Cohousing-L Mailing List: Wiki [was Facebook page?]

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

The most effective tool I've found for  both collecting and storing information 
is a wiki. Wikipedia is the perfect example. The reason it works is that people 
can edit a subject until it is fully developed and correct. What it takes is 
visibility so people remember that it has been established and is up and 
working and they can add information.

We have a facilities wiki that the facilities team maintains and uses that is 
wonderful for tracking all the historical data about buildings, vendors, costs, 
decisions, who said and did what, etc. Even our least email friendly team 
members enter data in the wiki regularly. We use Google Sites which is a 
completely WYSIWYG interface. You can do HTML but don't have to. I know it so I 
go in and correct it when someone has cut and pasted from, God Forbid, Word.

I like email lists because they are spontaneous and instant. No filtering. 
Immediate response. Current information. But a wiki is different.

Wikipedia entries define the subject, tell you why it is important, give 
history, make connections with other topics, and give current practices. The 
information is comprehensive — if someone or many people have cared enough to 
make it so. A wiki would be a wonderful resource. 

Two things are required — a main person or persons who maintain the structure 
and all the elves who contribute information.

Isn't there a wiki somewhere? I keep forgetting because it isn't mentioned 
often enough. 

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org