WikiCU talk:About - Revision history

Reaganaut at 13:06, 12 May 2008

2008-05-12T13:06:54Z

Denzera: /* Are we ok? */

2008-05-12T12:08:21Z

‎Are we ok?

Denzera: /* Are we ok? */ new section

2008-05-12T12:07:15Z

‎Are we ok?: new section

GMorehou: /* UMassWiki */

2008-01-07T18:48:35Z

‎UMassWiki

GMorehou: UMassWiki

2008-01-07T18:25:04Z

UMassWiki

Adolph Lewisohn: /* Absentminded */

2007-12-02T07:00:56Z

‎Absentminded

Reaganaut at 06:30, 2 December 2007

2007-12-02T06:30:26Z

Adolph Lewisohn at 05:04, 2 December 2007

2007-12-02T05:04:41Z

Feinstein: Feinstein

2007-12-01T21:36:19Z

Feinstein

Ttan: /* ttan */

2007-11-19T10:00:34Z

‎ttan

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:06, 12 May 2008
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	-D		-D
		+
		+	:I can confirm that the site will be around for as long as I can foresee into the future. Upon my forthcoming graduation, I intend to stop contributing and/or moderating, although I'll still be happy to appoint (and, if needed, remove) admins as per requests sent to admin@wikicu.com. Otherwise, the site will essentially be the territory of admins and users, much as it is now, except without me. In the event that I do ever take down the site, I'll give due warning and try to find a new owner. In the worst case, I'll at least make a site backup available for download until eventually someone sets the site up again. Hopefully this clarifies things. I'll post a similar message again on my user page next week after graduation. {{User:Reaganaut/sig}} 09:06, 12 May 2008 (EDT)

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 PS, one other thing which might be pretty easy to do in order to improve your Google indexing is install a Sitemap script or extension, stick the appropriate link in robots.txt, and sign up for Google Sitemaps.  I'm using a hack of a script I dug up on the web quite some time ago which generates a sitemap from the database and assigns various priorities and change frequencies to the namespaces I specify and it does indeed do great things.  Not only have I seen new pages get indexed in just a couple hours, but Google no longer has to crawl through the entire site to find new and updated pages, so even orphans will get indexed.  It's definitely worth the effort.  I hear the other search engines are working to adopt the standard or have already done so. --[[User:GMorehou|GMorehou]] 13:48, 7 January 2008 (EST)
-== Are we ok? ==
+== Are we ok? - Denzera ==
 To Reaganaut and others - can we confirm that (A) the site's continued existence is safe for the foresesable future, and (B) the site's continued editorial / promotional efforts are being maintained by another generation?  Want to make sure everything's ok for next year.

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:07, 12 May 2008
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	PS, one other thing which might be pretty easy to do in order to improve your Google indexing is install a Sitemap script or extension, stick the appropriate link in robots.txt, and sign up for Google Sitemaps. I'm using a hack of a script I dug up on the web quite some time ago which generates a sitemap from the database and assigns various priorities and change frequencies to the namespaces I specify and it does indeed do great things. Not only have I seen new pages get indexed in just a couple hours, but Google no longer has to crawl through the entire site to find new and updated pages, so even orphans will get indexed. It's definitely worth the effort. I hear the other search engines are working to adopt the standard or have already done so. --[[User:GMorehou\|GMorehou]] 13:48, 7 January 2008 (EST)		PS, one other thing which might be pretty easy to do in order to improve your Google indexing is install a Sitemap script or extension, stick the appropriate link in robots.txt, and sign up for Google Sitemaps. I'm using a hack of a script I dug up on the web quite some time ago which generates a sitemap from the database and assigns various priorities and change frequencies to the namespaces I specify and it does indeed do great things. Not only have I seen new pages get indexed in just a couple hours, but Google no longer has to crawl through the entire site to find new and updated pages, so even orphans will get indexed. It's definitely worth the effort. I hear the other search engines are working to adopt the standard or have already done so. --[[User:GMorehou\|GMorehou]] 13:48, 7 January 2008 (EST)
		+
		+	== Are we ok? ==
		+
		+	To Reaganaut and others - can we confirm that (A) the site's continued existence is safe for the foresesable future, and (B) the site's continued editorial / promotional efforts are being maintained by another generation? Want to make sure everything's ok for next year.

