Link to Wiki from Forum

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circular
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Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by circular »

Could we have a direct link in the forum header to the Wiki, maybe to the right of Members?

A direct link back to the forum from the Wiki would be nice too, maybe at the bottom of Tools?
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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MarcR
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by MarcR »

Good suggestions - we'll put them on the list.
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Teezer
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by Teezer »

The forum software comes with a fixed number of tabs with pre-assigned meanings. If I recall correctly, the tab "Our Story" was "Wiki" in the first version of the forum, but was changed at Julie's request when we re-did the layout. Changing the name and associated link for an existing tab is minor, but adding a tab is more involved.

Adding another tab complicates updating when new versions of the the forum software are released. I haven't looked at adding a link to the wiki, but I expect that it's doable (with the same caveat regarding updates).
It's weird how I'm constantly surprised by the passage of time when it's literally the most predictable thing in the universe. -- xkcd
circular
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by circular »

No need if it's any trouble Teezer, I haven't looked but if it's not already in a pinned post at the top of the Wiki folder that would be good instead, and easy. I could also just bookmark it ;-)
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Barry Pearson
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by Barry Pearson »

I'm new here. I easily found the main site from links elsewhere. But I only found the Wiki by accident. I've just done a tour of this site and I couldn't find an easy link to the Wiki.

I wonder if new members sometimes remain unaware of the Wiki? How are they expected to find it?

As a registered editor of Wikipedia, I have respect for the Wiki concept:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Barry_Pearson
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Barry Pearson
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by Barry Pearson »

I hope my comment earlier today didn't appear critical! I am passionate about sharing knowledge/information, and it is obvious that everyone here is passionate too.

I note that adding an extra button to link to the Wiki appears to have been ruled out by design restrictions. This leads me to make a couple of suggestions. (Before I retired as a software and systems engineer in the computer business, I hated it when people made suggestions like this, instead of stating their requirements. So I'm about to break my own rule!)

1. When we arrive at the home page, we get an offer to "Join the conversation". Could there be an additional offer to "View the Wiki"?

2. The "Welcome" page is probably where lots of newcomers start. Could it provide a link to the Wiki near the top?

I note that there is a trickle of changes to the Wiki, so it isn't dormant. But it isn't very active. Is that because not enough people know about it? Perhaps, therefore, there isn't a lot of motivation to add to it? Am I being unfair?

I've created a user page for myself, in case I edit the Wiki:
https://www.apoe4.info/wiki/User:Barry_pearson
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Gilgamesh
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by Gilgamesh »

Barry, thanks so much for your very helpful observations (and we welcome constructive criticism – so no worries there whatsoever!).

The board, at first, didn't want to make the wiki more prominent until it was more developed. But, as I'm sure you're aware, making the wiki more developed and polished would be aided by its greater prominence and accessibility. Many of the board members will be at a conference through early next week, but we can address this when everyone is back and settled. I think we're all moving towards saying it's time to get the wiki more out there (though I would suggest having it be "screamingly" out there with a prominent opening button/link might be premature).

Best,
G
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Stavia
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Re: Link to Wiki from Forum

Post by Stavia »

Barry, thanks for your input. I am a board member.
We currently don't have the manpower to maintain the wiki at the standard it deserves.
All the board members and moderators work fulltime at day jobs and of course the most important work of supporting members in the ongoing discussions takes a large amount of time. So there is currently no board member or moderator with capacity to champion the wiki.
Any help with the content of the wiki would be hugely appreciated.
We have put out calls for help with the wiki several times before over the years, both on the forum and in person at our conference last year, but the grassroots members have not responded sustainably in numbers sufficient to maintain the entire complete wiki on an ongoing basis.
(Thanks to those members who have recently added sections in their areas of expertise eg Circ and Susan and Theresa etc. Sorry if I have missed out names, I literally do not have time to regularly check the wiki !)
If you are interested, we would love to have some help as we are fully aware that it is an area we are not covering well at present.



Bottom line: we'd love a wiki. But members need to write the content. Any volunteers to champion and monitor this on a sustainable basis?
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