[Old] Keepers of the Faith Mission Statement - GH Wiki

[mkawa]

I am respectfully requesting Keeper of the Faith membership, so that I might deliver more wretched souls unto Geekhack's dark demesne.

EDIT: Also, the bbcode decision is working. If even a troglodytic mouth-breather like me can make it work, then anyone can do it.

convince cptbadass. he is head keeper. he's sleeping on my couch right now though, so you might have to wait a bit

[Krogenar]

I am respectfully requesting Keeper of the Faith membership, so that I might deliver more wretched souls unto Geekhack's dark demesne.

EDIT: Also, the bbcode decision is working. If even a troglodytic mouth-breather like me can make it work, then anyone can do it.

convince cptbadass. he is head keeper. he's sleeping on my couch right now though, so you might have to wait a bit

And you can't do anything? Kick the couch, dammit. Step away from your 3D printer for two seconds.

[Krogenar]

Any chance we could activate the bbcode for anchor tags? Its very Web 1.0 (pre CSS) but it is easy to use and might make it easier for people to navigate the information. Rather than scroll through a long list, make anchor links at the top.

[jdcarpe]

I'm pretty sure anchors work now.

[Krogenar]

I'm pretty sure anchors work now.

Just testing: "Everyone at work loves the subtle coloring and style of my Handarbeit keyboard."
Another: "I ****ed my ***** when my SoWaRe arrived, and then I ***** on **** and ****ed all over."
Finally, opening a new window? Let's try: "Should the White Valentine and Valentine sets be considered the same color scheme?"

[CPTBadAss]

I am respectfully requesting Keeper of the Faith membership, so that I might deliver more wretched souls unto Geekhack's dark demesne.

EDIT: Also, the bbcode decision is working. If even a troglodytic mouth-breather like me can make it work, then anyone can do it.

convince cptbadass. he is head keeper. he's sleeping on my couch right now though, so you might have to wait a bit

And you can't do anything? Kick the couch, dammit. Step away from your 3D printer for two seconds.

Disrupting my sleep won garner any good will with me Krog

[jdcarpe]

I am respectfully requesting Keeper of the Faith membership, so that I might deliver more wretched souls unto Geekhack's dark demesne.

EDIT: Also, the bbcode decision is working. If even a troglodytic mouth-breather like me can make it work, then anyone can do it.

convince cptbadass. he is head keeper. he's sleeping on my couch right now though, so you might have to wait a bit

And you can't do anything? Kick the couch, dammit. Step away from your 3D printer for two seconds.

Disrupting my sleep won garner any good will with me Krog

Why are you sleeping? Lazy bum...

[Krogenar]

I am respectfully requesting Keeper of the Faith membership, so that I might deliver more wretched souls unto Geekhack's dark demesne.

EDIT: Also, the bbcode decision is working. If even a troglodytic mouth-breather like me can make it work, then anyone can do it.

convince cptbadass. he is head keeper. he's sleeping on my couch right now though, so you might have to wait a bit

And you can't do anything? Kick the couch, dammit. Step away from your 3D printer for two seconds.

Disrupting my sleep won garner any good will with me Krog

Why are you sleeping? Lazy bum...

... probably covered in pork rind fragments.

[CPTBadAss]

Busy sleeping off all this good food I'm eating in LA jdcarpe

And Krog....calling me fat and waking me up? Come on, do you even know what "flattery" means?? It might help you to get this position.

[Krogenar]

Busy sleeping off all this good food I'm eating in LA jdcarpe

And Krog....calling me fat --

(Krog shakes bag of pork rinds enticingly)

and waking me up? Come on, do

(shakes bag a bit more)

you even know what "flattery" means?? It might help you to get this position.

Fine, another tack: *ahem* "In the annals of keyboard nerdery, no one else but CaptBadass embodies the verve, panache of this noble, noble discipline. Cpt, when you're done receiving your award (having an element named after you must be nice -- but hey, you did discover it) please consider me for a Keeper position, so that I might index more information?"

[jdcarpe]

Busy sleeping off all this good food I'm eating in LA jdcarpe

And Krog....calling me fat and waking me up? Come on, do you even know what "flattery" means?? It might help you to get this position.

You better not forget my Japanese curry. Just saying.





I'm kidding...