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:48, 7 January 2008
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	You can see some of the work done by students for classes [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:Section_71_-_ENG_112_-_Spring_2007 here], [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:ENG112_-_Section_36_-_Fall_2007 here] and [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:COM375_-_Section_9_-_Fall_2007 here]. And hey, that might be an idea to boost your traffic and bring in new editors. I've gotten a few out of the scores of students that were forced to use the wiki for their homework. ;) --[[User:GMorehou\|GMorehou]] 13:25, 7 January 2008 (EST)		You can see some of the work done by students for classes [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:Section_71_-_ENG_112_-_Spring_2007 here], [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:ENG112_-_Section_36_-_Fall_2007 here] and [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:COM375_-_Section_9_-_Fall_2007 here]. And hey, that might be an idea to boost your traffic and bring in new editors. I've gotten a few out of the scores of students that were forced to use the wiki for their homework. ;) --[[User:GMorehou\|GMorehou]] 13:25, 7 January 2008 (EST)
		+
		+	PS, one other thing which might be pretty easy to do in order to improve your Google indexing is install a Sitemap script or extension, stick the appropriate link in robots.txt, and sign up for Google Sitemaps. I'm using a hack of a script I dug up on the web quite some time ago which generates a sitemap from the database and assigns various priorities and change frequencies to the namespaces I specify and it does indeed do great things. Not only have I seen new pages get indexed in just a couple hours, but Google no longer has to crawl through the entire site to find new and updated pages, so even orphans will get indexed. It's definitely worth the effort. I hear the other search engines are working to adopt the standard or have already done so. --[[User:GMorehou\|GMorehou]] 13:48, 7 January 2008 (EST)

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:25, 7 January 2008
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	* Generally the consensus is to continue as before. I'm more than happy to continue hosting indefinitely, but I doubt I'll pursue many of your thoughtful suggestions (flyers, staff, committee, and so on). Yet I still think there's got to be a way to reinvigorate the site and take it forward. It's already got a ton of fantastic content, but we still really need more readers, more editors, more community. I'm inclined to post class notes, study guides, etc. to start bringing in a lot more traffic. Anyway, I'll give some more thought to the various options over the next few weeks. {{User:Reaganaut/sig}} 01:30, 2 December 2007 (EST)		* Generally the consensus is to continue as before. I'm more than happy to continue hosting indefinitely, but I doubt I'll pursue many of your thoughtful suggestions (flyers, staff, committee, and so on). Yet I still think there's got to be a way to reinvigorate the site and take it forward. It's already got a ton of fantastic content, but we still really need more readers, more editors, more community. I'm inclined to post class notes, study guides, etc. to start bringing in a lot more traffic. Anyway, I'll give some more thought to the various options over the next few weeks. {{User:Reaganaut/sig}} 01:30, 2 December 2007 (EST)
		+
		+	== UMassWiki ==
		+
		+	Just a note for your stats, if there were a way to include articles in the Class namespace in the NUMBEROFARTICLES metric, I suspect [http://www.umasswiki.com/ UMassWiki] would be quite a bit farther up the graph as students have been writing essays and creating collaborative works such as class e-zines in the Class namespace since 2006. Looking at the page table, <code>SELECT * FROM `amherst_page` WHERE `page_namespace` = 100 AND `page_is_redirect` != 1</code> returns 590 records. <code>SELECT * FROM `amherst_page` WHERE `page_namespace` = 100 AND `page_is_redirect` != 1 AND `page_len` > 499</code> returns 527 records. That means (assuming I'm looking at the right table) there are 527 non-redirect articles in the UMassWiki Class namespace which are 500 bytes or larger. :)
		+
		+	You can see some of the work done by students for classes [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:Section_71_-_ENG_112_-_Spring_2007 here], [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:ENG112_-_Section_36_-_Fall_2007 here] and [http://www.umasswiki.com/wiki/Class:COM375_-_Section_9_-_Fall_2007 here]. And hey, that might be an idea to boost your traffic and bring in new editors. I've gotten a few out of the scores of students that were forced to use the wiki for their homework. ;) --[[User:GMorehou\|GMorehou]] 13:25, 7 January 2008 (EST)

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 ::*Aside: It's too bad that [[Robert McCaughey]]'s class isn't around anymore. This would've been a great platform for his 'research project' assignments.
 :-[[User:Absentminded|Absentminded]] 04:26, 19 November 2007 (EST)
 * I'm open to alliances, but I doubt any sort of small-scale alliance would lead to anything. {{User:Reaganaut/sig}} 01:30, 2 December 2007 (EST)

