Spica Wiki?

[Malenfant]

I'm not entirely sure how these work, but would a Spica Project Wiki be an idea to try?

AFAIK, it's like a website that anyone can edit or add information to. Wikipedia is an obvious example, and rpgnet is starting to use these too. Here's a summary of what a wiki is and how it works, from the wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Anyone had experience of these? I must admit I'm not too sure how they're supposed to work, but it sounds like a good way to do a big project like this.

 

[far-trader]

Did you see the story on the LA Times experiment in Wikitorials over the weekend...

Wikitorial

Like I wouldn't have seen that coming from a light-year away and blinded by a local flare event.

Anyway I guess you could have more direct control of who gets in and such maybe.

Is it just me or is it fun saying Spica-Wiki

Spica-Wiki Spica-Wiki Spica-Wiki

No, I have not been drinking

No, TJ has not hacked my account

I think

 

[Malenfant]

Yes, but that only goes to show that Wikis should be kept firmly in the hands of geeks, and not joe public

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

I caught Spica Wiki one summer in Borneo... A quick shot of pennicillin cleared it right up.

Clearly, there would need to be limits set on access, but not to the point of it being exclusive. It would be a good way to avoid it becoming a depository for Dr. Selar Star Trek fan fiction, and Babylon 5 Recipies, oh and Furry ⌧.

 

[Pickles]

Spica Wiki? Tricky ...

 

[clementk]

Sidenote, if there wasn't CotI or similar around I'd suggest a related community/group blog for the development side of things. As is the wiki itself should be enough.

FWIW from the wikipedia article on wiki: 'The name was based on the Hawaiian term wiki wiki, meaning "quick" or "informal."'

Personally I think Spica Wiki sounds more like a Polynesian drink at the Kahiki.

Hmmm perhaps it could be a (sub)sector wide favorite? "When you're in Spica remember to have a Spica Wiki."

- Casey in need of iced tea

(edit: general edit; added stuff)

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan:
It would be a good way to avoid it becoming a depository for Dr. Selar Star Trek fan fiction, and Babylon 5 Recipies, oh and Furry ⌧.

Well Traveller fandom has already produced N- in a pink feather boa, FF&S devices I'd rather not mention, Vilani cuisine, Aslan who wear comfortable shoes-

Oh. Right. Not *more* of that.

- Casey, *not* a Hiver Tudor ⌧ Merchant (there is *no* blue soccerball either

)

 

[Malenfant]

Here's an example of the project on rpgnet that inspired this:

http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Encyclopedia_Galactica:Main_Page

There's now a planet up there. (remove the url= below and copy/paste the link into the browser, it seems the forum software here doesn't like brackets in http code)

url=http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Encyclopedia_Galactica:Ideru_%28Planet%29

It really would be a perfect way to get a sector done. I think we could probably just use the rpgnet wiki for the Spica project if we wanted to (Traveller is after all a roleplaying game, and that's what rpgnet set that wiki up for...).

 

[Malenfant]

Awesome

 

[Malenfant]

Ok, so how shall we do this? I've added a direct link to the CSSP board itself on the front page there.

Do we want to make this totally open? Or should we talk about the changes and additions we want to make here first and then implement them?

Is there a way to control who can edit the posts? We probably don't want some random guy coming along from outside and wiping out everything we put there just because he has a different idea of what Spica is like.

 

[Malenfant]

Unless we can set up our own wiki somewhere that we can control access... it'd be great if QLI could set something up on their own servers, but Hunter's nowhere to be seen...

 

[clementk]

history page for Spice Wiki main page

an example of compare between two revisions

Doesn't look that difficult to compare and revert if needed. The page isn't linked into the Categories or Major Projects pages yet but doesn't have to be at this stage. It would make it easier for anyone to stumble across it (goodbad).

One potential problem (from an edit page):

Please note that all contributions to RPGnetWiki are considered to be released under the Attribution-ShareAlike (see Project:Copyrights for details). If you don't want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then don't submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. DO NOT SUBMIT COPYRIGHTED WORK WITHOUT PERMISSION!

It falls under a creative commons license. IANAL, but offhand I think for the wiki (since it's a separate website) following FFE's Fair Use policy should be enough. I've noticed that some Traveller fansites don't include the "The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 1977 - 2004 Far Future Enterprises." blurb on their main page.

 

[RainOfSteel]

I'd like to point out that on freely editable wiki boards, malicious bots can come along and edit everything out of existence.

How is it, then, that we protect our work from destruction?

 

[RainOfSteel]

I noticed that on the Spica main page, at the bottom, that there are numerous categories that this project is entered under.

Including T5.

Remember, T5 is the title of another non-Traveller game product, and is likely a registered trademark (I don't know, but it just seems likely).

 

[Shadowdancer]

Here is another Wiki option (wikioption?):

Wikicities

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by RainOfSteel:
I'd like to point out that on freely editable wiki boards, malicious bots can come along and edit everything out of existence.

How is it, then, that we protect our work from destruction?

I asked, and apparently the rpgnet wikis are open to everyone but are protected from blacklisted spammer sites. So far they've had little trouble from anyone else.

So it should be safe there...