WikiIndex talk:Community talk: Difference between revisions

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{{TOCright}}[[Category:WikiIndex|Community talk]]
{{TOCright}}
This '''community talk''' page is a space to ask a question when the question is not directed towards a [[:Category:Wiki People|community person]] but towards the whole group; or if you don't know who to ask here at [[WikiIndex]]. A similar page with similar purposes is [[WikiIndex talk:Community portal]].
This '''community talk''' page is a space to ask a question when the question is not directed towards a [[:Category:Wiki People|individual person]] but towards the whole group; or if you don't know who to ask here at [[WikiIndex]]. A similar page with similar purposes is [[WikiIndex talk:Community portal]].


You may wish to type your question in the search engine to see if there has been a question like yours before, or consult the [[WikiIndex:FrequentlyAskedQuestions|WikiIndex FAQ]] – ''before'' you post a question here.
You may wish to type your question in the search engine to see if there has been a question like yours before, or consult the [[WikiIndex:FrequentlyAskedQuestions|WikiIndex FAQ]] – ''before'' you post a question here.


If you wish to comment on an ''existing'' subject here, simply click on '[edit]' next to the relevent subject heading.  If you wish to start a ''new'' subject, click on the 'new section' tab at the <u>top</u> of this page (or use keyboard shortcut <tt>Alt-+</tt>), type your comments, add your signature by typing <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> (four tildes), click on the 'Show preview' button below the edit box (or use keyboard shortcut <tt>Alt-p</tt>) to check your comment, then when you are happy with what you typed, click on 'Save page' (keyboard shortcut <tt>Alt-s</tt>).
If you wish to comment on an ''existing'' subject here, simply click on '[edit]' next to the relevent subject heading.  If you wish to start a ''new'' subject, click on the 'new section' tab at the <u>top</u> of this page (or use keyboard shortcut <tt>Alt-+</tt>), type your comments, add your signature by typing <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> (four tildes), click on the 'Show preview' button below the edit box (or use keyboard shortcut <tt>Alt-p</tt>) to check your comment, then when you are happy with what you typed, click on 'Save page' (keyboard shortcut <tt>Alt-s</tt>).


==Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","==
==Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character ","==
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How do you rename a [[Special:Categories|category]]?  I don't mean cutting and pasting text to a new page.  You should be able to move the page and its edit history to a new location.  I can't do it even if I copy the old page title to the move page URL.  Can any admin do it?
How do you rename a [[Special:Categories|category]]?  I don't mean cutting and pasting text to a new page.  You should be able to move the page and its edit history to a new location.  I can't do it even if I copy the old page title to the move page URL.  Can any admin do it?


I prepared to move [[:Category:OddMuse]] to [[:Category:Oddmuse]], since it is Oddmuse accroding to its [http://www.oddmuse.org official website].  I opened all the articles with the OddMuse category in new tabs, edited them, and then noticed that I can't move the category.  Ouch.  [[User:Tristram Shandy|Tristram Shandy]] 18:10, 7 Mar 2006 (EST)
I prepared to move Category:OddMuse to [[:Category:Oddmuse]], since it is Oddmuse accroding to its [http://www.oddmuse.org official website].  I opened all the articles with the OddMuse category in new tabs, edited them, and then noticed that I can't move the category.  Ouch.  [[User:Tristram Shandy|Tristram Shandy]] 18:10, 7 Mar 2006 (EST)


:It seems [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Category#Moving_a_category_page no-one can move categories].  [[User:Tristram Shandy|Tristram Shandy]]
:It seems [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Category#Moving_a_category_page no-one can move categories].  [[User:Tristram Shandy|Tristram Shandy]]
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==private wiki advice needed==
==private wiki advice needed==
I have a friend that wants a private wiki for his business.  I tried to help him set up [[UseMod]] and failed.  He knows about and has used [[PBwiki]] and is worried about his data if they go under.  Where should he go to feel secure about both his data not being seen and his data not disappearing at some point. [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 11:28, 4 May 2006 (EDT)
I have a friend that wants a private wiki for his business.  I tried to help him set up [[:Category:Usemod|Usemod]] and failed.  He knows about and has used [[:Category:PBWiki|PBwiki]] and is worried about his data if they go under.  Where should he go to feel secure about both his data not being seen and his data not disappearing at some point. [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 11:28, 4 May 2006 (EDT)


:''Does your friend want a free service or can they pay?'' [[MarkDilley]]
:''Does your friend want a free service or can they pay?'' [[MarkDilley]]
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In order of who I have known longer:
In order of who I have known longer:
*[[:Category:Socialtext|Socialtext]] - talk to [[SunirShah]]
*[[:Category:Socialtext|Socialtext]] - talk to [[SunirShah]]
*[[Confluence]] [[Atlassian]] - http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/ - Mike fron [[RecentChangesCamp]]
*[[:Category:Confluence|Confluence]] [[:Category:Atlassian|Atlassian]] - http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/ - Mike fron [[RecentChangesCamp]]
*[[Wetpaint]] - Ray has met these folks.
*[[:Category:Wetpaint|Wetpaint]] - Ray has met these folks.


Also http://dreamhost.com maybe able to help, they have a one click install of a MediaWiki. -- [[MarkDilley]]
Also http://dreamhost.com maybe able to help, they have a one click install of a MediaWiki. -- [[MarkDilley]]
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Hello folks, I don't use watched pages very much.  But I do on my user talk page, or did, way back when and I try to unwatch it.  that doesn't work, every time I unwatch it, the next login, it is being watched again, any ideas? [[MarkDilley]]
Hello folks, I don't use watched pages very much.  But I do on my user talk page, or did, way back when and I try to unwatch it.  that doesn't work, every time I unwatch it, the next login, it is being watched again, any ideas? [[MarkDilley]]


:I can only guess that that's a MediaWiki feature.  If you don't use the watchlist, does having something on there impact you somewhere else? [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 14:04, 6 June 2006 (EDT)
:I can only guess that that's a MediaWiki feature.  If you don't use the [[Special:Watchlist|watchlist]], does having something on there impact you somewhere else? [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 14:04, 6 June 2006 (EDT)


No, just annoying! :-) [[MarkDilley]]
No, just annoying! :-) [[MarkDilley]]
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In [[Special:Preferences]] there is an option to add every page you edit to your watchlist.  You may want to turn that off if it's not already off. --[[User:Carlb|Carlb]] 22:59, 10 June 2006 (EDT)
In [[Special:Preferences]] there is an option to add every page you edit to your watchlist.  You may want to turn that off if it's not already off. --[[User:Carlb|Carlb]] 22:59, 10 June 2006 (EDT)


It seems that our '''user talk''' pages are always in bold, is that true? [[MarkDilley]]
It seems that our '''[[user talk]]''' pages are always in bold, is that true? [[MarkDilley]]


:Your own user page can't be un-watched. I think it's somehow connected to talk page notification. &mdash;[[Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">User:Sean Fennel</span>]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">@</span>]] 00:56, 3 July 2006 (EDT)
:Your own user page can't be un-watched. I think it's somehow connected to talk page notification. &mdash;[[Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">User:Sean Fennel</span>]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">@</span>]] 00:56, 3 July 2006 (EDT)