...or am I?

[CPTBadAss]

We had Japanese food last night and I actually talked about this with mkawa but he won't get his vaccuum seal/pack stuff soon or else we could've gotten you food jdcarpe .

[Krogenar]

I'm kidding...
...or am I?

Already looked. pork rinds have apparently never become animated gifs. Ever.

[SpAmRaY]

I'm kidding...
...or am I?

Already looked. pork rinds have apparently never become animated gifs. Ever.

there's always this

More

[jdcarpe]

We had Japanese food last night and I actually talked about this with mkawa but he won't get his vaccuum seal/pack stuff soon or else we could've gotten you food jdcarpe .

Excuses.

I refuse to believe a couple of engineers couldn't figure out how to connect that 2HP Datavac to his bag sealer. )

[Krogenar]

Well? Do I get to be a Keeper? I mean, I did go ahead and learn how to use anchor tags.
ANCHOR TAGS.

[jdcarpe]

He has made some contributions to the forum, I guess. He made those banners, and some graphics and stuff. Maybe we should let him in?

[MOZ]

Keep the ship in place = Anchor the ship in place

keep = anchor

and since keep ~ keeper

thus keeper = anchor

Maths, you gotta love it.

[Tym]

Krog if they dont let you in their group, you can join mine. The little crown.
KoA
Kings of awesome

[Krogenar]

Keep the ship in place = Anchor the ship in place

keep = anchor

and since keep ~ keeper

thus keeper = anchor

Maths, you gotta love it.

The Grand Unified Theory is not far off, folks.

[Krogenar]

Korg if they dont let you in their group, you can join mine. The little crown.
KoA
Kings of awesome

Done! Keepers will rue the day.
Also, sorry about that bit earlier about how "Margaret Thatcher was the last real man in Great Britain." I meant it in a good way.

[MOZ]

He has made some contributions to the forum, I guess. He made those banners, and some graphics and stuff. Maybe we should induct him?

FTFY

Korg if they dont let you in their group, you can join mine. The little crown.
KoA
Kings of awesome

Can I?

[Krogenar]

So many groups!
Meanwhile, jdcarpe's avatar continues to have Ioun Stones in orbit.

[Tym]

Moz why not? )

Krog, I had a fair bit of respect for her :Massive off-topic political discussion here:
But youre both in!

[SpAmRaY]

Krog if they dont let you in their group, you can join mine. The little crown.
KoA
Kings of awesome

Can I be the dark lord of ordinary?

[Tym]

Sure thing Brian!

[Krogenar]

Krog if they dont let you in their group, you can join mine. The little crown.
KoA
Kings of awesome

Can I be the dark lord of ordinary?

Not unless you go back to the old avatar! Ray eating Invisi-Hoagie was great!

[CPTBadAss]

In the interest of keeping the Keepers of the Faith operation as transparent as possible, I would like to inform everyone that I now have global moderator privileges but not moderator responsibilities. This is so I can edit and move information without bugging mkawa or hashbaz or the mod/admin team.

[rowdy]

In the interest of keeping the Keepers of the Faith operation as transparent as possible, I would like to inform everyone that I now have global moderator privileges but not moderator responsibilities. This is so I can edit and move information without bugging mkawa or hashbaz or the mod/admin team.

Congratulations!

[esoomenona]

I don't like this. You're too new. You don't even know where things should be moved...

[CPTBadAss]

Sure I do!

* CPTBadAss moves all of Moose's post to hidden archived forums

[esoomenona]

FFFUUUUUUUU-

[metalliqaz]

You must use your powers for good.

[SpAmRaY]

^^ I needed the laugh!!

[bpiphany]

I can't really tell what the lack of content is due to, but I find it hard to believe mediawiki is to blame...
http://deskthority.net/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&limit=500&days=30
http://wiki.geekhack.org/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&limit=500&days=30

[CPTBadAss]

I have little motivation to learn mediawiki to be frank bpiphany. I'd rather spend my time working on bbcode posts. I think the Simple Questions thread is a good show of how often I update threads.

Daniel Beardsmore is incredible and the DT Wiki is lucky to have him. Hell I think I read everything he posts here on GH 'cause I have a lot of respect for him. But I don't think the GH Wiki needs to be a copy of the DT Wiki, nor do I really want work in mediawiki. And I've asked a lot of people for help and all have said for format of mediawiki isn't for them. We haven't found anyone who wants to be dedicated to setting it up and maintain it.

