Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Affordable/Low Income options: Crowd source article needed- A US Cohousing Wiki?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Sep 25, 2015, at 10:58 AM, Catya Belfer <catya [at] pobox.com> wrote:
> 
> Given the giant spam problem on cohousing.org, I really wouldn't recommend
> a wiki unless you had someone who could deal with it full time.

I’m not advocating a wiki but curious to hear more about the spam on 
Cohousing.org.

TakomaVillage does have a wiki on GoogleSites but it is only open to those in 
the community. Thus it doesn’t have a problem with spam.

I still favor emails for discussion. The problem with compiling information is 
that it changes so quickly and is totally different from one state to another 
and one program to another and one bank to another. It would take a huge amount 
of research to post all the information that might be helpful. Then it will be 
out of date.

The best form of information is to consult  _current_ websites and current 
discussions. Asking questions of peers. And local experts.

Email works best for forming a network of information because it is immediate 
and reaches everyone instantly. And on a large list, people respond instantly.

Another source of information is neighborhood lists. I moderate a neighborhood 
list with going on 3000 members. There are all kinds of people on the list, 
including people who know about banks and work for city agencies. The ward 
councilperson monitors it and forwards emails to appropriate city agencies. You 
can literally ask about anything and get an answer. (I once asked about why it 
was so quiet after a big snow and got an answer from a scientist at the 
University of Maryland who was pleased that someone finally asked a question he 
could answer.)

But information gets old fast these days. Storing it becomes an exercise in 
futility unless you have a big staff.

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