A woodturning Wiki?

[rsser]

There's all these tips and links of enduring value posted on this forum that IMHO would go well archived on a Wiki.

Like, how many times do we want to respond to 'what lathe should I buy?' ?? (groan; like posts about what oil or what tyres on motorbike forums).

(eg. Hughie's encyclopeadic knowledge of turning and turning links MUST be recorded before he runs off with his young secretary, or worse .... :eek: And we could post extended tool or technique tutorials. Skew's tutes are of enduring value.)

So what's a Wiki? Basically a website constructed by users, needing minimal coding skill.

We tried to get one going for Stubbies; see http://140.247.184.244/bin/view/stubby
but it didn't really take off because the Stubby Yahoo user group already had the facility to post docs.

I've suggested to the management that a Wiki might be a useful complement to the forum.

What do you think? Useful? Willing to contribute? Willing to help ubeaut to host?

[TTIT]

Very undecided on this one Ern.
Would be good to have all the tips and tutes etc in one place but sometimes the banter that comes with the 'same old, same old' threads makes it all the more interesting.
But then again, searching through the banter when you're just after facts can be a real PIA!
OK - I'm in!

[silentC]

I've had a fair bit to do with Wikipedia over the last couple of years. For them to work, you really need a lot of keen people to add new content, improve the old, and probably most of all, check all the updates for vandalism and BS. I probably spend more time doing the latter than anything else.

On the other hand, they're a great resource if you want to learn about something, as long as you don't take it as gospel - a lot of it is either just opinion or just plain wrong. I wouldn't see that being a big problem for a woodturning Wiki but if you plan on having "which lathe" is best articles, they could be interesting and subject to lots of vandalism, spam and other carp.

Good luck with it if it goes ahead. I don't know enough about woodturning to contribute but I'd probably use it if it was there.

[Slow6]

Gday Ern :)

What about a wood turning version of the "the best of the best" forum?
even split into a couple of sections within itself would be good.
if you do a search back through the wip's and tut's in the last couple of years
theres more than enough to fill it.

it'd just come down to us getting off our bums and nominate the good ones rather than let them slide down into the belly of the beast.

a web site sounds good in theory.. but you'll never get the same amount of info and inspiration that you do with an open thread... even if it has been done to death.

[Gil Jones]

Ern, it does sound interesting, especially if the data could be cataloged by category. I will participate when and if.
TTIT has a good point concerning what to do with excessive bull phooey, but that could be managed.

[Gra]

I would be willing to help, though I know S@#T about turning at the moment. As I am only beginning it would be good to have something like that as a resource.

As for SPAM and BS, if updates were linked to this site (I.E. piggy back off their security??), then the only problem may be BS:D, but as has been said before that can be managed.

Maybe the code could be added to the WIKI ?

[rsser]

Yeah, I like the banter too TTIT, but the Wiki would be a complement to the forum not a replacement.

And yes, it can be filled with BS and ignorance, but so can the forum, and there are ways to deal with both.

Best thread nominations are certainly an alternative Slow but not infrequently the thread titles are a poor guide to some of the gems in them.

[silentC]

As for SPAM and BS, if updates were linked to this site (I.E. piggy back off their security??), then the only problem may be BS, but as has been said before that can be managed.
Yes, if you make it so that only members can edit. With Wikipedia, anyone can edit, sign up is not required. Anonymous edits are allowed. You would not be surprised at how many times we have to revert edits to the Tool article :p Some people actually go to the trouble of signing up and then their first edit is to add their mate's name to the Moron article. :rolleyes:

[Slow6]

And yes, it can be filled with BS and ignorance, but so can the forum, and there are ways to deal with both.

have I got it wrong? is a wiki just a website.. or is it open to posts like this forum?



Best thread nominations are certainly an alternative Slow but not infrequently the thread titles are a poor guide to some of the gems in them.