==OpenG==
==OpenG==
Is there a wiki for the G programming language?  If one exists, I'd like to list it in the [[WikiIndex]].  I see what appears to be one using [[TikiWiki]] at
Is there a wiki for the G programming language?  If one exists, I'd like to list it in the [[WikiIndex]].  I see what appears to be one using [[:Category:TikiWiki|TikiWiki]] at
http://openg.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=Whats%20New
http://openg.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=Whats%20New
, but the big red warning at the top makes me suspect that it is going offline soon(?), to be replaced by a phpBB (which is non-wiki, right?).  (Or do they plan to keep both running indefinitely, so people can use whichever one they feel comfortable with?).  (G is the [[visual]] programming language used in [[Wikipedia:LabVIEW]]).  --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 11:11, 24 June 2006 (EDT)
, but the big red warning at the top makes me suspect that it is going offline soon(?), to be replaced by a phpBB (which is non-wiki, right?).  (Or do they plan to keep both running indefinitely, so people can use whichever one they feel comfortable with?).  (G is the [[visual]] programming language used in [[Wikipedia:LabVIEW]]).  --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 11:11, 24 June 2006 (EDT)
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:I didn't even know we '''had''' a spam filter. &mdash;[[Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">User:Sean Fennel</span>]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">@</span>]] 17:49, 1 August 2006 (EDT)
:I didn't even know we '''had''' a spam filter. &mdash;[[Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">User:Sean Fennel</span>]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">@</span>]] 17:49, 1 August 2006 (EDT)


==WikiNode question==
==[[WikiNode]] question==
I recently put my [[wiki]] up [[Trendpedia]] and today I saw an article on my wiki http://trendpedia.elwiki.com/WikiNode and I am trying to figure out what the article is supposed to be.  Since it was done by an [[IP editor|IP]] and I'm not sure if they'll check back, I'm asking here.  The thing is, it looks like a welcome message.  I am not sure how to develop it.  Is it supposed to be an article about [[WikiNode]] or [[WikiIndex]]?  Why does it link to my wiki's recent changes and main page?  [[User:ZealPalace|ZealPalace]] 05:29, 22 August 2006 (EDT)
I recently put my [[wiki]] up [[Trendpedia]] and today I saw an article on my wiki http://trendpedia.elwiki.com/WikiNode and I am trying to figure out what the article is supposed to be.  Since it was done by an [[IP editor|IP]] and I'm not sure if they'll check back, I'm asking here.  The thing is, it looks like a welcome message.  I am not sure how to develop it.  Is it supposed to be an article about [[WikiNode]] or [[WikiIndex]]?  Why does it link to my wiki's recent changes and main page?  [[User:ZealPalace|ZealPalace]] 05:29, 22 August 2006 (EDT)
:That was me.  Have you had a chance to see anything about the WikiNodes network?  [[WikiNodes Wiki|WikiNodes]] are pretty cool, and allow you to show anyone the wikis that are "neighbors" of yours.  So that page is just a generic template that I pasted in.  It linked back to your page on [[WikiIndex]] so you'd know it was us.  Feel free to change anything on the page, including the links to your RC and mainpage.  Change those to the most important pages on your site and add links to the wikinodes of sites you consider to be your neighbors.  Please let me know if you'd like to talk more about this. [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 05:36, 22 August 2006 (EDT)
:That was me.  Have you had a chance to see anything about the WikiNodes network?  [[WikiNodes Wiki|WikiNodes]] are pretty cool, and allow you to show anyone the wikis that are "neighbors" of yours.  So that page is just a generic template that I pasted in.  It linked back to your page on [[WikiIndex]] so you'd know it was us.  Feel free to change anything on the page, including the links to your RC and mainpage.  Change those to the most important pages on your site and add links to the wikinodes of sites you consider to be your neighbors.  Please let me know if you'd like to talk more about this. [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 05:36, 22 August 2006 (EDT)
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Hi, all. I wanted to point out that there's now an [http://www.openid.net/ OpenID] extension for [[:Category:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] that lets people log into one MW wiki with an account from another wiki.  I think it'd be particularly useful for a meta-community site like [[WikiIndex]].  The software is available from http://svn.wikimedia.org/viewvc/mediawiki/trunk/extensions/OpenID/ in the MediaWiki subversion library, and I'd be happy to help get it installed. --[[User:Evan|Evan]] 11:22, 7 September 2006 (EDT)
Hi, all. I wanted to point out that there's now an [http://www.openid.net/ OpenID] extension for [[:Category:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] that lets people log into one MW wiki with an account from another wiki.  I think it'd be particularly useful for a meta-community site like [[WikiIndex]].  The software is available from http://svn.wikimedia.org/viewvc/mediawiki/trunk/extensions/OpenID/ in the MediaWiki subversion library, and I'd be happy to help get it installed. --[[User:Evan|Evan]] 11:22, 7 September 2006 (EDT)


:There's a more useful page at http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:OpenID . I would ''love'' to help someone at WikiIndex install this software, step-by-step if needed. --[[User:Evan|Evan]] 14:20, 3 February 2007 (PST)
:There's a more useful page at [[mw:Extension:OpenID]]. I would ''love'' to help someone at WikiIndex install this software, step-by-step if needed. --[[User:Evan|Evan]] 14:20, 3 February 2007 (PST)
::Would love to implement OpenID, as we discussed at RCC 2007, I've read over the installation page and it doesn't look too hairy. We do have a couple of issues that need to be resolved before we can go live with it, our .htaccess rewrite code quit working when we upgraded to MW 1.8.2 and changed hosts. I'll try to resolve our issues this week and start working on OpenID this weekend or early next week. [[User:John Stanton|John]] 09:25, 13 February 2007 (PST)
::Would love to implement [[:Category:OpenID|OpenID]], as we discussed at [[RCC 2007]], I've read over the installation page and it doesn't look too hairy. We do have a couple of issues that need to be resolved before we can go live with it, our .htaccess rewrite code quit working when we upgraded to MW 1.8.2 and changed hosts. I'll try to resolve our issues this week and start working on OpenID this weekend or early next week. [[User:John Stanton|John]] 09:25, 13 February 2007 (PST)


==How are you doing hotlinking in mediawiki==
==How are you doing hotlinking in mediawiki==
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==For those of you who function better in UseMod==
==For those of you who function better in UseMod==
The skin "Nostalgia" was designed to mimic UseMod, and does a pretty good job of it. I just found it in my preferences and was quite impressed. The only major difference is that the page title isn't a link to "What Links Here" a.k.a. BackLinks. &mdash;&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">[[User:Sean Fennel]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|@]]</span> 14:35, 9 September 2006 (EDT)
The skin "Nostalgia" was designed to mimic [[:Category:UseMod|UseMod]], and does a pretty good job of it. I just found it in my preferences and was quite impressed. The only major difference is that the page title isn't a link to "What Links Here" a.k.a. BackLinks. &mdash;&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Times New Roman;">[[User:Sean Fennel]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|@]]</span> 14:35, 9 September 2006 (EDT)


==Broader wikis==
==Broader wikis==
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=="BuildingControlsWiki"==
=="BuildingControlsWiki"==
On page https://wiki.ubuntu.com/InterWiki.  I see a link to a "BuildingControlsWiki".  Apparently, that page (including that link) was copied from http://moinmaster.wikiwikiweb.de/InterWikiMap.  Alas, it appears that wiki has gone offline.  Or perhaps it moved? does anyone know where?  --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 01:12, 22 November 2006 (EST)
On page https://wiki.ubuntu.com/InterWiki.  I see a link to a "[[BuildingControlsWiki]]".  Apparently, that page (including that link) was copied from http://moinmaster.wikiwikiweb.de/InterWikiMap.  Alas, it appears that wiki has gone offline.  Or perhaps it moved? does anyone know where?  --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 01:12, 22 November 2006 (EST)


