NECO wiki?

[gamiller]

I got to thinking it would be good to collect the more useful info from the forums and arrange it into a format that's easy to read. Moderators could maybe update relevant sections according to the latest forum activity. Any reason this is a bad idea? I found good, free software: ProjectForum Free Version (http://www.projectforum.com/pf/free.html)

[Goldie]

I kinda like the idea - if those contributing "facts" were limited. Some other sites I use have wiki pages embedded and I could see it being useful here to cover all the typical newbie questions :)

[skater]

Already considered and rejected. (http://www.newcougar.org/forums/forum-issues/118039-wiki.html) In fact, gamiller, you suggested it then, too. :)

People don't even read the sticky threads - what makes you think they'd read a wiki? And I spend a significant portion of my time just watching the problems forum, I'm probably not going to be updating a wiki too. (Besides, when I see something common come up in the Problems forum, I usually add it to the FAQs at the top of the forum.)

[JayZee]

Yea, it was denied through yours (RJ) and FastCougars theories of it being such that it's the same as a FAQ or Sticky, when in reality, it seems as though most of the youth and close others have been leaning toward Wiki when faced with a question they cannot answer on their own.

But on the other hand, yes, it seems to be easier to just type in your question and hit "Post" to get an answer, than reading and searching through numerous pages of information, even when they do have the ability to use a search feature to refine the information they have to shuffle through.

So, in retrospect, I think it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, but like stated before, it won't be fun keeping up the Sticky threads and the Wiki. Although you could just link the Wiki in the sticky thread, so you'll only have one place to keep up on. ;)

That's just my two cents.

[ND4SPD]

Already considered and rejected. (http://www.newcougar.org/forums/forum-issues/118039-wiki.html) In fact, gamiller, you suggested it then, too. :)


Ahh, but lets not forget how many times I suggested a photoshop section... Every time I did, it was shot down, but now we have one! :tongue:

So let him keep asking! Maybe one day it will happen. ;)

[bubby]

I think it's a great idea, but the noobs won't use it. You know the routine: Sign on, Sign up, New thread.

[Goldie]

I think it partly would be making it a noticeable part of the site... maybe I am giving people the benefit of the doubt, but I think 'most' people would use it if it was obvious and the content organized in a wikish way.

[skater]

FWIW, I started working on one for my B-van site, though I never made it available to the public. I think it's in general a good idea but we need to be able to control who can edit it (we don't want the spam and abuse they can attract) and who has final say over what is actually correct ('99 alarm functionality, anyone?).

I guess it depends on what issue you're addressing. A large database of articles on Cougar maintenance and workings isn't a bad idea for those of us who are fairly knowledgeable but need more info in preparation for doing some work. But it's certainly not going to cut down on the "I have a miss in my engine and 150,000 miles on my spark plugs..." posts.

[bubby]

It may not stop the posts, but instead of having to dig through each forum to find the right thread that addresses it, we could just link the wiki.

[Goldie]

FWIW, I started working on one for my B-van site, though I never made it available to the public. I think it's in general a good idea but we need to be able to control who can edit it (we don't want the spam and abuse they can attract) and who has final say over what is actually correct ('99 alarm functionality, anyone?).

I guess it depends on what issue you're addressing. A large database of articles on Cougar maintenance and workings isn't a bad idea for those of us who are fairly knowledgeable but need more info in preparation for doing some work. But it's certainly not going to cut down on the "I have a miss in my engine and 150,000 miles on my spark plugs..." posts.

kinda what I was thinking... I'd be up for taking it on. :shrug:

[FastCougar]

I'll look into it ... consider you guys & girl the "group" who will start collecting and managing articles ;)

[gamiller]

i know, people will post the simplest questions, "I'm too lazy to look. How much should a head light cost?" but then the community can simply point them to the page.

a page with FAQs, including parts lists for things like the 3.0 swap, would significantly cut down on the amount of time this community spends answering questions over and over. plus, it would be a great reference for the rest of us.

[skater]

I'll look into it ... consider you guys & girl the "group" who will start collecting and managing articles ;)

Trevor, when I was playing around with it, I found the Wikimedia software to be incredibly huge for what I wanted to do with it. I'll PM you the link to the one I set up and you can see how that works and whether you like it.... as soon as I remember it myself...

[NorCalCoug]

It would only be useful if the number of contributers were on the larger side- the group itself would weed out inaccuracies and spam/defacement, as it would be tracked by who edited what and when.

[bubby]

I'll help out if needed.

[FastCougar]

There is a product that is an add-on product to vBulletin, so it takes advantage of user groups and such, so assigning rights is very easy and powerful. Obviously, I would create a group of wiki editors and start by adding all moderators at first and then allow people to request access later ... that way, all wiki editors are prescreened and known contributors.

The only problem is the wiki add-on has been somewhat abandoned from a development standpoint and I'm affraid to purchase it due to lack of support and compatibility with future vBulletin releases.

[bubby]

What's it coded in?

[FastCougar]

What's it coded in?PHP using MySQL as the backend DB.

[gamiller]

unsupported... yet not public domain? hmmmmm.

my buddy is good with PHP & MySQL. he could even host it for free at his "co-lo" box at the ISP. he can't really be responsible for problems, but i believe he would help with the install and whatever troubleshooting is required to get it running.

[skater]

unsupported... yet not public domain? hmmmmm.

my buddy is good with PHP & MySQL. he could even host it for free at his "co-lo" box at the ISP. he can't really be responsible for problems, but i believe he would help with the install and whatever troubleshooting is required to get it running.

Hosting the software isn't the problem. The problem is that the most likely and convenient (because it would integrate with vBulletin, what we use here) candidate doesn't appear to be well supported and updated.