Different strokes for different folks?

[bpiphany]

Or you could just use the tool made for the job. Wiki engine for the wiki, forum engine for the forum. It's not like mediawiki is some fringe-odd-one-out-wiki-markup, it's used on freakin' wikipedia (which should account for a lot in itself) and many many thousands of other wikis.

And yes, a lot of the activity on the DT wiki is from Daniel. There probably needs to be someone putting in a lot of hard work keeping a wiki organized. Perhaps there is someone who would do that in a subforum here, or that person is simply missing on GH and that's why the wiki is in the state it is.

No, the cover-all-keyboard-stuff wiki on GH does of course not need to be a copy of the cover-all-keyboard-stuff wiki on DT. But I, for one, would pick one wiki and concentrate on adding material there. I don't believe users in general are going to care too much to add the same things in two locations.

There are going to be two camp for sure, nothing wrong with that, but I just can't see the markup language being a major obstacle. Mediawiki is quite simple, there are a few common things you'll learn quickly, and then you google the more uncommon commands when you need them. I don't know bbcode almost at all, but that doesn't stop me from posting on the forums...

[CPTBadAss]

Mediawiki is quite simple, there are a few common things you'll learn quickly, and then you google the more uncommon commands when you need them. I don't know bbcode almost at all, but that doesn't stop me from posting on the forums...

But that's the thing. It's simple for you since you're used to writing code. I'm not. The Clack Wiki article I made has taken way more time than I'd like to admit and like I said before, I no longer have interest in dealing with the mediawiki code. It's not simple or intuitive for me. Those little picture box windows in the Clack Wiki article? Just the picture took me two hours to figure out. I don't have that much time to figure out and sort every article. Easier to crowdsource and compile bbcode threads.

And yes, a lot of the activity on the DT wiki is from Daniel. There probably needs to be someone putting in a lot of hard work keeping a wiki organized. Perhaps there is someone who would do that in a subforum here, or that person is simply missing on GH and that's why the wiki is in the state it is.

I think this is the case. I've stepped up to be this person on GeekHack and I've stated my opinion on Mediawiki. I'm more than happy if you want to help with mediawiki or can refer me to someone who is willing to help with the GH wiki.

But I, for one, would pick one wiki and concentrate on adding material there. I don't believe users in general are going to care too much to add the same things in two locations.

I'm more than happy to work with the DT Wiki team if they're looking for help and if that's what you're suggesting. I think that the GH Wiki should cover other things such as guides and instructions rather than raw info like the DT Wiki does. But I'm not sure how the GH Wiki is going to shape up in the end.

[Arbalest]

What the Keepers will do once the new Wiki is up:

1) Help gather and sort information

• The community has tons of information spewed everywhere. Even our (or my) attempts at compiling this information such as the Simple Questions Simple Answers thread and Clack Wiki, are a bit clumsy. With a dedicated team and help from everyone, this can be easier

2) Create concrete goals

• Instead having things mentioned off hand, we're going to take suggestions, and make concrete goals...

What the community will do once the new Wiki is up:

Help us with the new Wiki. Post your ideas/comments/concerns in this thread. Help us help you.

• We want your input, your time in helping us hunt information down, your comments, feedback, ideas, criticism...

My post in a another section, about a comprehensive FAQ, was in the spirit of the above -- before I realized this section was here.  The questions I suggested added to the FAQ are NOT questions I personally have at this time.  They were just suggestions.  The various comments I am listing below are also just suggestions.

1) In my brief experience here there are some things I have noticed about searching. 

• I am finding keyword matches which more often than not do not really address the question.  That is OK of course as I can look at all of the results, but this is generally a problem solved by searching on tags rather than content keywords.
  
• In search results pages I have to remember to open results in a new tab because for some reason I can't navigate back to the search results page (expired).
  
• I have found what I have been looking for in a search, then decided to go back and reread the post again, but having forgotten to bookmark the page I could not find it a second time by searching.  It was a one word search term so I don't know why this is.
  