==Category images==
==Category images==
If it's not too server-painful, we can upload an image for each category, for example a French flag for [[:Category:French]], or a image of an iPod at [[:Category:IPod]]. <span title="gotta love Wii">&ndash;</span> [[Smiddle]] / <small>[[User talk:Smiddle|T]]&middot;[[Special:Contributions/Smiddle|C]]&middot;[[Special:Emailuser/Smiddle|@]]</small> 11:23, 7 December 2006 (EST)
If it's not too server-painful, we can upload an image for each category, for example a French flag for [[:Category:French]], or a image of an iPod at [[:Category:iPod]]. <span title="gotta love Wii">&ndash;</span> [[Smiddle]] / <small>[[User talk:Smiddle|T]]&middot;[[Special:Contributions/Smiddle|C]]&middot;[[Special:Emailuser/Smiddle|@]]</small> 11:23, 7 December 2006 (EST)


:If you're looking for flags, openclipart.org has a reasonably full set as public-domain .SVG's. Perhaps you could use those? --[[User:66.102.73.18|66.102.73.18]] 02:22, 15 December 2006 (EST)
:If you're looking for flags, openclipart.org has a reasonably full set as public-domain .SVG's. Perhaps you could use those? --[[User:66.102.73.18|66.102.73.18]] 02:22, 15 December 2006 (EST)


==Duplicate categories==
==Duplicate categories==
We do seem to have many redundant categories, for instance [[:category:game]]/[[:category:games]]/[[:category:gaming]]. These seem to often be being #REDIRECT'ed - not necessarily the best approach, as a redirected page still appears to be a blue link and therefore is prone to keep getting added to articles. Would deleting the duplicates entirely so that they become [[red links]] be more likely to discourage their recreation or re-use? The [http://wikiindex.com/index.php?title=User_talk%3ASmiddle&diff=37811&oldid=37514 politics] is, I presume, just a sideshow and the creation of multiple near-identical categories in most cases merely an accident, but I thought it would be best to ask here instead of trying to find a "votes for speedy deletion" tag for them.
We do seem to have many redundant categories, for instance [[:category:game]] / [[:category:games]] / [[:category:gaming]]. These seem to often be being #REDIRECT'ed - not necessarily the best approach, as a redirected page still appears to be a blue link and therefore is prone to keep getting added to articles. Would deleting the duplicates entirely so that they become [[red links]] be more likely to discourage their recreation or re-use? The [http://wikiindex.com/index.php?title=User_talk%3ASmiddle&diff=37811&oldid=37514 politics] is, I presume, just a sideshow and the creation of multiple near-identical categories in most cases merely an accident, but I thought it would be best to ask here instead of trying to find a "votes for speedy deletion" tag for them.
This is a community-created site, without a top-down determination of which categories we ought to be using.  If you see duplication, feel free to clean it up.  You can also use '''<nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki>''' for an empty category that needs to be removed. [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 14:27, 15 December 2006 (EST)
This is a community-created site, without a top-down determination of which categories we ought to be using.  If you see duplication, feel free to clean it up.  You can also use '''<nowiki>{{delete}}</nowiki>''' for an empty category that needs to be removed. [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 14:27, 15 December 2006 (EST)


==Research and analysis collaboration?==
==Research and analysis collaboration?==
Is anyone interested in working together to learn what is most effective or critical for wikis, especially attracting contributors? If so, please see the [http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:Analysis_collaboration%3F discussion] at Wikia. [[User:Maurreen|Maurreen]] 15:06, 10 December 2006 (EST)
Is anyone interested in working together to learn what is most effective or critical for wikis, especially attracting contributors? If so, please see the [http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:Analysis_collaboration%3F discussion] at [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]]. [[User:Maurreen|Maurreen]] 15:06, 10 December 2006 (EST)


==Changing username==
==Changing username==
If I want to change my username, should I just open a new account, or is possible (easy) to change it and keep the edit history, like I did on Wikipedia at [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Changing username]]? Thanks --[[User:Singkong2005|Chris Watkins/Singkong2005]] <small><sup>[[User talk:Singkong2005|talk]]</sup></small> 00:41, 19 December 2006 (PST)
If I want to change my username, should I just open a new account, or is possible (easy) to change it and keep the edit history, like I did on [[:Category:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]] at [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Changing username]]? Thanks --[[User:Singkong2005|Chris Watkins/Singkong2005]] <small><sup>[[User talk:Singkong2005|talk]]</sup></small> 00:41, 19 December 2006 (PST)
: I just looked at the wikipedia page and they have a special page for "rename user" which we do not have.  Is this some kind of extension? [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 22:35, 19 December 2006 (PST)
: I just looked at the wikipedia page and they have a special page for "rename user" which we do not have.  Is this some kind of extension? [[TedErnst]] | <small>[[User talk:TedErnst|talk]]</small> 22:35, 19 December 2006 (PST)
::[[Meta-Wiki:Renameuser|Yes it is]]. They have [[Wikipedia:Special:Version|quite a few]] pretty nifty extensions there. &mdash;&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Arial;">[[User:Sean Fennel]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|@]]</span> 15:44, 20 December 2006 (PST)
::[[Meta-Wiki:Renameuser|Yes it is]]. They have [[Wikipedia:Special:Version|quite a few]] pretty nifty extensions there. &mdash;&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Kristen ITC, Arial;">[[User:Sean Fennel]][[User talk:Sean Fennel|@]]</span> 15:44, 20 December 2006 (PST)
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==Open Call for Editors to Participate in Research Project==
==Open Call for Editors to Participate in Research Project==
Hi there!  My name is Jim Sutton and I'm undertaking research in the School of Library,
Hi there!  My name is Jim Sutton and I'm undertaking research in the School of Library,
Archive, and Information Studies, UCL, London.  http://www.slais.ucl.ac.uk/
Archive, and Information Studies, UCL, [[:Category:London|London]].  http://www.slais.ucl.ac.uk/


My research involves studying wiki usage, the reasons why individuals use wikis and the benefits/disadvantages of using wikis to create and manage knowledge.  I'd be extremely grateful for any feedback you can provide as to your reasons for using/contributing to wikis.  You can submit your feedback through my online survey so please feel free to complete this if you have the time. The survey is available at:  http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/stqa7937/survey/
My research involves studying wiki usage, the reasons why individuals use wikis and the benefits/disadvantages of using wikis to create and manage knowledge.  I'd be extremely grateful for any feedback you can provide as to your reasons for using/contributing to wikis.  You can submit your feedback through my online survey so please feel free to complete this if you have the time. The survey is available at:  http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/stqa7937/survey/
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Is anyone attempting to do this? If not, it'd be good to start something - e.g. on [[Wikia Scratchpad]].  (I was hoping [http://local.wikia.com/ local.wikia] was it, but it seems not.)
Is anyone attempting to do this? If not, it'd be good to start something - e.g. on [[Wikia Scratchpad]].  (I was hoping [http://local.wikia.com/ local.wikia] was it, but it seems not.)


It'd be best to incorporate social networking stuff, to help finding people in one's local area. This is not a wiki's strength, but I think Wikia's making progress. What we'd really like is to be able to bring over or tie in networking stuff from other wikis. I've read snippets about improvements to social networking sites to allow people to transfer personal information. Then there's Google's OpenSocial. But what's still missing is a way to do a single search for people, on a single site. Perhaps as things get more sophisticated, Google's OpenSocial APIs will enable this kind of thing, or there'll be some other way of marking our personal pages on different sites (a bit like how CC license marks work).  
It'd be best to incorporate social networking stuff, to help finding people in one's local area. This is not a wiki's strength, but I think [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia's]] making progress. What we'd really like is to be able to bring over or tie in networking stuff from other wikis. I've read snippets about improvements to social networking sites to allow people to transfer personal information. Then there's Google's OpenSocial. But what's still missing is a way to do a single search for people, on a single site. Perhaps as things get more sophisticated, Google's OpenSocial APIs will enable this kind of thing, or there'll be some other way of marking our personal pages on different sites (a bit like how CC license marks work).  


