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Does this site need a Wiki?


CADTutor

Does CADTutor need a Wiki?  

55 members have voted

  1. 1. Does CADTutor need a Wiki?

    • Yes, it would be very useful
      37
    • Maybe, I probably wouldn't use it
      10
    • No, let's just stick with the forum
      8


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I don't know if it is possible but maybe the system could only let you edit a certain number of articles a day after the initial set up period to stop mass sabotage.

 

As there are generally more than one way of doing certain actions what with differences between LT, Full, Revit etc. maybe articles could have different solutions so different authors could contribute to the same article rather than having arguments about who writes what or editing other peoples work.

 

i.e

Strix says......

ReMark says......

 

Of course it could be done anonymously like other wiki's but why be constrained by how others work! Hope this made sence and wasn't too rambling, not much sleep last night :unsure:

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Top Posters In This Topic

  • Lee Mac

    9

  • eldon

    7

  • ReMark

    6

  • Tiger

    6

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I see no reason not to do the Wiki, the initial question was "Does this site need a Wiki?" and the answer to that is NO it does not NEED a Wiki.

 

After some thought, I came to the conclusion that a Wiki might be fun.

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What are the safeguards against disgruntled forum members/banned spammers wreaking havoc in the Wiki?

 

I am not saying that there should be no safeguards, and I have not looking into how established wikis work enough to know exactly how the process is suppose to happen. But the point of a wiki is that anyone and everyone can contribute and change them. And everyone that reads the Wiki also have to be aware that that is the what it is. It can't function as a wiki if there are also too much limitaitons on what you can or can't do.

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But the point of a wiki is that anyone and everyone can contribute and change them.

 

There are several ways of doing a lot of things in AutoCAD, so there is often no unique answer.

 

I don't think that a Wiki will work. :cry:

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You might be right Eldon - I'm struggling to see what it would do that the forum doesn't do, and how it could be reliable as a tool

 

The FAQ we have been able to release as complete have been very hard work to include all the necessary info, prune out excess noise, include illustrative diagrams, note differences in versions, and apply a standard of English that is non-ambiguous and instills the reader with the confidence the info wasn't thrown down off the cuff and possibly erroneously. What level of quality are we expecting the wiki to achieve?

 

Perhaps the FAQ area of the forum which is currently closed to non-FAQ team members should be moved to the community area so everybody can contribute, and the database editing team revised?

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I would argue that a Wiki would provide better quality of information than the FAQ due to the far greater number of minds constantly contributing and improving its content; furthermore the arguments against the need for a Wiki would surely apply equally well to the FAQ section.

 

To prevent opportunist vandalism I would think a post-count restriction would be quite effective - say, only users with greater than 100 posts (or some other number) can edit the Wiki (just as the other restrictions with regard to links/avatars apply to users with

 

Lee

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There are several ways of doing a lot of things in AutoCAD, so there is often no unique answer.

 

I don't think that a Wiki will work. :cry:

 

Funny, that is exactly why I think a Wiki would work :)

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OK. What if a subject has diametrically opposed views of the way to do it? Does the Wiki article have editing all the time, all depending on who was last on line? :shock:

 

Is a funding in place to cater for the extra work? I am not sure that a wholly volunteer system could cope. You are nearer the driving seat, and if you can see the time is available for keeping control of the streams of information, then so be it.

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I would argue that a Wiki would provide better quality of information than the FAQ due to the far greater number of minds constantly contributing and improving its content; furthermore the arguments against the need for a Wiki would surely apply equally well to the FAQ section.

 

I agree.

 

To prevent opportunist vandalism I would think a post-count restriction would be quite effective - say, only users with greater than 100 posts (or some other number) can edit the Wiki (just as the other restrictions with regard to links/avatars apply to users with

 

That's the sort of thing I had in mind - not a free-for-all but a community wiki created by the community.

 

OK. What if a subject has diametrically opposed views of the way to do it? Does the Wiki article have editing all the time, all depending on who was last on line? :shock:

 

Is a funding in place to cater for the extra work? I am not sure that a wholly volunteer system could cope. You are nearer the driving seat, and if you can see the time is available for keeping control of the streams of information, then so be it.

 

Well, wikis work perfectly well on other sites and of course Wikipedia is entirely driven by volunteers AND is completely open (anyone can edit) and it seems to work OK.

 

Effectively, a wiki is just a receptacle where the content is created by users/members. The idea is that it is as free as possible from control by a single editor - it's based on consensus. I imagine that if there are circumstances where there is more than one solution, they both can be included so an entry might have Problem A with solutions 1, 2 and 3. Where's the problem?

 

None of this is inevitable, I'm just trying to plan a road-map for CADTutor into the future and wondering how it can be improved, made more useful and to channel the skills and contributions from our members.

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Perhaps you should have named this web site CADTutor Wiki in the first place.

 

I can't see how different the two are, and I was thinking about the inevitable increase in administration for what would be a doubling of the site. Still if you can do it, then more power to your elbow :D

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This site is supply and demand (actually demand and supply).

 

If you don't know what the questions are, how can you provide an answer :?

 

The answer is always PICKFIRST = 1 :)

 

No but seriously, there are a lot of questions that come up again and again (and again..) that could be answered (and skinned multiple times) in a wiki-style format. Like the One and Only side that Once and For ALL explains the use of Scales. I for one have spent many hours trying to write the FAQ on Scales and given up simply becuase it's too much to get all in one go. With a Wiki-side dedicated to Scales more than one person can contribute and add info and so on. And while this is happening the info is out there, it is not sitting at the back office waiting for it to be pushed through.

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Can you quantify how many times the FAQ are used BEFORE posting a thread?

 

A Wiki might have the same sort of numbers. Anyway, it adds to the friendly atmosphere when there is a person (I am not too sure about ReMark) answering directly.

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Would it be too ambitious to make the Wiki almost like a how to guide written by CAD users for CAD users (I'm sure we could make it much better than the appalling AutoCAD help section) or were you thinking more like a list of common faults and their solutions?

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If you don't know what the questions are, how can you provide an answer :?

 

A Wiki is not an FAQ, rather a central wealth of information surrounding a topic. Someone creates an article about say, PICKFIRST, others add to it. Then, when the inevitable question arises, accurate information can be conveyed without the constant information regurgitation.

Edited by Lee Mac
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...Then, when the inevitable question arises, accurate information can be conveyed with the constant information regurgitation.

 

not without ? :?

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Can you quantify how many times the FAQ are used BEFORE posting a thread?

 

A Wiki might have the same sort of numbers. Anyway, it adds to the friendly atmosphere when there is a person (I am not too sure about ReMark) answering directly.

"I am not too sure about ReMark." What did i do?

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person (I am not too sure about ReMark)

 

"I am not too sure about ReMark." What did i do?

 

I assume eldon is questioning your claim to be a person when you are clearly a cyborg.

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"I am not too sure about ReMark." What did i do?

 

Humble apologies if that throw-away remark was not read as I intended.

 

When I typed 'person' in my reply, I had a memory flashback, that you had, in the past, jocularly tried to throw doubt on your flesh-and-bloodness.

 

I was trying to be similarly light-hearted, but perhaps my efforts have not translated. I will try and leave the humour to you. :oops:

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