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 :All I can think of for now. Anything else? [[User:Pacman|Pacman]] 04:17, 19 November 2007 (EST)
 == Absentminded ==
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 ::*Aside: It's too bad that [[Robert McCaughey]]'s class isn't around anymore. This would've been a great platform for his 'research project' assignments.
 :-[[User:Absentminded|Absentminded]] 04:26, 19 November 2007 (EST)
 == ttan ==
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 ::*Absolutely don't try to turn it into CUCommunity reborn. Why? The more complicated this site is, the harder it will be to maintain and keep up-to-date. What ultimately killed CUCommunity wasn't just Valcarcel's constant declarations of war, etc., but because Adam couldn't keep up with the buginess and complaints and feature requests of an interface he wrote himself from scratch.
 ::*What would be very useful is if you could provide some technical stats on WikiCU. Space needed, bandwidth requirements, monthly users, etc., etc., etc.
 ::*If we do elect to go the CULPA route, now might be a good time to appoint some positions. You can be 'Owner'. Feinstein, myself, absentminded, Pacman and others who have made some substantive contributions can be 'Senior Editors'. A few that choose to volunteer their continued time and commitment as alums can be part of the 'Management Committee' or something. That way you can advertise that WikiCU is looking for Senior Editors and Management Committeepersons.
 :[[User:Ttan|Ttan]] 04:43, 19 November 2007 (EST)
 == Feinstein ==
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 ::*An on-campus meeting for anyone interested in joining wikicu, complete with free pizza, a facebook group, and no fewer than three blast emails. Actually, do not do any of this.
 ::*The hosting situation. I understand we use dreamhost. Dreamhost is great for the first year, but then it demands a good amount of money. How are we doing in that area? Should we solicit donations ala wikipedia?
 ::*Subtle advertising in the form of links. I see sometimes people, and I'm not sure how closely they're involved with the site, post "for more information" kind of links to Bwog redirecting to this site. I remember a few months ago, some people doing the same over at collegeconfidential. It's not a bad idea, hoping that a few of those people could catch on make a number of edits on their own. [[User:Adolph Lewisohn|Adolph Lewisohn]] 00:04, 2 December 2007 (EST)

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:04, 2 December 2007
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	I'm with absentminded and ttan, a CULPA style management scheme would have the best shot at longevity. Attracting new, interested editors is pretty important to the continued life of the site. I can certainly stick around and keep an eye on things. [[User:Feinstein\|Feinstein]] 16:36, 1 December 2007 (EST)		I'm with absentminded and ttan, a CULPA style management scheme would have the best shot at longevity. Attracting new, interested editors is pretty important to the continued life of the site. I can certainly stick around and keep an eye on things. [[User:Feinstein\|Feinstein]] 16:36, 1 December 2007 (EST)
		+
		+	== Adolph Lewisohn ==
		+
		+	:We discussed very early about the prospects of turning this site over the Spec and I still believe now what I strongly suggested then: do not, under any circumstances, turn this user-driven independent website over to, as others have indicated, a group that cannot properly maintain a website in any form. The beauty of this website remains its independence and I would be extremely cautious before turning it over to anyone with a potential bias. My biggest concern, as it has been since day one, is watching my own work for a small, independent website get turned over to some large campus group that won't bother to acknowledge you or preserve what you've done. I will add a bit more later, but, quickly:
		+	::*There needs to be a stronger group of "core" users -- not a group of replacements, but a group to take over once some of us can no longer actively scan the wiki. I didn't even learn about this potential problem until reading about it on Bwog a few minutes ago. I've also been wrapped up in papers and exams and whatnot and haven't had all the time in the world to devote to this site like I did back in the spring and summer when it first went online.
		+	::*An on-campus meeting for anyone interested in joining wikicu, complete with free pizza, a facebook group, and no fewer than three blast emails. Actually, do not do any of this.
		+	::*The hosting situation. I understand we use dreamhost. Dreamhost is great for the first year, but then it demands a good amount of money. How are we doing in that area? Should we solicit donations ala wikipedia?
		+	::*Subtle advertising in the form of links. I see sometimes people, and I'm not sure how closely they're involved with the site, post "for more information" kind of links to Bwog redirecting to this site. I remember a few months ago, some people doing the same over at collegeconfidential. It's not a bad idea, hoping that a few of those people could catch on make a number of edits on their own. [[User:Adolph Lewisohn\|Adolph Lewisohn]] 00:04, 2 December 2007 (EST)

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:36, 1 December 2007
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	::*If we do elect to go the CULPA route, now might be a good time to appoint some positions. You can be 'Owner'. Feinstein, myself, absentminded, Pacman and others who have made some substantive contributions can be 'Senior Editors'. A few that choose to volunteer their continued time and commitment as alums can be part of the 'Management Committee' or something. That way you can advertise that WikiCU is looking for Senior Editors and Management Committeepersons.		::*If we do elect to go the CULPA route, now might be a good time to appoint some positions. You can be 'Owner'. Feinstein, myself, absentminded, Pacman and others who have made some substantive contributions can be 'Senior Editors'. A few that choose to volunteer their continued time and commitment as alums can be part of the 'Management Committee' or something. That way you can advertise that WikiCU is looking for Senior Editors and Management Committeepersons.
	:[[User:Ttan\|Ttan]] 04:43, 19 November 2007 (EST)		:[[User:Ttan\|Ttan]] 04:43, 19 November 2007 (EST)
		+
		+	== Feinstein ==
		+
		+	I'm with absentminded and ttan, a CULPA style management scheme would have the best shot at longevity. Attracting new, interested editors is pretty important to the continued life of the site. I can certainly stick around and keep an eye on things. [[User:Feinstein\|Feinstein]] 16:36, 1 December 2007 (EST)