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BTW. As Joey might have mentioned to you guys, me and AB have been doing stuff in a completely non-automated way here:

http://www.generation-online.org/generation/reference.htm

the system we use atm is terrible as I am sure will be obvious to you guys, its a kind of mimmicry of automated systems. But anyway, we are collecting this data - it is a kind of on-going thing - but do you think it would work in this kind of format? I can't see any obvious reasons why it would not provide a structural home.

But maybe the best use of this kind of programme would be more directly political colaborative projects. One way it might work is as a kind of time delayed chat, but clearly the most important thing is the combination of interconnectivity and interactivity.

• We should really sort out something more suitable for you. We are working on / dreaming of software that would do this but for now you should use existing tools. I previously suggested an Access database -> static HTML, but now I think well structured data is less important than community interaction. Therefore, would you consider moving your database onto the Wiki? The Wiki is not (by default) very rigidly structured, but I think it might be temporarily advantageous.
  • It allows community editing.
  • Interconnectivity is very easy using WikiWords.
  • Structure might be possible either by following a site policy, or using WikiForms? and TWikiMetaData. What do you think Kipz?
• -- JoeyTwiddle - 12 Sep 2002

I think we should try and use a Wiki for our database, I think it would save a lot of time in editing single Html documents and uploading them as everything is done directly through the web. For our database, we orignally thought that a single structure would work but now it looks that a more adaptable one would be preferable as different info comes in different shapes and sizes. So yes I think the wiki would be preferrable to the system we are using now, and it would be a perfect basis on which to involve more people in collating information etc. I think its just what we are looking for with our current modest ambitions.

I have a couple of ignornant questions like; how adaptable is this system? Does it work in the manner that you guys can make adaptions and improvements to it, or is it as a programme like a published book?

Has the image I have on my screen now, been largely generated through the parameters of the system itself, or has it been designed in the manner that one might approach an html document - I mean the structure of the appearance of the information?

• Essentially a Wiki is just a set of web pages that can be edited online. However, instead of editing HTML, we use a simpler language, which looks pretty much like plaintext, but with extra functionality described in TextFormattingRules.
• So basically it is a collaborative website, with hyperlinking is made easier with WikiWords?.
• The software is open source, so we do have the power to make modifications. What are you thinking of?
• -- JoeyTwiddle - 12 Sep 2002

I've messed abit more with it now, and I see tables are easy to build and so on, its more envisaging the whole structure that I have difficulty with. One of my worries was a page like this could become confusing the more contributions are put up, but I see that there are plugins that might allow for better ordering of comments, as well I think a system, where people can comment without going through all the preview and save options...so this is all good.

• I am slowly investigating automation. We should play with the structure of the data in the Wiki before transferring everything. Can you provide links to the information you found?
• Indymedia's Twiki looks quite different, demonstrating its customisability.
• -- JoeyTwiddle - 15 Sep 2002

Another ignorant question! How much labour time/effort does it take to get something like this running? And how much of your resources does it consume, i.e on your server? Would it require a lot of maintenance if it had a lot of traffic?

• The initial effort (which we will never have to do again!) was not massive. In its current form it will run happily without maintainance, although of course it will rely on the community uploading and refining content!
• I have not fully investigated this, but I do not think you need to worry about the number of readers or the amount of contribution - our box can handle it ;)
• After investigating TWikiForms and TWikiMetaData, we should be able to discuss how easy/hard it is to produce a well-structured site.
• Shall I look into transferring the generation-online site to this Wiki?
• -- JoeyTwiddle - 12 Sep 2002

Please do look into what the transferral would involve, obviously we would do any of the non-technical leg-work.

Again on behalf of AB and me thanks for the efforts of you and your box ;)