is a worldwide network of computers that allows people to exchange information, watch videos of cats and argue with strangers about things they don't understand.

It has been quite successful.

A website is a collection of pages and other content made available over the Internet.

At least, that's the sensible definition.

These days a website can also be:

• A shop
• A newspaper
• A booking system
• A customer portal
• A database
• A social network
• A game
• A weather forecast
• A way of convincing people to accept cookies they don't actually want

CMS stands for Content Management System.

It is software that allows website content to be created, edited and managed without having to manually alter the underlying website every time something changes.

In simple terms:

Without a CMS:
"Can you change this sentence on the website?"

With a CMS:
"Done."

CMS

You certainly can.

WordPress is hugely popular and works perfectly well for millions of websites.

This website uses a different approach because it was built specifically to provide the features required here, rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

Also, somebody had to build this thing.

A module is a self-contained piece of functionality that can be added to a page or site.

Examples might include:

• FAQs
• News
• Galleries
• Contact forms
• Events
• Downloads
• Testimonials
• Image sliders

Think of modules as building blocks. Put the right ones together and you can build a website without reinventing the wheel every time.

CMS

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.

It describes the structure of content on a web page.

For example, it tells the browser:

"This is a heading."

"This is a paragraph."

"This is a list."

"Here is an image."

It doesn't make the tea.

That bit hasn't been standardised yet.

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets.

It controls how HTML content looks.

For example:

HTML provides the structure. CSS provides the appearance.

Because your phone isn't a small desktop computer.

Screen sizes, operating systems, browsers and available space are all different.

A properly designed responsive website adapts to those differences rather than simply shrinking everything until the text is the size of an ant.

Responsive design means a website changes its layout depending on the size of the screen it is being viewed on.

For example:

Desktop

[ IMAGE ] [ TEXT ] [ TEXT ]

Phone

[ IMAGE ]

[ TEXT ]

[ TEXT ]

The content remains the same. The presentation changes.

Surprisingly often.

Try this:

1. Save anything important.
2. Close your applications.
3. Turn the computer off.
4. Wait a few seconds.
5. Turn it back on.
6. Try again.

If that doesn't work, you can confidently tell someone:

"I've tried turning it off and on again."

You are now officially qualified for first-line IT support.

Because software is never really finished.

Updates can contain:

• Security fixes
• Bug fixes
• Performance improvements
• New features
• Compatibility changes

Occasionally they also contain a completely new way of displaying a button that was perfectly fine where it was.

Possibly.

But probably not before someone has asked AI to make a website, spent three days trying to work out why the menu doesn't work, and then called a web developer.

AI is a very useful tool. It is not a substitute for understanding what you are actually trying to build.

This is clearly a matter of national importance.

The generally accepted process is:

1. Boil the kettle.
2. Put tea in the mug.
3. Add boiling water.
4. Wait.
5. Remove tea.
6. Add milk.
7. Wonder why you didn't make two.

The precise amount of milk remains a matter for heated debate.

Tea

Tea first.

Obviously.

This is not something that requires further discussion.

Tea

Long enough to become tea, but not long enough to become a science experiment.

As a rough guide:

The final category is usually best poured away.

Tea

There are no rules.

A good breakfast might involve:

• Eggs
• Bacon
• Toast
• Cereal
• Fruit
• Porridge
• Something considerably less healthy

The most important ingredient is having enough of it.
And of course.. ..Coffee

Coffee

Probably not in the way the cereal companies would have us believe.

But eating something in the morning is generally preferable to surviving entirely on coffee until lunchtime.

There is no scientifically recognised number.

There is, however, a point at which your colleagues start looking concerned.

If you can hear colours, you've probably gone too far.

Coffee

This question has caused arguments that have ended friendships.

A good dunking biscuit needs to survive long enough to reach your mouth.

Structural integrity is therefore important.

• Excellent: Rich Tea, Digestive
• Risky: Chocolate Finger
• Absolutely not: Anything that disintegrates on contact with tea

Tea

Yes.

Or no.

The correct answer depends entirely on whether you want to start an argument.

Enough.

This is the only acceptable measurement.

If the potatoes are sitting in a dry landscape surrounded by a tiny puddle of gravy, there is not enough gravy.

This is getting dangerously philosophical.

For practical purposes, anything involving bread and something between or inside it is probably close enough.

Toasties, rolls, baguettes and wraps can all join the discussion.

Nobody needs to involve the legal profession.

Something that requires the minimum possible effort while still allowing you to claim that you cooked.

Good candidates include:

• Pasta
• Omelette
• Beans on toast
• Jacket potato
• Stir-fry
• Whatever is currently in the freezer

The important thing is to use a plate.

Because you didn't have to prepare it, cook it, serve it or wash up afterwards.

Science has yet to fully explain this phenomenon.

Usually, someone says:

"Dinner's ready."

If nobody says this, use your eyes, nose and common sense.

Do not use the smoke alarm as your primary cooking timer.

Because somebody had to test whether the category title could be this long.

Also, because we needed somewhere to put questions that nobody actually asked.

Nobody knows.

Several theories exist, but none have been conclusively proven.

The leading theory is that washing machines contain a secret portal to a parallel universe populated entirely by teaspoons, odd socks and USB cables.

See previous answer.

Because your brain apparently considers bedtime the ideal moment to review everything you have forgotten since 1987.

This is a well-known phenomenon.

The router can apparently sense fear.

There is no official limit.

However, if you can no longer identify which tab is playing music, you have crossed the line.

Yes.

That is why you have forgotten yours.

Printers are aware of deadlines.

They can smell urgency.

The more important the document, the more likely the printer is to display:

"PC LOAD LETTER"

or some equally mysterious message.

Somewhere secure.

Preferably not:

• On a Post-it note stuck to the monitor
• In a text file called passwords.txt
• On the back of your hand
• In a spreadsheet called IMPORTANT PASSWORDS

A reputable password manager is generally a much better idea.

Because nobody checks.

We simply assume someone else did.

This is also how office refrigerators work

Because "I'll have several" sounds less responsible.

In normal circumstances: five minutes.

When waiting for a website to load: approximately seventeen years.

When waiting for a kettle to boil: three weeks.

When you're late: approximately four seconds.

42

Apparently.

We haven't tested it in the FAQ module yet.

No.

But you read it anyway.