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Project:Getting Started

This page is for those of you getting your community wiki up and running. It tells you what you will need to do and what decisions need to be made before rolling out your wiki to the entire community. It also includes recommendations on best practices based upon prior research. This page should be used to help fill out the Project:Checklist page, where you can keep track of each decision and finished task. If you are not yet familiar with the wiki, you may want to first read the Wiki Guide which explains what the wiki is and how it can be used.

Contents

[edit] Announce the Wiki to Your Community

The first step is to introduce the wiki to your existing community and ask for their involvement with it. You may want to use our Sample Introduction Email, although you'll need to customize it to your particular community. The main purpose of the email is to let members know what the wiki is, get them excited about the project, find out if they have any concerns, and ask for their help. It is also a way of determining who may be interested in joining the Wiki Team (see next section).

Once you have sent out the introduction email, make sure to update the appropriate Checklist section.

[edit] Establish a Wiki Team

[edit] Create the Wiki Team

The next step is to create a small group of community members who will take ownership of the wiki. This group will provide the initial content and encourage other community members to use the wiki on an ongoing basis. Team members can be first-time wiki users, but should be willing to spend a little time getting familiar with the technology. Here are a few suggestions related to the Wiki Team

  • The team should include a handful of individuals. Too few members doesn't allow for enough different ideas to surface. Too many makes it difficult to coordinate and get things done efficiently. More diversity of experience (e.g., newly diagnosed members, long-time experts) is preferred.
  • The team should frequently bounce ideas off one another and try to make major decisions together. You may want to create an email list for the Wiki Team that can be used to communicate with one another and used by others to contact the entire team.
  • Many teams find it useful to rotate members on occasion to bring in new ideas and avoid burnout.

[edit] Determine Member Roles

Once your Wiki Team is established, you can discuss what specific community roles each member would like to fill. Some individuals may play multiple roles, especially for smaller communities. Many of these roles are described on the Wiki Helpers page. Here are a few suggested roles for Wiki Team members:

  • Wiki Team Leader: This individual oversees the Wiki Team and is the primary contact person for the MedShelf.org research team. They send out email messages to the community email list on behalf of the Wiki Team and help initially recruit Wiki Team members. They have "Bureaucrat" status, which means they can make others "Administrators" so that they have the ability to delete pages, protect pages, and block users (see Help:Administration for details).
  • Clean Up Crew Leader: This individual oversees the Clean Up Crew by performing the clean up activities regularly and by recruiting community members to join the crew and help maintain the content. They decide if Clean Up Crew members are trustworthy enough to give them "Administrator" privileges so they can delete pages. They also raise important Clean Up Crew issues with the Wiki Team.
  • Promotion Crew Leader: This individual oversees the Promotion Crew by performing the promotion crew activities regularly and by recruiting community members to join the crew. The also raise important Promotion Crew issues with the Wiki Team.
  • Main Page Advocate: This individual plays the role of a Page Advocate for the Main Page. The Main Page is especially important since it is the first page anyone visits and is an organized index to the rest of the wiki content. For this reason, a Wiki Team member may want to take some ownership of it. This individual reviews others edits of the page and raises important issues related to the page with the Wiki Team. They may want to protect the page from others edits if people misuse it. The Project:Sample_Main_Page provides some guidance on how to structure the actual Main Page.
  • Wiki Digest Chief Editor: This individual oversees the Wiki Digest. The Wiki Digest is like a brief newsletter about the wiki sent to the email list on a regular basis. It may be the work of one individual (the Chief Editor) or several individuals that are part of the Wiki Digest Editors group. The Chief Editor emails the digest to the list, helps develop its content, coordinates other editors, and raises important issues with the Wiki Team. The Project:Sample Wiki Digest is an example of what a finished Wiki Digest may end up looking like.

Once you have decided on the community roles of the Wiki Team members, make sure to update the Wiki Team and Wiki Helpers pages to reflect the changes and fill in the appropriate Checklist section.

[edit] Decisions

Who can contribute to the wiki?

Several options are available. Here are the main ones.

  • Option 1: Anyone (i.e., registered users and anonymous contributors). Anonymous posters are identified by their IP address when they contribute, while registered users are identified by their username. This is the default option.
  • Option 2: Registered users only (i.e., only people who have registered themselves and are currently logged in; no anonymous contributors).
  • Option 3: Registered, pre-approved users (i.e., only people who the Wiki Team has approved and allowed to register). This requires that the Wiki Team add new users to a pre-approved list before they are able to edit the wiki. This can be done by having people email the Wiki Team with a preferred username and password and then adding the usernames to a list of allowed users.

