#16

INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREE!!!!Wiki’s...A wiki is a work in process, created as an experiment of what a wiki can offer. This wiki is open to the general public to use as needed. This wiki is a place to find & contribute resource information. 1. A wiki must have a specific purpose.2. You can’t just offer a wiki to the public as a blank slate and expect people to add to it. Even when the wiki has a specific purpose, it’s good to create some sort of structure so that people will feel comfortable posting. We’re all accustomed to websites controlled by a higher authority, so it’s good to give people a basic blueprint for adding content. They can always post whatever they want and can change the structure of the wiki later on, but it can be difficult to get people to start posting without any structure.3. It’s good to add some content to the wiki before making it public. People get nervous if they’re the first person posting to a wiki and they don’t know if they’re posting the right sort of content. It’s good to give them some sense of what “should” be there, even when there is no “should.”4. You need to make it very clear that people can add whatever they want to the wiki or they’ll ask you to do it instead of doing it themselves. People don’t want to step on anyone else’s toes.5. If your name is on the wiki, some people will email you assuming that you wrote everything on it or that you are an authority on the subject. It’s good to make it clear that they should only ask you technical questions about the wiki.6. It is amazing to watch what a wiki can become. It can really really blow your mind how many people put so much effort into the wiki and how many people used it as a reference. Heady stuff!