I dunno.. I think the best of the best is ok
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=16776
I could definatley see the benefit of a collection of the more helpfull or ingenious threads from the turners. and the way that page is set out its up the title of the origional thread doens't have to play a part at all.

dont get me wrong Ern.. I like the wiki idea, I just reckon to keep everything in the one place ie: right here under the woodturning header is going to have a much better chance of activity (and survival) than a seperate web page.
I'm with you all the way on getting the knowledge all in one easy to browse spot.. sometimes a search just wont cut it because you have no idea what it is you want to know:o

[rsser]

Slow, a Wiki is a website that anyone can add to or alter. I think that Wikipedia has an article on Wiki's, as you'd expect ;-}

All changes can be backtracked so you can see what someone thought should be changed.

But you can have moderators and you can limit or ban picky or malicious posters.

And yes, I would like to see it closely integrated with the forum. I don't know whether or how this could be done.

[SawDustSniffer]

one problem about content might come up in the "what finishes are best "
as all know UBEAUT products are the best
but questions of propriatary editing might come up ,
same with lathes , unless one person has used all the lathes made , how can that person say Woodfast is better than GMC (no brainer )

but the repeditive Questions could just get there own folder ,read only ,but some one would have to reright the titels , when "what lathe do i bye " turnes into 3 pages of the best ginding weels to use

[Slow6]

yeh.. sorry about that Ern, I took myself off and had a look at wikipedia.

would you believe I've never bothered untill now.

I can definatley see how something like that would work if integrated closely with the forum and had a few people with the time and energy to keep it clean.

[rsser]

Sawdust, like these forums, Wiki's are a democracy: everyone has the right to express an opinion. I've never found the forum sponsor to interfere with this on these forums and that adds to their credibility as a supplier as far as I'm concerned.

Ditto Slow: the Wiki will be as good as its users.

[rsser]

SilentC: thanks for your experience.

Yep they can be a festering sore or a dead-end (like the Stubby Wiki) or go gangbusters like Wikipedia.

[hughie]

Ern,

I think the idea has great merit. Having done a lot of research over the years on the net.[since the mid 90's] Its a pain in the butt when you have to track through an archive web site to retrieve some bit of info, only to find it aint what you want. grrrrh :mad:

http://www.archive.org/web/web.php ......lol could not help myself :p :D

Ideally it would be linked with the forum and perhaps a extension of it. This sort of info would have a limited number of interested parties. When we consider there's about 300 million online globally. So limiting the posting to forum members would cut down the vandalism to some extent.


There's a few details to work out though. The who what when where stuff

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I've started to reply several times since you first posted the question, vacillating between "good idea" and "maybe... but it'll be a hassle." After mulling it over for the last few hours (damn near 5AM and I'm still working... "Chrissy Rush" 'puta repairs. Bah! Bumhug! :() I think I can definitely and emphatically state that I'm still undecided. :o

I like the idea but, as SilentC pointed out, it'd take a lot of ongoing work. I'd probably end up adding something to it (if only to keep the wikimods busy :D) but I don't really have the time I'd like to spend in this forum, let alone contribute to a wiki too...

[Cliff Rogers]

Yeap, good idea but sounds like a lot of work, mind you, if we had somebody like Driver with his work on 'The Code' & everybody else tipping something in, it might work.

[rsser]

Doesn't have to be a lot of work; it grows as folk feel like writing something.

There's no pressure to build an instant encyclopeadia.

[BernieP]

G'Day Ern

Seems like a good idea, but would be fibbing if I said I really understand what its all about, had a look at this one http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/against_the_grain_woodturning_wiki/against_the_grain_woodturning_wiki.cfm
and wasn't very impressed.

Cheers
Bernie

[rsser]

No, nor me Bernie. Any individual can put together something like that in half an hour.

A virtual community of contributors, which is what we are, can do something far better.

But it's up to the management; can we dovetail something like a Wiki into the forum as a technical matter, and would it fit their business model to do so?

[Wayne Blanch]

I dont say much on the forum but I have been lurking here for quite a while. I think that a Wiki would be great. I would be happy to assist with it where possible. If a small fraction of the knowledge that is in the heads of the contributors to this forum could be captured and put into a Wiki, a fantastic resource could be created.
Regards
Wayne

[hughie]

but then,

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Main_Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_energy