Thoughts, anyone? Anyone else think this would be a massively useful thing? --[[User:Singkong2005|Chris Watkins a.k.a. Chriswaterguy]] <small><sup>[[User talk:Singkong2005|talk]]</sup></small> 00:04, 14 February 2008 (EST)
Thoughts, anyone? Anyone else think this would be a massively useful thing? --[[User:Singkong2005|Chris Watkins a.k.a. Chriswaterguy]] <small><sup>[[User talk:Singkong2005|talk]]</sup></small> 00:04, 14 February 2008 (EST)
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==Vandalism==
==Vandalism==
Besides reverting, is there a procedure for dealing with minor vandalism, such as this? [http://www.wikiindex.org/index.php?title=WikiIndex&curid=2115&diff=57412&oldid=54947] --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 14:36, 26 September 2008 (EDT)
Besides reverting, is there a procedure for dealing with minor [[vandal]]ism, such as this? [http://www.wikiindex.org/index.php?title=WikiIndex&curid=2115&diff=57412&oldid=54947] --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 14:36, 26 September 2008 (EDT)


==Spam reporting==
==Spam reporting==
Is there a central repository to report spam entries? I'd been reporting them on to an individual admin because I saw someone else do the same thing, but I don't want overburden that person. --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 14:40, 26 September 2008 (EDT)
Is there a central repository to report [[spam]] entries? I'd been reporting them on to an individual admin because I saw someone else do the same thing, but I don't want overburden that person. --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 14:40, 26 September 2008 (EDT)


:Aha! It looks like you can use the {{template|delete}} template to bring it to the attention of any administrator who is checking that category. --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 16:13, 6 October 2008 (EDT)
:Aha! It looks like you can use the {{template|delete}} template to bring it to the attention of any administrator who is checking that category. --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 16:13, 6 October 2008 (EDT)
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*The categories should probably be linked to from the contents pages. The Category Namespace is extremely valuable to the organization, as they represent an automatically refreshing list of whatever we wish to put there. The wikis themselevs are automatically categorized by the Wiki template. I'm not sure whether this is also done for Editors.
*The categories should probably be linked to from the contents pages. The Category Namespace is extremely valuable to the organization, as they represent an automatically refreshing list of whatever we wish to put there. The wikis themselevs are automatically categorized by the Wiki template. I'm not sure whether this is also done for Editors.


Further organizational ideas doubtlessly exist, but what I've layed out here should, I think, provide a first basis for the WikiIndex.- [[User:Jacjohncoles|Jacjohncoles]]<sup>[[User_talk:Jacjohncoles|Talk]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/Jacjohncoles|Contribs]]</sup> 16:53, 22 October 2008 (EDT)
Further organizational ideas doubtlessly exist, but what I've layed out here should, I think, provide a first basis for the WikiIndex.- [[User:Jacjohncoles|Jacjohncoles]]<sup>[[User talk:Jacjohncoles|Talk]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/Jacjohncoles|Contribs]]</sup> 16:53, 22 October 2008 (EDT)


:Hmm. I don't know if you actually need to add extra namespace to do this. I'd say that improvement on the main page, could point to some 'how to use WikiIndex' pages that show people exactly how to find wikis via categories or the search facility. Even if that involved adding a namespace, I don't see why you need to do more than have a single WikiIndex namespace with pages called things like 'WikiIndex:How to use WikiIndex', 'WikiIndex:How to use our search box' and so on. Although, having said that, I would have thought that most of the stuff I've mentioned should go into normal help pages.
:Hmm. I don't know if you actually need to add extra namespace to do this. I'd say that improvement on the main page, could point to some 'how to use WikiIndex' pages that show people exactly how to find wikis via categories or the search facility. Even if that involved adding a namespace, I don't see why you need to do more than have a single WikiIndex namespace with pages called things like 'WikiIndex:How to use WikiIndex', 'WikiIndex:How to use our search box' and so on. Although, having said that, I would have thought that most of the stuff I've mentioned should go into normal help pages.
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==proposal==
==proposal==
of a structure and naming scheme for wiki sites with multiple language versions: have a look [[WikiIndex:Naming Conventions#multiple language versions|here]] and discuss it before it gets a new recommended standard or so...--[[User:Speckmade|Speckmade]] 18:44, 29 January 2009 (EST)
of a structure and naming scheme for wiki sites with multiple language versions: have a look [[WikiIndex:Naming conventions#multiple language versions|here]] and discuss it before it gets a new recommended standard or so...--[[User:Speckmade|Speckmade]] 18:44, 29 January 2009 (EST)


==Dead wiki URL taken over by cybersquatters==
==Dead wiki URL taken over by cybersquatters==
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My personal take is that this could be a useful tool for site visitors. However, a review is only as good as the reviewer. I'd hate to see this site overrun by comments like "this wiki sux". Any thoughts? --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 17:09, 8 May 2009 (EDT)
My personal take is that this could be a useful tool for site visitors. However, a review is only as good as the reviewer. I'd hate to see this site overrun by comments like "this wiki sux". Any thoughts? --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 17:09, 8 May 2009 (EDT)


:One problem with this strategy, is that one of the places I've seen that has a 'review' of a wiki is [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]]. Wikia is a wiki farm, so the issues that have been brought up on that page relate to any future wiki that someone might choose to host on Wikia (or elsewhere), but they also relate (to a lesser extent) to every wiki that has the Wikia category added to it.
:One problem with this strategy, is that one of the places I've seen that has a 'review' of a wiki is [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]]. Wikia is a [[wiki farm]], so the issues that have been brought up on that page relate to any future wiki that someone might choose to host on Wikia (or elsewhere), but they also relate (to a lesser extent) to every wiki that has the Wikia category added to it.


:I think you get two types of information from a 'review':
:I think you get two types of information from a 'review':
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:I also wonder if Template:Wiki should have sub-templates, that deal with specific types of wikis that have special requirements. For example, a number of wikis have been set up to deal with fictional worlds. From the point of view of fictional worlds 'canon' is a very important thing. Some people may be looking for an encyclopedia of canon and would not 'value' a wiki that contains stuff that is not from the canon of the original source. On the other hand, other people are interested in expanding that fictional world with fan-fiction and would not want to work on a wiki that did not allow them to add fanon material.
:I also wonder if Template:Wiki should have sub-templates, that deal with specific types of wikis that have special requirements. For example, a number of wikis have been set up to deal with fictional worlds. From the point of view of fictional worlds 'canon' is a very important thing. Some people may be looking for an encyclopedia of canon and would not 'value' a wiki that contains stuff that is not from the canon of the original source. On the other hand, other people are interested in expanding that fictional world with fan-fiction and would not want to work on a wiki that did not allow them to add fanon material.


