Wiki?

[Trail Boss]

May I suggest that this forum would benefit from a wiki. For example, each peak could be described and include the basics such as elevation, popular routes, camping sites, location of water, links to photos, etc. It would be a living guidebook and members could update peak and trail details based on recent visits. It would reduce the number of repetitive posts asking basic info about herd path intersections, legal camping sites, cairns, lookouts, etc. Posts can focus on more interesting discussions like what's in your water bottle, do you use deodorant, and Mystery Peak of the Week.

[Gerard01]

I second the motion.

[SendHelp]

In theory, sounds like a good idea. Maintaining it might have "issues".

Here is a link to a VFTT thread on the subject.

[Trail Boss]

Thanks for the link; I don't normally frequent VFTT and wasn't aware of the thread.

Folks on this forum have a lot to say and, based on the depth and breadth of the Trip Reports section, take the time to write fairly detailed reports. I'd wager they'd be willing to spend an extra five minutes to update a wiki page after they've posted their TR.

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by Trail Boss

Thanks for the link; I don't normally frequent VFTT and wasn't aware of the thread.

Folks on this forum have a lot to say and, based on the depth and breadth of the Trip Reports section, take the time to write fairly detailed reports. I'd wager they'd be willing to spend an extra five minutes to update a wiki page after they've posted their TR.

First rule in a volunteer organization, never say no to free labor. I cast my vote for you as the editor and chief!

[ADKJack]

Funny thing is Kyler ( Our great and knowledgeable IT Guru, Board Member, Fire Tower Volunteer and all around good guy) and I just had this very conversation two weeks ago. We both like the idea in theory but there is a lot involved in providing a service like Wiki.
It is definitely not out of the question but it would require additional techy folks to run it.
We will discuss it this weekend during the many rest periods hauling the concrete up Mt. Adams.

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by ADKJack

Funny thing is Kyler ( Our great and knowledgeable IT Guru, Board Member, Fire Tower Volunteer and all around good guy) and I just had this very conversation two weeks ago. We both like the idea in theory but there is a lot involved in providing a service like Wiki.
It is definitely not out of the question but it would require additional techy folks to run it.
We will discuss it this weekend during the many rest periods hauling the concrete up Mt. Adams.

So what did you guys come up with?

[ADKJack]

Originally Posted by DackerDan

So what did you guys come up with?

In order to do this right we will need to acquire some database software and we (Kyler) would have to write some code to integrate users. That is the easy part. Maintenance and moderation is the tougher part. It is still under consideration and will let you know how things develop.

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by ADKJack

In order to do this right we will need to acquire some database software.

I have used MySQL, it is open source and ties in real well with JSP.

[DSettahr]

It wouldn't necessarily need to be hosted in-house, or require knowledge of the technical aspects of how wikis work: http://www.wikia.com/Wikia

I'd certainly be interested in helping to put together/maintain a wiki (in particular a page for each lean-to, of course).

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by DSettahr

It wouldn't necessarily need to be hosted in-house, or require knowledge of the technical aspects of how wikis work: http://www.wikia.com/Wikia

I'd certainly be interested in helping to put together/maintain a wiki (in particular a page for each lean-to, of course).

Why don't you just go for it and see what happens. You could set it up using the link you came up with. If it works - great, if it does not then that will allow another solution to appear and the good content can be moved over.

[ADKJack]

Originally Posted by DackerDan

Why don't you just go for it and see what happens. You could set it up using the link you came up with. If it works - great, if it does not then that will allow another solution to appear and the good content can be moved over.

We are working on this right now. We would like to have the forum members be able to interface directly with the Wiki site using their current login information so it is incorporated directly into our site platform.
Please be patient, most of us have real jobs that occupy a majority of our time.
I know, hard to beleive that there is not someone working the site 24/7 but considering the pay structure we do our best

[Trail Boss]

My 2 cents: let's wait for the admin staff to develop a solution they can live with. Moving content from one site to another is a PITA so I'd rather post to a site that meets with the admin's approval. FWIW, I'm all for a single-sign-on solution. It'll attract more authors if there are fewer hurdles to surmount.

[DackerDan]

Originally Posted by ADKJack

I know, hard to beleive that there is not someone working the site 24/7 but considering the pay structure we do our best

Boy do I understand this since I webmaster a not-for-profit site. I bet I got the same percentage raise as you did last year

[Kyler]

We hope to have something up and running soon, but it won't be overnight. It's great to have people who are enthusiastic, and I think we are all looking forward to the potential the wiki holds.

[Alpine1]

For those of us who may not know, what is wiki?

[Kyler]

A wiki is a website which allows its users to add, modify, or delete its content via a web browser usually using a simplified markup language or a rich-text editor. Wikipedia is the most famous wiki.

[Alpine1]

Thanks Kyler,

I had just Googled wiki and found your response.

Guess I should have asked how it would benefit the forum?
Can't we already modify our posts? Surely we wouldn't be allowed to modify other members posts.

[Kyler]

The wiki would be separate from the forum (other than hopefully sharing user accounts). It would contain articles (or web pages) for various items. An item could be a mountain, a trail-head, a lean-to, a trail... An article about a mountain could contain descriptions of the trail(s), pictures of the trail, history of the mountain, etc. Community editing means that anyone would be able to update an article to include recent trail conditions for blow-down, mud, re-routes, etc. Similarly, a trail-head article could contain directions, pictures, parking fee information, parking capacity, etc.

Ideally it would serve as a reference resource for people planning trips, and help alleviate some of the repeat questions on the forum.

[Trail Boss]

Originally Posted by Kyler

... help alleviate some of the repeat questions on the forum.

Questions such as: can I camp at a trailhead, where is the start of the herd path to Cliff, where are dogs not permitted, etc. Less frequent, but equally useful questions can also be answered like: where is Herald Square, what is the Nye Wolf, can I camp in the Hough/Pough col, etc.

If I make an erroneous entry in a wiki page stating you can legally camp at the makeshift camp-site near Skylight brook (en route to Allen), someone else like ever-vigilant DSettahr can modify the entry and indicate the site is to be avoided because it is well within 150 feet of the herd path and brook and therefore illegal. The wiki system keeps a log of all modifications made to a given wiki page and the log is visible to readers. It is easy for a moderator to roll back a page to a previous state.

Here's an example of a wiki page I created for the Home Automation software I use: http://cocoontech.com/wiki/Premise. I haven't updated it in over two years but if you check "View History" you'll see a record of all the mods I made (using the account name: "123"). Easy-peasy.