do you wiki?

[fulvio]

Just a quick poll to feel the ground for a new initiative.

[Susan Ray]

Here 'wiki' means quick...there is a  'wiki wiki' bus even..never have taken it, so quess I  don't wiki
Aloha.
Susan

[Jim Moore]

Some sort of software, I think?????

[David Sanner]

Here's a fine example of a wiki  (and a good internet resource)

http://en.wikipedia.org/   

After going to the llink above, enter 'wiki'  in the search field you'll
see a nice definition of a wiki.  (try searching on something else while you're there)

"A wiki is a group of Web pages that allows users to add content, as on an Internet forum, but also permits others (often completely unrestricted) to edit the content."


I think a wiki for our FAQ pages or common questions/topics that keep coming up
but evolved over time would be a great thing... if people took the time to
define and maintain it.

[Stu Jackson]

Dave

FYI, our "old" C34 website FAQ section is, as you note, non-interactive.  However, there are Associate Webmasters, all listed on the C34 Homepage (www.c34.org), who are responsible for maintaining those pages.  I've sometimes emailed them with updates which have been posted.

We just need to rrecognize that not everything is all interactive or immediate, and that the "historical" nature of the older information is still very valid for the older boats.  The changes and updates have been very well handled on this message board with its search engine.

Enjoy them both.

[Stu Jackson]

Dave

You wrote: "I think a wiki for our FAQ pages or common questions/topics that keep coming up
but evolved over time would be a great thing... if people took the time to
define and maintain it."

I've been involved in contributing to this website for over eight years.  The beauty of the Message Board "mailbox" of this Forum is that it is self-sustaining, with minimal effort required by the Officers and webmaster to maintain the content. 

I am not sure just who you mean by "if people took the time...."  As the Officers of the C34IA and the webmaster and associate webmasters, as well as the MANY FREQUENT CONTRIBUTORS to the Message Board, we all DO take the time to make this board available to all, but most of us have real day jobs.

The powerful search engine allows complete flexibility in finding material.

Here's a brief history: The Original Home page www.c34.org and the associated Projects and FAQs (http://www.c34.org/projects/projects.html and http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/faq.html) were developed over the years to organize and collect the vast amount of information that had been generated by interested C34 owners about their boats.

The FAQs, particularly, were made by a handful of us who took our own personal time and copied material from the older email "List" and made "articles" about the subjects.  They were prepared and edited, then emailed to the Associate Webmasters, who then posted them on the website.

With the advent of the searchable Message Board only a few years ago, there was no longer a need to do that time consuming work.  On the Message Board, the material is all there, on a central server (not on individual folks' own hard drives) and is searchable for any topic.  Phil has recently improved the search engine to allow it to work on more complicated search wording.

A search engine is just like an index in an encyclopedia.

Given the history of the C34 website, I believe it is counterproductive to begin additional FAQ sections anywhere on the site.  We have two already: the Original FAQs, link noted above, and the Message Board, which is used daily by C34 aficionados, as THE Technical Resource.  I can conceive of no need to require additional effort on anyone's part to re-organize information that is already there and very accessible.

I think of this technical information as a tool kit.  I have my "regular" tools stored neatly in my nav station (see Projects on the Original Webpage).  I also have a second "take it anywhere" tool kit in a handy Sears carry-case for off the boat so I don't have to gather my "regular" tools if I'm called off to a friend's boat to help out. 

But I don't scatter my tools all over, nor would I think of making any more separate tool kits.

We have two tool kits here: the Original FAQs and the Message Board.  I see no reason to make up any new tool kits, which would just confuse things, and simply make it necessary to look in even more places for what you are trying to find in the first place!  Just as I would gather my tools together, rather than putting some in the forward cabin and some in the port locker, it just makes sense to keep the simple two resources we have for technical questions just where they are, and not make any more categories.

I also view the ability to modify the contents in a WIKI post by anyone else as counterproductive to original messaging and contributions.  This board only allows the people who post the messages to edit them.  I really wouldn't want the responsibility to edit anyone else's work - I have enough on my hands to try to properly edit what I write myself.

[Stu Jackson]

In addition to the last post, please also note other components of the "tool kit" iinclude the Tech Notes.

They're available ONLINE to C34IA members.  They also come on a FREE CD-ROM when you join the Association.

The index of all available Tech Notes is available to all:  http://www.c34.org/techindex_top.htm

Your sources of technical information on C34s are:

--  Original Webpage FAQs

--  The Message Board on the Forum

--  Tech Notes

--  Projects

These have all of the technical information that has been so graciously shared by C34 owners since 1987, all right here on your website.

OK, OK, that's more than two tool kits , but all are easy to find.