Here are a few things to consider:

  • Privacy. None of the options above allows for completely anonymous edits of the wiki. This helps prevent vandalism of the site, but also doesn't allow people to post information that they would not want tracked to them. Rather than promise complete privacy through anonymity, we suggest that people limit their contributions to things that they would not mind being traced to them. Having said this, each of the above options makes it relatively easier or harder to tie a particular comment to an individual. Option 1 allows people to post semi-anonymously by only showing IP addresses of contributors that are not logged in. IP addresses are relatively difficult to trace to an individual, although in some cases it can be done. Option 2 allows people to create a username that is unrelated to their real name (if desired), making it difficult for people to link comments to an "offline" individual. Option 3 also allows members to create their own usernames but requires that the Wiki Team know who each person is.
  • Encouraging Participation. The harder it is to participate, the less likely it is that people will actually contribute to the wiki. Option 1 requires very little from a potential editor, while option 3 requires quite a bit. Choosing option 1 will likely encourage more community involvement, but may also lead to problems with "wiki spam". To help reduce spam, administrators can exclude IP addresses of vandalizers from posting messages as described in the Help:Administration page.
  • Credibility. In order to determine the credibility of information it is often helpful to know the source of that information. Option 1 allows people to identify themselves when they want, while the other options require that they identify themselves (at least as a consistent online username).
  • Changing Options. It is easy for the MedShelf.Org maintainers to change this setting. This makes it possible to begin with one option and switch to another if needs change. For example, a community could start by allowing anyone to post (which is the default option). If they find that there are abuses, they can then switch to one of the other options (by emailing Derek Hansen).

Once you have made your decision make sure and update the appropriate Checklist section.

[edit] Seed the Wiki with Content

Before opening the wiki up to the entire community, the Wiki Team should provide some initial content and the basic organization of the site. Here are a few suggestions related to seeding the wiki.

[edit] Systematically Decide What Should be Included

Two general categories of content are particularly important. First, content that is of widespread interest (e.g., topics related to frequently asked question). And second, valuable content that is not readily available elsewhere. To help decide what should be included you may want to...

  • Read through the community discussion archive (if one exists) looking for frequently discussed topics or messages that are particularly well-written, informative, and unique. Content from these messages can often be copied or summarized into Wiki pages, lessening the workload of the Wiki Team. If copying directly from past messages you will need to decide if (and how) you will give credit. Some individuals may want credit, while others will not want their name publicly associated with the content. One safe approach to dealing with this issue is to give general credit to the "list members" and allow list members that want their name associated with specific content to add their name later. Another approach is to provide a link to the original archived message that may only be visible to registered email list members.
  • Ask the community to recommend topics. This is already part of our Sample Intro Email. If you didn't receive a great response, you may want to solicit ideas in a separate email message to the list or directly from a few knowledgeable members.
  • Discuss with the Wiki Team how the content in this wiki will differ from other resources already available. You may want to refresh your memory on what resources are already available online before having this discussion. What unique niche will the wiki fill? How can it complement existing web resources and help fill in the gaps? The idea of the wiki should not be to recreate the wheel. Instead, it will be most valuable if it helps identify good existing resources (by linking to them) and fills in the gaps.

[edit] Create Good Content in a Useful Format

Make each finished page look as professional, complete, and high quality as you can. Later contributors will likely follow the example of existing pages, so set a good one. Also, some people may be more willing to contribute if they respect the existing pages. Rather than creating a lot of half-finished pages, it is better to focus on creating a few high quality pages that will be useful right away. There will be plenty of time for you and others to add more pages later.

  • Comply with copyright laws. Make sure that you do not copy works that have been copyrighted. When possible, simply link to the original source. If you rely heavily on a particular source, make sure you reference it.
  • Consider what Wiki Genres should be used to present the content. A Wiki Genre is like a template. It can be used to help organize a page. It helps other contributors know what types of information should be added and what tone to use. It also helps readers know what to expect. A collection of generic Wiki Genres and ideas on when to use them can be found at the Wiki Genres page. You can also see the Sample Main Page for ideas about potential wiki pages and Wiki Genres that support them well.

[edit] Organize Your Content

Because wikis are always changing, it is important to consider how people will find content that they are looking for. Although they can search or see a list of All Pages, it is often helpful to have content organized so that people can browse certain topics. See Help:Organizing pages for more details. Here are a few ideas on how to start organizing the content.