:I think that specific bits of information, like the examples I've given, can be very helpful to someone who wants to decide if they should spend time reading or writing on an individual wiki, but if I just read that User X thinks that 'Wiki Y is brilliant or rubbish at doing Z', then that really isn't helpful to me. I think that things like the wikiFactor (which is an optional feature on Template:Size) are so much more useful than longhand opinions, because I can very rapidly compare two wikis and decide which one I prefer. Feautures like wikiFactor, put the reader in the driving seat and inform rather than preach. More importantly, things like wikiFactor (or the absence or lack of adverts) are things that can easily be translated from English into a ton of other languages - long winded opinions are going to cause translation delays. [[User:David Shepheard|David Shepheard]] 08:50, 9 May 2009 (EDT)
:I think that specific bits of information, like the examples I've given, can be very helpful to someone who wants to decide if they should spend time reading or writing on an individual wiki, but if I just read that User X thinks that 'Wiki Y is brilliant or rubbish at doing Z', then that really isn't helpful to me. I think that things like the wikiFactor (which is an optional feature on Template:Size) are so much more useful than longhand opinions, because I can very rapidly compare two wikis and decide which one I prefer. Feautures like [[wikiFactor]], put the reader in the driving seat and inform rather than preach. More importantly, things like wikiFactor (or the absence or lack of adverts) are things that can easily be translated from English into a ton of other languages - long winded opinions are going to cause translation delays. [[User:David Shepheard|David Shepheard]] 08:50, 9 May 2009 (EDT)


::I agree that any review info should be objective rather than subjective, but the question is about notability and fairness of certain "facts". For example, I (repeatedly) posted a "fact" in the [[RationalWiki]] article, that there was a debate about an issue on the talk page. Is it a notable fact? Is it fair to host or link to criticism of one without doing this for any competing wikis or wiki farm? When persistent editors make sure that their favored articles are free of certain "criticisms", is it fair to allow criticism in another article just because there is no one so driven to "protect" it? [[User:Lumenos|Lumenos]] 15:58, 23 June 2010 (EDT)
::I agree that any review info should be objective rather than subjective, but the question is about notability and fairness of certain "facts". For example, I (repeatedly) posted a "fact" in the [[RationalWiki]] article, that there was a debate about an issue on the talk page. Is it a notable fact? Is it fair to host or link to criticism of one without doing this for any competing wikis or wiki farm? When persistent editors make sure that their favored articles are free of certain "criticisms", is it fair to allow criticism in another article just because there is no one so driven to "protect" it? [[User:Lumenos|Lumenos]] 15:58, 23 June 2010 (EDT)
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I've seen a number of other [[wiki]]s that have bots that go around and do minor cleanup jobs.  Would it possible to create a [[:Category:User Bot|bot]] that goes around and checks any pages that contain [[Template:Size]]?  This [[:Category:Templates|template]] contains the size of the wiki, but also has a link where the new size can be read.  A bot should (hopefully) be able to follow the link, look at the current size of the wiki and then update the number of pages back on [[WikiIndex]].
I've seen a number of other [[wiki]]s that have bots that go around and do minor cleanup jobs.  Would it possible to create a [[:Category:User Bot|bot]] that goes around and checks any pages that contain [[Template:Size]]?  This [[:Category:Templates|template]] contains the size of the wiki, but also has a link where the new size can be read.  A bot should (hopefully) be able to follow the link, look at the current size of the wiki and then update the number of pages back on [[WikiIndex]].


Template:Size also features the wikiFactor, and I wonder if the same bot could also check this information.  (Having said that, I know nothing about bot programming and it might be easier to have a second bot to do that.)  A bot that searches for wikis that do not currently have a wikiFactor (and then searches the wiki stats to see if it can be added) could also be useful.  I know that all wikis work slightly differently, but wiki farms (like [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]]) generally have the same setup on every wiki, so it might be easier to create a WikiaWikiFactorBot than a multi-wiki wikiFactorBot.  But I would think that any automation of moving stats would help keep WikiIndex as up to date as possible.
Template:Size also features the [[wikiFactor]], and I wonder if the same bot could also check this information.  (Having said that, I know nothing about bot programming and it might be easier to have a second bot to do that.)  A bot that searches for wikis that do not currently have a wikiFactor (and then searches the wiki stats to see if it can be added) could also be useful.  I know that all wikis work slightly differently, but wiki farms (like [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]]) generally have the same setup on every wiki, so it might be easier to create a User:WikiaWikiFactorBot than a multi-wiki User:wikiFactorBot.  But I would think that any automation of moving stats would help keep WikiIndex as up to date as possible.


If a number of [[:Category:User Bot|bots]] could be created to do these minor update tasks, the pages the bots can not cope with could be added to some sort of 'Wikis that need manual patrol' category, and people could use that category to help find the pages that don't look after themselves.  [[User:David Shepheard|David Shepheard]] 09:05, 9 May 2009 (EDT)
If a number of [[:Category:User Bot|bots]] could be created to do these minor update tasks, the pages the bots can not cope with could be added to some sort of 'Wikis that need manual patrol' category, and people could use that category to help find the pages that don't look after themselves.  [[User:David Shepheard|David Shepheard]] 09:05, 9 May 2009 (EDT)
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==Dump or backup==
==Dump or backup==
Hi all.  Before starting to participate in this wiki, I would like to know if there are public dumps or backups.  I mean, I like to have copies of the free licensed projects where I collaborate.  I don't like when a fantastic projects disappear in a data disaster.  MediaWiki contains a script for generating dumps.  You can read more about this [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki#XML_dump here].  Regards. [[User:Emijrp|Emijrp]] 02:30, 3 November 2010 (PDT)
Hi all.  Before starting to participate in this wiki, I would like to know if there are public dumps or backups.  I mean, I like to have copies of the free licensed projects where I collaborate.  I don't like when a fantastic projects disappear in a data disaster.  [[:Category:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] contains a script for generating dumps.  You can read more about this [[mw:Manual:Backing up a wiki#XML dump|here]].  Regards. [[User:Emijrp|Emijrp]] 02:30, 3 November 2010 (PDT)


:I'd check with [[Mark Dilley]]. --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 17:49, 4 November 2010 (PDT)
:I'd check with [[Mark Dilley]]. --[[User:MarvelZuvembie|MarvelZuvembie]] 17:49, 4 November 2010 (PDT)
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I have, together with some others, put together a proposal for a wiki Q&A site called '''[http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/13716/wikispeedia WikiSpeedia]'''. The goal is to provide help and community for experts and moderators across a variety of wiki platforms.
I have, together with some others, put together a proposal for a wiki Q&A site called '''[http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/13716/wikispeedia WikiSpeedia]'''. The goal is to provide help and community for experts and moderators across a variety of wiki platforms.


I think this could be of great benefit to MediaWiki user's and other people with a passion for sharing information, whether publically or behind company firewalls. Here's my question: where can I highlight this where it will be effective but not draw disapproval? Note: there's no money involved so there is nothing to sell except a free exchange of information. Thanks in advance for any advice.
I think this could be of great benefit to [[:Category:MediaWiki|MediaWiki]] user's and other people with a passion for sharing information, whether publically or behind company firewalls. Here's my question: where can I highlight this where it will be effective but not draw disapproval? Note: there's no money involved so there is nothing to sell except a free exchange of information. Thanks in advance for any advice. --[[User:Mark Robinson|Mark Robinson]] 04:14, 7 November 2010 (PST)
--[[User:Mark Robinson|Mark Robinson]] 04:14, 7 November 2010 (PST)


:A site that discusses wiki, even if it is not a wiki itself, is on-topic for us to talk about it here at the [[WikiIndex]].  I think the simplest approach is to promote it the same as we promote a new wiki -- create a page for it, add it to the top of the list of new wiki on the home page, etc. Even though, at the moment, WikiSpeedia is merely one page proposing a site, and so technically not yet a wiki.
:A site that discusses wiki, even if it is not a wiki itself, is on-topic for us to talk about it here at the [[WikiIndex]].  I think the simplest approach is to promote it the same as we promote a new wiki -- create a page for it, add it to the top of the list of new wiki on the home page, etc. Even though, at the moment, WikiSpeedia is merely one page proposing a site, and so technically not yet a wiki.


