FAQ

Overview

An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is a list of frequently received questions and their answers. It is said to have been born on 1980s Usenet (a message board system from the early days of the internet) to solve the problem of the same questions being posted over and over. It's used in all sorts of places, from website support pages and service help centers to social media profiles.

Using an FAQ in your question box

When you run a question box, the same questions can arrive again and again. "What's your favorite food?" "What are your hobbies?" "How old are you?" Answering the same questions every time takes effort, and for followers, seeing answers they've already seen can get boring.

So gather the questions you often get into an FAQ on your profile or in a pinned post. "Favorite food: curry / Hobby: reading / Age: secret. Waiting for questions other than these!" By moving the standard questions to your FAQ, your question box tends to get more interesting questions.

Things to watch out for when making an FAQ

Making an FAQ doesn't mean the same questions will stop coming. That's because some people send them without reading the FAQ. When that happens, just reply lightly with "It's on my profile!" There's no need to get angry.

Also, update your FAQ regularly. The "Favorite food: curry" from six months ago may have changed by now. If old information stays up, it becomes a source of misunderstanding for your followers. Treat your FAQ as a living document and keep updating it as you change.