  • Use the Main Page as an organized index to the wiki content. Each time you create a new page, you should add it to an appropriate section of the Main Page or make sure that you can get to it from another existing page. The Sample Main Page will give you an idea of what a completed Main Page looks like.
  • When you have many related pages, create a single index page that links to the others. For example, you could have a page called Definitions that includes an alphabetized list of medical terms. Each medical term could have its own page (e.g., the uritis page would provide a definition of uritis). The Definitions page would serve as an index to the specific pages with the actual content on them. This way, when the term "uritis" is used on other wiki pages, it can link to the uritis page that contains the definition, not the entire list of definitions on the Definition page. This also allows you to link to the Definitions page from the Main Page instead of cluttering up the Main Page with a link to each individual definition page (e.g., uritis).
  • Provide links to related pages. If you have a page that is directly related to other wiki pages, make sure you link to those pages either within the text or in a separate "Related Pages" section of the page.
  • Make sure you don't have any Orphaned Pages (i.e., pages that are not linked to from any other pages).

[edit] Update Existing Pages

Below is a list of existing pages that will require your attention before rolling out the wiki:

As you seed the wiki with content, make sure to update the appropriate Checklist section.

[edit] Promote the Wiki

The success of the wiki will largely depend on how well it is promoted to community members and the world at large. Below are a few suggestions relating to the promotion of the wiki.

[edit] Initial Activities

  • Email the community to let them know that the wiki is now public and ready for their participation. See Project:Sample Roll Out Email for ideas.
  • Link to the wiki from other highly rated webpages so that it will show up better in search results. If you have a community website already, make sure and link to the wiki from it.
  • Put a link to the wiki in the email list footer.

[edit] Ongoing Activities

  • Send out a regular Wiki Digest email message. It could spotlight individuals who have contributed, highlight new or exceptional content, request new pages, recommend a page in need of review by the community, discuss policies or decisions made by the Wiki Team, provide a tip for new wiki users, and ask for suggestions. The Sample Wiki Digest is an example of what a finished Wiki Digest may end up looking like.
  • Encourage community members to reference specific wiki pages in the ongoing conversation (e.g., on the email list). When specific pages are referenced in email messages, people are more likely to keep up on what pages are available. They are also more likely to improve those pages themselves. Here are some suggested ways to help this happen:
    • Lead by example. When you are answering a question, include a reference to relevant wiki pages. When you ask a question, mention what pages you have already looked at. When new members post, let them know that exploring the wiki would be a good idea and point to a couple of relevant pages. When you create a new page or make a big change, announce it on the list and ask for others' contributions. When you are preparing a new wiki page, email the list and ask them for ideas on what should go in it. When you are worried about a discussion becoming contentious or off topic, link to a relevant wiki page (e.g., a Comparison Genre page or policy page) to help offload the discussion.
    • Treat the wiki as a supplement to the discussion, not a replacement. Many activities such as providing social support, helping identify problems, and tailoring information to an individual's specific needs are best done through the ongoing conversation. In these situations, linking to wiki pages is an easy way to provide additional resources that will allow the reader to explore more on their own. Community members should not simply send others to the wiki for answers. Instead, they should give a customized answer and then identify specific wiki pages that may be pertinent to them.
  • Encourage community members to contribute to the wiki themselves. The wiki will best succeed if it is a community activity, rather than the work of an individual or even the Wiki Team. Here are a few ideas on how to encourage widespread participation in the wiki.
    • Identify specific ways that community members can help. Encourage list members to put the content from a particularly helpful message onto the wiki, or add it yourself and let them know so they can update or improve it. Single out individuals with specific expertise and ask them to contribute to a specific page. When a frequent question arises on the list ask for a volunteer to summarize the email discussion into a wiki page. Ask if members have ideas for new pages and if they do, ask for their help in creating them.
    • Help members make at least one edit. After that, they will be much more likely to make more edits. Offer extra encouragement and help to them their first time. You may even suggest that all members make a simple edit just to get them started (e.g., add their name to an existing page).
    • Give public praise of wiki contributions. This can be done in ongoing email discussions, as well as in the Wiki Digest.
    • Emphasize that all contributions are welcome. Contributions to the wiki need not be perfect, since others will edit them.

As you complete some of the initial recommendations in this section, make sure to update the appropriate Checklist section.

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