:p.s.: Is there a category that means "wiki-on-wiki conversation is on-topic", so I can tag [[WikiSpeedia]] and [[MeatballWiki]] and [[CommunityWiki.org]] and [[MediaWiki]] and other appropriate pages here with that category? --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 09:30, 1 February 2011 (PST)
:p.s.: Is there a category that means "wiki-on-wiki conversation is on-topic", so I can tag WikiSpeedia and [[MeatballWiki]] and [[CommunityWiki.org]] and [[MediaWiki.org]] and other appropriate pages here with that category? --[[User:DavidCary|DavidCary]] 09:30, 1 February 2011 (PST)


::A central web site for everything related to Wikis is extremely necessary. I just found WikiIndex today and it looks like the best place for that. Too bad that it took me more than 1 year to find it... One weakness at Wikipedia is that it doesn't have a web forum. The [[wp:Wikipedia:Village pump|Village Pump]] is good, but far from good enough. It's practically impossible to follow an idea posted weeks ago (there are archives for each day - for example [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk/Archives/2007_November_24 2007 November 24]). That's why a forum is required. A forum for everything related to Wiki. On a forum it is possible to write on the same thread even after weeks, months and years from the last post, coming with a creative and valuable answer or idea. The forum should have sub-forums for ''mediawiki and for other wiki engines'', another one for ''wiki farms'', another one for ''wikis by category'', another one for ''ideas for new wikis'' where people can search for partners to start new wikis with, another one for ''technical hep'', and so on. For example, I need to translate a template like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Columns-list to my own wiki and I don't know how to do it. Many other mediawiki users need some basic templates for their wikis and they don't know how to get them. That's why WikiSpeedia can be so helpful. It's extremely important to have a central hub for all wiki users and experts. [[User:WikiFan|WikiFan]] 20:34, 1 November 2011 (PDT)
::A central web site for everything related to Wikis is extremely necessary. I just found WikiIndex today and it looks like the best place for that. Too bad that it took me more than 1 year to find it... One weakness at Wikipedia is that it doesn't have a web forum. The [[wp:Wikipedia:Village pump|Village Pump]] is good, but far from good enough. It's practically impossible to follow an idea posted weeks ago (there are archives for each day - for example [[wp:Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 November 24|2007 November 24]]). That's why a forum is required. A forum for everything related to Wiki. On a forum it is possible to write on the same thread even after weeks, months and years from the last post, coming with a creative and valuable answer or idea. The forum should have sub-forums for ''mediawiki and for other wiki engines'', another one for ''wiki farms'', another one for ''wikis by category'', another one for ''ideas for new wikis'' where people can search for partners to start new wikis with, another one for ''technical hep'', and so on. For example, I need to translate a template like this: [[wikipedia:Template:Columns-list]] to my own wiki and I don't know how to do it. Many other mediawiki users need some basic templates for their wikis and they don't know how to get them. That's why WikiSpeedia can be so helpful. It's extremely important to have a central hub for all wiki users and experts. [[User:WikiFan|WikiFan]] 20:34, 1 November 2011 (PDT)


==New lists==
==New lists==
Hi. I have added some semantic properties to {{template|Size}} and now these rankings are possible: [[List of wikis by number of pages]], [[List of wikis by wikiFactor]]. Semantic MediaWiki extension is powerful and WikiIndex is not using all its power. [[User:Emijrp|emijrp]] 12:16, 15 December 2011 (PST)
Hi. I have added some semantic properties to {{template|Size}} and now these rankings are possible: [[List of wikis by number of pages]], [[List of wikis by wikiFactor]]. Semantic MediaWiki extension is powerful and WikiIndex is not using all its power. [[User:Emijrp|emijrp]] 12:16, 15 December 2011 (PST)
:''Is it possible for you to intengrated size and wikiFactor into the wiki template?  Best, [[MarkDilley]]''
:''Is it possible for you to intengrated size and [[wikiFactor]] into the wiki template?  Best, [[MarkDilley]]''


==New WikiProjects at [[MediaWiki.org]]==
==New WikiProjects at [[MediaWiki.org]]==
Greetings!
Greetings! There are two new WikiProjects at [[MediaWiki.org]] I thought folks here may be interested in:
 
*[[mw:Project:WikiProject SysAdmins|WikiProject SysAdmins]]
There are two new WikiProjects at [[MediaWiki.org]] I thought folks here may be interested in:
*[[mw:Project:WikiProject Extensions|WikiProject Extensions]]
*[[mw:Project:WikiProject_SysAdmins|WikiProject SysAdmins]]
*[[mw:Project:WikiProject_Extensions|WikiProject Extensions]]


As an initial activity, utilizing the model set by Wikimedia staff [[IRC]] office hours, MediaWiki.org's WikiProject Extensions is presenting our first MediaWiki Workshops for developers (volunteer and staff).  Preparing extensions for MediaWiki 1.19 will be held on 13 January, 2012 at 19:00 UTC in IRC (#wikimedia-dev).
As an initial activity, utilizing the model set by [[:Category:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia]] staff [[IRC]] office hours, MediaWiki.org's WikiProject Extensions is presenting our first MediaWiki Workshops for developers (volunteer and staff).  Preparing extensions for MediaWiki 1.19 will be held on 13 January 2012 at 19:00 UTC in IRC (#wikimedia-dev).


This IRC workshop will be an opportunity to find out about changes in MediaWiki 1.19 that may require revisions to extensions or skins. Also an opportunity to ask MediaWiki developers questions regarding extension development.
This IRC workshop will be an opportunity to find out about changes in MediaWiki 1.19 that may require revisions to extensions or skins. Also an opportunity to ask MediaWiki developers questions regarding extension development.


Everyone is invited to attend.  Developers interested in serving as "extensions" or "MediaWiki 1.19" experts are encouraged to signup as participants at: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:WikiProject_Extensions/MediaWiki_Workshops#MediaWiki_1.19_Experts
Everyone is invited to attend.  Developers interested in serving as "extensions" or "MediaWiki 1.19" experts are encouraged to signup as participants at: [[mw:Project:WikiProject Extensions/MediaWiki Workshops#MediaWiki 1.19 Experts]]


If there's continued interest / demand, MediaWiki Workshops will typically last one hour, and happen no more than twice a month to present trainings, hold discussions and collaborate on community or WikiProject Extensions projects. Facilitators host the session to introduce any presenters, determine the order of questions, and generally helps to keep things going. Time of day will vary in order to offer people in different parts of the world the opportunity to participate. Future topics will likely include MW.org documentation, ResourceLouder orientation and workshops similar to our inaugural chat to prepare for each MediaWiki release.
If there's continued interest / demand, MediaWiki Workshops will typically last one hour, and happen no more than twice a month to present trainings, hold discussions and collaborate on community or WikiProject Extensions projects. Facilitators host the session to introduce any presenters, determine the order of questions, and generally helps to keep things going. Time of day will vary in order to offer people in different parts of the world the opportunity to participate. Future topics will likely include MW.org documentation, ResourceLouder orientation and workshops similar to our inaugural chat to prepare for each MediaWiki release.


