Do we need a Maloti-Drakensberg wiki?

For a long time I have toyed with with idea of starting a dedicated wiki for the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains.

Some definitions of what a wiki is:

a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor

A wiki is a collaborative Web site oriented to providing knowledge in some domain. Anyone can enter information, or change or comment on anyone else's contributions.

Of course, the best known example is Wikipedia, which adds to the idea of what I'm trying to suggest here: that the wiki becomes an online reference or encyclopedia. It is informative, factual and definitive, rather than philosophical, personal or opinion-oriented.

Do we need something like this for the Maloti-Drakensberg mountains? If you are thinking that this site already provides that, you are correct. The forums and blogs do provide a place to post information, and this may be sufficient. However, web trends provide many different avenues of expressing and storing information, each with its own set of advantages and purposes. What you express in a blog or a forum, may be different to what you might be inclined to write in a wiki.

For the proposed wiki, we would use MediaWiki which is the software developed and used by Wikipedia themselves, which means that it would look and function in a similar way. The possible uses of this wiki can be quite extensive, but examples can be:
* short, definitive descriptions of peaks, passes and caves, with links to references and further detail (typically to forum threads, blog posts, downloads and gallery pics).
* definitions of related terms such as "sandstone layer", "escarpment", "lekhalo", "Basotho kraal" etc.
* Explanation of historical origins of names
* Descriptions and classifications of fauna, flora and geological specimens
* Concise summaries of various Berg topics such as hiking, climbing, smuggling, weather, environmental topics etc

Furthermore, I propose that this wiki be assigned the www.maloti-drakensberg.co.za domain name, which is one of several domain names we have purchased and which currently simply redirect to VE.com. It would still be hosted and managed on the same server that VE.com is on. This domain name would simply strengthen its position as a dedicated Maloti-Drakensberg reference. Some of the information already on VE.com would to a certain extent be duplicated on this wiki, which I think it totally acceptable, since VE.com would remain as the interactive, community site and the workbench on which this information is shaped. This wiki would in many ways be the concise summary of information on VE.com, with relevant links pointing to the reference.

Write access to this wiki would be for VE.com members only.

So, I'd like to hear from the community if this is a good idea or not, and if there is a need for such a thing. Is there sufficient interest in the community not only to read the wiki, but to actively add to it and keep it updated?

Thats a really good idea Intrepid, I think it would be particularly useful for keeping a store of up to date information on the state of caves and passes for example.

mnt_tiska wrote:

I really like the wiki idea and would be happy to contribute. I do have concerns though. First, putting the wiki together is a lot of work and I think it is a difficult thing to do. Writing needs to end up being unambiguous and quite definitive. Second, the Berg community is quite small, so the task would fall to a few people. On balance, great idea, but lets trial it first with a few items e.g. caves, or a particular area, or security incident listing.

Agree with the above that it is a mountain of work, but similarly I think, while the community is small, there is a wealth of information which most of us would be willing to contribute to this. I think it is a worthwhile endeavour, and as soon as I have finished working on the current big project I am busy with, would gladly give my time to contribute to sections which I have expertise in. I also think that maybe a pilot run would be a great starting point.

Thanks all for your replies thus far. Certainly to make the wiki meaningful and nicely populated will take a lot of work. I like projects to be sustainable, which is why I'm inviting comment to see if other members think it would work, but I'm also prepared to experiment with ideas and scrap them if they don't take off. I'm all for small beginnings and slow progress if the end result is something that carries itself forward. This forum started off in the same way and now has its own momentum.

All too often projects are launched with much zeal but land up being too much work, or run out of steam. So, with that in mind, this wiki should be governed by 2 principles: that it does not fall on the shoulders of an individual, or a too small group of individuals; and that slow progress is totally acceptable, as long as it is steady. It would be a project belonging the community, as does this forum, which I would like to be preserved and continued even beyond the lifetime of Vertical Endeavour, or my own for that matter.

So, keep your thoughts and comments coming if there are any more. I am considering the Christmas / New Year period to take some time to set up the software for the wiki.

@Intrepid

Hopefully be done with the big project by then. Thanks for the help with that by the way!

Let me know if you need any help as I will be needing to do a wiki for the current project as well! Part of the revised scope!

The implementation of this wiki has been postponed somewhat since I had no gap over the festive season to do it.

As far as software upgrades and new features go, here are some other details for what is in store for this site (in addition to several minor upgrades taking place over Dec/Jan which go by largely unnoticed):

January will be dedicated to a fairly major upgrade for the forum. There will be a slightly new look-and-feel, but the new features will be the most significant. Members will be able to create opinion polls as part of a thread; simultaneous, multiple image uploads will be possible; and a "New Topic" button will make it easier to start a new thread and select the appropriate category (as opposed to first navigating to the appropriate category as it works currently). Many minor improvements will be evident too, as well as an enhancement in page-load speeds.

Also in the near pipe-line is totally new software for the downloads section. The code for the current software is outdated and upgrades by the developer are now only possible through a paid subscription (as much as possible, this site runs on free, open-source software that is supported by donations rather than subscriptions). This upgrade will also ensure long-term compatibility with the Joomla platform that this site runs on.

These 2 upgrades involve a fair amount of work and somewhere in between, or after, I'll look at setting up the wiki. Stay tuned.

Just a reminder that this project is still very much alive, but the time needed to launch it is just in too short supply still. Just keeping the current site running is a handful enough right now.

I have managed to launch the Maloti-Drakensberg site, which will house the wiki. Check it out:
www.maloti-drakensberg.co.za/
The site simply piggy-backs on VE, but giving this project it's own domain name serves to strengthen it's purpose. The wiki will be installed when I get a gap again.