From aa618c09dce830b50d9c33ff8a1c56198c7bf2f6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: kmoscoe <165203920+kmoscoe@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2024 11:12:28 -0800
Subject: [PATCH] Added an FAQ about choosing between custom and base DC (#552)

* add FAQ

* add link to main FAQ

* simplify wording

* change wording

* update data request instruction

* fix HTML to Markdown
---
 custom_dc/faq.md   | 10 ++++++++++
 custom_dc/index.md |  3 ++-
 2 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/custom_dc/faq.md b/custom_dc/faq.md
index 6f92695eb..6710414c7 100644
--- a/custom_dc/faq.md
+++ b/custom_dc/faq.md
@@ -13,6 +13,16 @@ parent: Build your own Data Commons
 
 ## General questions
 
+### Should I contribute my data to the base Data Commons or should I run my own instance?
+
+If you have determined that your data is a [good fit for Data Commons](https://datacommons.org/faq.html#fit), the main considerations for whether to host your data in the base Data Commons or in your own custom instance are as follows:
+- If you have any private data, or you want to restrict access to your data, you must use your own instance.
+- If you want to maintain governance and licensing over your data, you should use your own instance.
+- If you want to control the UI of the website hosting your data, use your own instance.
+- If you want the widest possible visibility of your data, including direct access through Google Search, add your data to base Data Commons.
+
+For detailed comparison on the differences between base and custom Data Commons, see the [Overview](/custom_dc/index.html#comparison) page.
+
 ### How can I request new features or provide feedback?
 
 Please see [Send feedback](/custom_dc/index.html#feedback) for details.
diff --git a/custom_dc/index.md b/custom_dc/index.md
index e47da437b..4da981f3d 100644
--- a/custom_dc/index.md
+++ b/custom_dc/index.md
@@ -30,9 +30,10 @@ If you have the resources to develop and maintain a custom Data Commons instance
 
 For the following use cases, a custom Data Commons instance is not necessary:
 
-- You only want to make your own data available to the base public Data Commons site and don't need to test it. In this case, see the procedures in [Data imports](/import_dataset/index.html).
+- You want to share your data publicly on datacommons.org. In this case, please file a [data request](https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/new?component=1660823&template=2053232){: target="_blank"} in our issue tracker to get started.
 - You want to make the base public data or visualizations available in your own site. For this purpose, you can call the Data Commons APIs from your site; see [Data Commons web components](/api/web_components/index.html) for more details.
 
+{: #comparison }
 ## Comparison between base and custom Data Commons
 
 | Feature                                                      |  Base Data Commons | Custom Data Commons |