More information: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:WikiProject_Extensions/MediaWiki_Workshops
More information: [[mw:Project:WikiProject Extensions/MediaWiki Workshops]]


MediaWiki.org's WikiProject SysAdmins will also likely host similar MediaWiki Workshops to help third-party wiki system administrators.  Stay tuned for more information, and chime in at: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Project:WikiProject_SysAdmins/Ideas
MediaWiki.org's WikiProject SysAdmins will also likely host similar MediaWiki Workshops to help third-party wiki system administrators.  Stay tuned for more information, and chime in at: [[mw:Project:WikiProject SysAdmins/Ideas]]


--[[GregVarnum]] | <small>[[User talk:Varnent|talk]]</small> 18:17, 5 January 2012 (PST)
--[[GregVarnum]] | <small>[[User talk:Varnent|talk]]</small> 18:17, 5 January 2012 (PST)
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::::Wikia continues to have such a large market share because no worthy competitor has arisen to claim that market niche. Wikia's management has had the luxury of slacking off and not adhering to high standards because people have nowhere else to go, unless they want to deal with the learning curve and other costs involved in creating and maintaining one's own MediaWiki installation. A lot of people who want to create collaborative sites just aren't very technically-inclined.
::::Wikia continues to have such a large market share because no worthy competitor has arisen to claim that market niche. Wikia's management has had the luxury of slacking off and not adhering to high standards because people have nowhere else to go, unless they want to deal with the learning curve and other costs involved in creating and maintaining one's own MediaWiki installation. A lot of people who want to create collaborative sites just aren't very technically-inclined.


::::If MediaWiki were as easy to administer as, say, WordPress, it probably wouldn't be such an issue. Unfortunately, attempts to modify MediaWiki to mimic what has worked well for WordPress and other CMS'es [[mw:Summer_of_Code_Past_Projects#Extension_management_platform|didn't end well]]. We still are not at a point at which, say, use of [[mw:Extension:Configure]] is the default. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 00:49, 22 November 2012 (PST)
::::If MediaWiki were as easy to administer as, say, [[:Category:WordPress|WordPress]], it probably wouldn't be such an issue. Unfortunately, attempts to modify MediaWiki to mimic what has worked well for WordPress and other CMS'es [[mw:Summer of Code Past Projects#Extension management platform|didn't end well]]. We still are not at a point at which, say, use of [[mw:Extension:Configure]] is the default. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 00:49, 22 November 2012 (PST)


===3rd opinion===
===3rd opinion===
Both of you raise interesting comments and observations, and both, to a certain extent are accurate and valid.  Personally, I have no axe to grind against Wikia or indeed any other host or wiki farm, but I do think that it is perfectly acceptable to detail failings and criticisms against any host - providing that it is submitted here as a form of commentary, and more importantly, that it is '''fair, reasonable and accurate'''.  However, IMOVHO, I ''do'' think that Wikia have questions to answer - around many aspects of its operation, including advertising, and malicious code it hides.  And whilst it is very true that new wikis are frequently being created on Wikia, the amount of wikis which have been abandoned on Wikia is startling!
Both of you raise interesting comments and observations, and both, to a certain extent are accurate and valid.  Personally, I have no axe to grind against [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]] or indeed any other host or [[wiki farm]], but I do think that it is perfectly acceptable to detail failings and criticisms against any host - providing that it is submitted here as a form of commentary, and more importantly, that it is '''fair, reasonable and accurate'''.  However, IMOVHO, I ''do'' think that Wikia have questions to answer - around many aspects of its operation, including advertising, and malicious code it hides.  And whilst it is very true that new wikis are frequently being created on Wikia, the amount of wikis which have been [[:Category:Dormant|abandoned]] on Wikia is startling!


To the specifics of this section - what may be one persons 'enthusiastic' effort to express the 'warts and all' truth - may be seen by another as bias, and vice-versa.  Providing that commentary on WikiIndex is fair and accurate, it should stay.  We won't tollerate personal attacks, nor blatant profanities or other inflamatory language.  Interestingly, checking its [http://wikiindex.org/index.php?title=Category:Wikia&action=history history] , I see no edits from the one who has been accused of bias, namely [[User:Escyos|Escyos]], and based on the version as of [http://wikiindex.org/index.php?title=Category:Wikia&oldid=141509 this timestamp] , I find no reason to call the article biased.  I do concede that [http://wikiindex.org/index.php?title=Category:Wikia&oldid=126153 this earlier edit] , which was current for when [[User:Devilmanozzy|Devilmanozzy]] raised his concerns, ''may'' not have been ideal - with the perception of favouring the criticism section over other content.
To the specifics of this section - what may be one persons 'enthusiastic' effort to express the 'warts and all' truth - may be seen by another as bias, and vice-versa.  Providing that commentary on WikiIndex is fair and accurate, it should stay.  We won't tollerate personal attacks, nor blatant profanities or other inflamatory language.  Interestingly, checking its [http://wikiindex.org/index.php?title=Category:Wikia&action=history history] , I see no edits from the one who has been accused of bias, namely [[User:Escyos|Escyos]], and based on the version as of [http://wikiindex.org/index.php?title=Category:Wikia&oldid=141509 this timestamp] , I find no reason to call the article biased.  I do concede that [http://wikiindex.org/index.php?title=Category:Wikia&oldid=126153 this earlier edit] , which was current for when [[User:Devilmanozzy|Devilmanozzy]] raised his concerns, ''may'' not have been ideal - with the perception of favouring the criticism section over other content.
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I notice that according to [[wikipedia:Wikia]], "Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis". Of course, WikiIndex only lists a small fraction of those. I wonder how many of those several hundred thousand were test wikis and the like, and were abandoned almost immediately? My guess is a lot.
I notice that according to [[wikipedia:Wikia]], "Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis". Of course, WikiIndex only lists a small fraction of those. I wonder how many of those several hundred thousand were test wikis and the like, and were abandoned almost immediately? My guess is a lot.


Anyway, I suppose we can operate under the assumption that any wiki that nobody bothered to list at WikiIndex probably isn't all that important. The significance is that whatever wikis aren't listed at WikiIndex aren't going to end up in the [[Proposal:Interwiki list|interwiki list]], unless I do a separate run to grab that data off of Wikia and other wiki farms. Whether that would be desirable given the potentially high rate of useless Wikia wikis is another story. It might hurt the [[mw:canonical interwiki prefixes|interwiki map]] project to clog up the list with a bunch of items pertaining to low-quality wikis. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 00:43, 22 November 2012 (PST)
Anyway, I suppose we can operate under the assumption that any wiki that nobody bothered to list at WikiIndex probably isn't all that important. The significance is that whatever wikis aren't listed at WikiIndex aren't going to end up in the [[Proposal:Interwiki list|interwiki list]], unless I do a separate run to grab that data off of [[:Category:Wikia|Wikia]] and other wiki farms. Whether that would be desirable given the potentially high rate of useless Wikia wikis is another story. It might hurt the [[mw:canonical interwiki prefixes|interwiki map]] project to clog up the list with a bunch of items pertaining to low-quality wikis. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 00:43, 22 November 2012 (PST)


==Article length==
==Article length==
[[WikiIndex:Creating New Articles]] says, "An 'article' is a snippet of information about a given topic." That suggests the articles are supposed to be kept pretty short. What article length are we going for, on pages about individual wikis? [[Special:LongPages]] shows the longest article is the one about [[WikiIndex]] itself, at ~14,000 characters. That one's length probably shouldn't be taken into consideration, since it's a multilingual page. The next longest is [[RationalWiki (en)]], recently forked from [[:Template:RationalWiki]], at ~11,000 characters.
[[WikiIndex:Creating New Articles]] says, "An 'article' is a snippet of information about a given topic." That suggests the articles are supposed to be kept pretty short. What article length are we going for, on pages about individual wikis? [[Special:LongPages]] shows the longest article is the one about [[WikiIndex]] itself, at ~14,000 characters. That one's length probably shouldn't be taken into consideration, since it's a multilingual page. The next longest is [[RationalWiki (en)]], recently forked from [[:Template:RationalWiki]], at ~11,000 characters.


