a wiki

[Steve M]

Anyone thought about setting up a MediaWiki (the engine that runs WikiPedia)?

We could not only use it for tips and techniques, but lists of sites, good and bad shops, products and bargains. There could be pages for beginners, kits lists, first aid kits, etc. An information site by the community, for the community.

It's a nice way of centralising information to direct newbies (like me) to and a centralised way of keeping information up to date rather than referring to or updating old threads.

I'd be happy to assist in setting it up.

 

[Melonfish]

i'd love to learn how this works actually, i'd love to contribute too. i'm sure there are many who'd jump onboard for this!

 

[Steve M]

The particularly good thing about MediaWiki is that there are channels automatically set up to discuss pages so people don't just go in and trample, there is place for discussion and consensus too. It also has user pages and sand boxes.

 

[Steve M]

If nobody objects, I'll just set it up on my server. I'll give it a week and then just go for it.

 

[TeeDee]

Steve , could this include photo's? I like this site for the information it holds but as it lacks photographs of plants through out their growth cycle it could do with improvemnt.

http://www.pfaf.org/index.php

If we coudl start to build up ( by contribution ) a database of related bushcraft plants and photo's that would be ..er...Greaat!!

 

[Steve M]

It'll basically be wikipedia for bushcraft.

 

[Steve M]

If we coudl start to build up ( by contribution ) a database of related bushcraft plants and photo's that would be ..er...Greaat!!

Just remember that a publicly contributed database of edible and medical plants can be tampered with. I'll come up with a citing scheme to ensure that people don't just trust it straight off.
.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I am not meaning to be a downer here, but it might be handy for you to have a look at the attempted Wikis that other member's have tried to set up, and possibly to contact them to find out why they think they didn't take off. Or, if you find one that did take off, find out what that did differently from those that didn't.

I say this only because it is something that has come up maybe four to six times in the past and it seems that after the chief mover has spent a lot of time and energy setting something up, they all die a death.

Do a search and see if there might be any lessons to be picked up.

This was one of the ones someone else started.
http://bushcraft.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

 

[Steve M]

Thanks for the heads up Chris. I've now looked through the other wikis shown on there and can see, almost instantly, what's wrong with them. One is the wrong engine, one should not be a wiki, and none of them are well structured.

For me, any wiki would be a notepad for my own work which others can update and add to. I'm in a win/win situation there.

 

[C_Claycomb]

No problem, I just could see you getting keen on the idea and didn't want to see you fall into the same problems that other folk have had. I will say up front that I know nothing about engines or web site construction. Best of luck with it!
Cheers

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

it would work wonderfuly untill you had to come up with definitions like the best Bushcraft knife is........
or Bushcrafters use this tarp.....
or bushcrafters use this cooking vessel.....

and there would be a lot of dispute on other items like what is a tarp?
(Bivi, Bivy, Hootchie, Tarp, Poncho, Basha)


I went on wikipedia and changed some details i know to be true, and it was Re-edited after me, to be more confusing than it already was...

i guess you'd get admin to "lock" certain details, but i think it could cause problems.

Downer, sorryuppy_dog

 

[Steve M]

Thankfully, reserving opinionated pages to user and talk pages sorts that out. Nobody expects to find a "best" on an information site. "I think" pages are also good.

In terms of definitions, if hey are disputed, it's fine to just say they are disputed.

When you made the change, did you discuss the reason on the matching talk: page? That will also be the place, together with editorial notes, that says why it's been altered.

 

[Tadpole]

it would work wonderfuly untill you had to come up with definitions like the best Bushcraft knife is........
or Bushcrafters use this tarp.....
or bushcrafters use this cooking vessel.....

and there would be a lot of dispute on other items like what is a tarp?
(Bivi, Bivy, Hootchie, Tarp, Poncho, Basha)


I went on wikipedia and changed some details i know to be true, and it was Re-edited after me, to be more confusing than it already was...

i guess you'd get admin to "lock" certain details, but i think it could cause problems.

Downer, sorryuppy_dog

I
I agree with this. There is a problem inherent with the nature of Wikepedia that I don't thing is preventable or has any long lasting solution. People’s inability to distinguish between truth and consensus. Just because ‘many’ people think something is “true” does not mean it is.
On wikipedia it is very common for people to dispute “fact” on the basis that “the version” they have been told (or know) must be the true version.
Even when presented with proof, many people and I mean many many people, will dismiss it, based only on what they prefer to think of as being the truth.

 

[loz.]

A wiki already exists ( although external to this site )

Wiki



Loz