[ANSTHRLD] "Book of the Herald" wiki - Long

[Robert Fitzmorgan]

   The usefulness and accuracy of a wiki is dependent on how knowledgeable
and active the community is which maintains it.
   I am currently running a wiki on the Ansteorran server for the Kingdom's
history.  It's been up for several months and we have had no problems with
vandalism whatsoever.  I have placed a few restrictions.  I do not allow
anonymous edits, you must register to contribute.  And registration requires
a verified email address.  I feel that anything you are willing to post you
should be willing to put your name on.
  If incorrect information is posted, anyone who notices it has the ability
to correct it.  If someone, either through ignorance or malice, messes up a
well written article, anyone has the ability to revert the page back to any
previous version.  Each article has it's own discussion page, so that if
there is disagreement over any particular point, anyone who is interested
can discuss it and reach a consensus.  If an edit war should develop any
one  can step in to try an mediate, or if necessary an administrator can
lock a page or even block a particular user from making edits.
  Anyone can watch a page and receive an email if the page is edited, and
everyone who visits the site can look at recent changes.
  This could be a useful and accurate resource if and only if the
knowledgeable members of our community make the time to post accurate
information, monitor what other people are posting, and take part in
discussing the various issues that will arise.  If it is being created by a
handful of people who only kinda, sorta, know what they are doing, then it
will not be useful.
  A wiki being created by people who don't really know what they are talking
about will be full of errors, a wiki being created by people who are experts
in their fields can be as accurate, in those fields, as as any other
resource.  If we chose to create a wiki focused on Heraldry as it is
practiced in Ansteorra, we would need the very best active heralds in
Ansteorra to be actively involved.  If they chose not to be involved, then
it would probably not be worth doing.
   The way I picture it working would be to setup the wiki, then have
someone write an article on a particular narrow topic, such as monthly
reporting requirements for branch heralds.  The other heralds on the wiki
look at it and using the article's discussion page, discuss possible
improvements in the article or even make the improvements themselves.  Once
all the people interested in that particular article agree that the article
is accurate, well written and complete, an administrator can lock that
article to prevent any further changes.  If someone later thinks it needs
changed they can bring the issue up in the discussion page and if the change
is deemed worthwhile the article can be unlocked and the changes made.
    This process can take place on several articles simultaneously.  Changes
can be made quickly, and feedback can be almost immediate.  Anyone who wants
to help can do so, and the article can incorporate the knowledge and
expertise of everyone involved instead of just the person who is writing
it.  Best of all the work can be spread among as many people as want to take
part, and no one person becoming busy or distracted will hold up the
project.
   Again it only works well if our experts get involved.  If we decided that
this was worth doing I would be willing to help administer that site.  I
lack the knowledge to be a major contributor of content, but I do have some
experience in the technical side of running a wiki.  If someone else wants
to run it, that would be even better as I am pretty busy with the historian
site.


Robert Fitzmorgan


On Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 2:42 PM, Coblaith Muimnech

> Wikis can be a good place to start looking--to identify potentially useful
> search terms, etc.--but you can't rely on them as sources of information.
>  An article that's well-researched and competently footnoted on Monday may
> be half speculation with spurious references by Tuesday afternoon.   If
> there's to be an official reference text for heralds in the kingdom (and I
> think it's an excellent idea), the content should be well-vetted and
> relatively stable.  Nobody should ever get a bum steer there.  Wikis aren't
> good for that.
>
>
> Coblaith Muimnech
> <mailto:Coblaith at sbcglobal.net>
> <http://coblaith.net>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Heralds mailing list
> Heralds at lists.ansteorra.org
> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/heralds-ansteorra.org
>



-- 
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we
do not dare that they are difficult.
Seneca

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