Should 11,000 characters be regarded as pretty much the maximum, and optimal for providing enough information but still being short enough to read and navigate comfortable for many users? So then, if anyone wanted to add content to such an article, he would need to remove something less important from that article. It definitely limits how comprehensive such an article could be. http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Conservapedia weighs in at 53,000 characters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia is 197,000 characters long. Articles definitely ''could'' include a lot more information, if that were what we were going for. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 07:16, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Should 11,000 characters be regarded as pretty much the maximum, and optimal for providing enough information but still being short enough to read and navigate comfortable for many users? So then, if anyone wanted to add content to such an article, he would need to remove something less important from that article. It definitely limits how comprehensive such an article could be. http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Conservapedia weighs in at 53,000 characters. [[wikipedia:Wikipedia]] is 197,000 characters long. Articles definitely ''could'' include a lot more information, if that were what we were going for. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 07:16, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


:I've updated [[WikiIndex:Creating New Articles]].  I personally don't think we should set an arbitary character limit -- if a wiki has an 'interesting' history which could support a lengthy prose, then by all means include it.  Obviously, any unnecessary waffle, if found, can be trimmed.  [[User:Hoof Hearted|Sean, aka <small>Hoof Hearted</small>]] • <sub>[[:Category:Active administrators of this wiki|Admin]] / [[WikiIndex:Bureaucrats|'Crat]]</sub> • <small>[[User talk:Hoof Hearted|talk2HH]]</small> 09:16, 6 May 2014 (UTC)
:I've updated [[WikiIndex:Creating New Articles]].  I personally don't think we should set an arbitary character limit -- if a wiki has an 'interesting' history which could support a lengthy prose, then by all means include it.  Obviously, any unnecessary waffle, if found, can be trimmed.  [[User:Hoof Hearted|Sean, aka <small>Hoof Hearted</small>]] • <sub>[[:Category:Active administrators of this wiki|Admin]] / [[WikiIndex:Bureaucrats|'Crat]]</sub> • <small>[[User talk:Hoof Hearted|talk2HH]]</small> 09:16, 6 May 2014 (UTC)


== To what extent is WikiIndex intended to serve as a [[meatball wiki]] ==
==To what extent is WikiIndex intended to serve as a [[meatball wiki]]==
 
[[WikiIndex:Creating New Articles]] says, "Most of the articles created in this [[WikiIndex]] wiki will be about other individual [[wiki]]s. Please refer to [[WikiIndex:Add a Wiki]] for further information. Other very limited topics are also appropriate, about [[:Category:Wiki People|wiki people]], wiki terms, [[:Category:WikiIdea|wiki ideas]], and how to use this wiki. Please be restrained in adding such peripheral material."
[[WikiIndex:Creating New Articles]] says, "Most of the articles created in this [[WikiIndex]] wiki will be about other individual [[wiki]]s. Please refer to [[WikiIndex:Add a Wiki]] for further information. Other very limited topics are also appropriate, about [[:Category:Wiki People|wiki people]], wiki terms, [[:Category:WikiIdea|wiki ideas]], and how to use this wiki. Please be restrained in adding such peripheral material."


I notice that we don't actually have a lot of pages in [[:Category:WikiConcept]] and [[:Category:WikiIdea]]. To what extent is it actually encouraged to add these kinds of pages? There's a lot that one could write about wiki-philosophy, wiki norms, etc. However, I don't want to do it if it'll be frowned upon. A [[meatball wiki]] is basically one that "describes the general tendencies observed on wikis and other on-line communities; for example the life cycles of wikis, and people's behavior on them." To what extent are you cool with hosting that kind of content? [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 07:31, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
I notice that we don't actually have a lot of pages in [[:Category:WikiConcept]] and [[:Category:WikiIdea]]. To what extent is it actually encouraged to add these kinds of pages? There's a lot that one could write about wiki-philosophy, wiki norms, etc. However, I don't want to do it if it'll be frowned upon. A [[meatball wiki]] is basically one that "describes the general tendencies observed on wikis and other on-line communities; for example the life cycles of wikis, and people's behavior on them." To what extent are you cool with hosting that kind of content? [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 07:31, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
:If clear standards are developed, I could assist in applying them. The problem with hosting deeper content, opinion, judgments, etc., is that it can rapidly spin out into massive debate. It can be done, but it takes protective structure. As an example of how we were able, on Wikiversity, to handle what could have become a massive content dispute, see [http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Landmark_Education]. The overall presentation is neutral, and anything controversial or possibly controversial is on attributed subpages, with explicit attribution, not merely attribution through history. It can help, somewhat, if editors engaging in this are not anonymous. Anonymity fuels and enables seriously antisocial behavior. --[[User:Abd|Abd]] ([[User talk:Abd|talk]]) 14:11, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
:If clear standards are developed, I could assist in applying them. The problem with hosting deeper content, opinion, judgments, etc., is that it can rapidly spin out into massive debate. It can be done, but it takes protective structure. As an example of how we were able, on [[:Category:Wikiversity|Wikiversity]], to handle what could have become a massive content dispute, see [http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Landmark_Education]. The overall presentation is neutral, and anything controversial or possibly controversial is on attributed subpages, with explicit attribution, not merely attribution through history. It can help, somewhat, if editors engaging in this are not anonymous. Anonymity fuels and enables seriously antisocial behavior. --[[User:Abd|Abd]] ([[User talk:Abd|talk]]) 14:11, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
::Anonymity also enables free speech (by reducing the potential for real-world consequences) and discourages ad hominem attacks (by making it harder to link an on-wiki identity to a user's off-wiki affiliations, interests, etc. and use that information to accuse him of conflicts of interests with regard to his on-wiki contributions). It also can enable users to get a fresh start, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 20:57, 6 May 2014 (UTC)
::Anonymity also enables free speech (by reducing the potential for real-world consequences) and discourages ad hominem attacks (by making it harder to link an on-wiki identity to a user's off-wiki affiliations, interests, etc. and use that information to accuse him of conflicts of interests with regard to his on-wiki contributions). It also can enable users to get a fresh start, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 20:57, 6 May 2014 (UTC)


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Are citations of sources for statements made in articles encouraged? E.g., if you say "xWiki says y" is it good to give the URL, so that people can verify your claim? I've been citing sources inline like this.[http://example.com] Of course, we don't have [[mw:Extension:Cite]], so there's no pretty way of doing it, currently. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 13:08, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
Are citations of sources for statements made in articles encouraged? E.g., if you say "xWiki says y" is it good to give the URL, so that people can verify your claim? I've been citing sources inline like this.[http://example.com] Of course, we don't have [[mw:Extension:Cite]], so there's no pretty way of doing it, currently. [[User:Leucosticte|Leucosticte]] ([[User talk:Leucosticte|talk]]) 13:08, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
:We have no ''requirement'' for citations, but if anyone feels the need to include them, especially if it supports a contentious statement, then by all means just add it as a basic inline url.  [[User:Hoof Hearted|Sean, aka <small>Hoof Hearted</small>]] • <sub>[[:Category:Active administrators of this wiki|Admin]] / [[WikiIndex:Bureaucrats|'Crat]]</sub> • <small>[[User talk:Hoof Hearted|talk2HH]]</small> 19:11, 6 May 2014 (UTC)
:We have no ''requirement'' for citations, but if anyone feels the need to include them, especially if it supports a contentious statement, then by all means just add it as a basic inline url.  [[User:Hoof Hearted|Sean, aka <small>Hoof Hearted</small>]] • <sub>[[:Category:Active administrators of this wiki|Admin]] / [[WikiIndex:Bureaucrats|'Crat]]</sub> • <small>[[User talk:Hoof Hearted|talk2HH]]</small> 19:11, 6 May 2014 (UTC)
[[Category:WikiIndex|Community talk]]

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