2) A valuable tool in both program design and user-interface design is a use-case-approach.   For the most part this is dealt with here by the different top-level topics.  But what it misses is consideration of types of users. And this is why it matters:

At one extreme are the one time visitor looking for an answer, when found or not they will never return to the board.  The other extreme is for enthusiasts who sees this as part of their extended community.  Bare with me here, but the first type of user might check the FAQ, might search, might post a question that has been answered many times before, and might not even return to check if the post was answered.  My description of my search experience is in reference to this.  A comprehensive FAQ solves the problem of extraneous account creation and repetitive asking of the same question. It lets that type of user ricochet off the site.    This leaves the rest of the site for others wanting more depth, interaction that does not fall neatly into a FAQ.  If I am right, that is sort of a goal here. But, I'll wait for feedback before commenting further.

[CPTBadAss]

If you're looking to improve the search experience, I'm totally with you. The GH search is horrible and I use Google to search the site more often than not. That being said, the staff knows it and rkinze has actually already upgraded the site once this year.

So I hate to be this guy but I'm just organizing the Wiki. The actual backend stuff is out of my hands. I'm not sure if you've seen the Feedback/Suggestions sub-forum but that's the place to take up the search suggestions.

I directed you here after you posted in Simple Questions. I believe the OP covers your questions but I'm open to discussion if you'd like to expand on that here. I believe the Simple Questions thread is extremely comprehensive as is. Things like a full listing of keyboards doesnt fall into tha FAQ in my opinion. Especially since the DT Wiki has much of the info you wanted such as the list of Topre Boards.

My vision is for the GH Wiki be for things like SQSA, mods, and guides on things like where to get LEDs. I feel the DT Wiki does a fantastic job of doing straight facts. I think that's what you're hinting at. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

[Arbalest]

Ah,  the previous link I clicked for the DT Wiki was a sub-page and I didn't realize it.  Now seeing the top-level it does look comprehensive.

Searching via Google addresses the remainder of my suggestion (except for tags) - and is easy since you can create shortcuts for site specific searching from the location bar in Firefox (and Chrome, perhaps others too). Nice explanation here.

[1391401]

I do not think it is a technical limitation.  I expressed interest in the wiki months ago and still do not have an account.  Not that I care to anymore.  When the wiki first came about it seemed very "cool kids club" or "vip".  This will limit community involvement.  Now I see a thread on librarians.  Will they just help maintain content?  Are they the only people that can contribute content?  It's not clear.  Meanwhile at DT I show up during the time of rootworm and make one wiki page.  I later find out someone on DT noticed that I did that and even entered me in some wiki contest.  I got no votes and did not win anything but you can imagine that as a user, to some degree, I felt included in something.  Your job should be simple: choose the tool, configure, harden, integrate, and open the floodgate to authenticated users.  As long as it is not illegal, spam, or against the mission statement of your wiki you shouldn't care who or how information is contributed.

[CPTBadAss]

Now I see a thread on librarians.  Will they just help maintain content?  Are they the only people that can contribute content?  It's not clear.

I thought I mentioned this in the OP but just to clarify we're just here to curate the content. Yes we still head up projects but my hope is that the community will create what they want and maintain their threads. Good examples of this include the All Keycaps Thread, vun's mouse thread, and Krogenar's SP ABS color ring work.

Your job should be simple: choose the tool, configure, harden, integrate, and open the floodgate to authenticated users.  As long as it is not illegal, spam, or against the mission statement of your wiki you shouldn't care who or how information is contributed.

You've got it. The current Wiki format wasn't inclusive and the shift to an open bbcode format will allow any member to contribute. The Keepers are here to curate, fact-check, and aggregate the information that the community provides.

Meanwhile at DT I show up during the time of rootworm and make one wiki page.  I later find out someone on DT noticed that I did that and even entered me in some wiki contest.  I got no votes and did not win anything but you can imagine that as a user, to some degree, I felt included in something. 

Again, this is exactly what I'm hoping the new Wiki will do. Open the Wiki/information environment to everyone so everyone can contribute.

[SpAmRaY]

So when is this new wiki magic going to happen??

[kmiller8]

So when is this new wiki magic going to happen??

http://pimpmykeyboard.com/

isn't it obvious?

[CPTBadAss]

So when is this new wiki magic going to happen??

Again, it's not up to me/us. We're waiting on news just like everyone else. mkawa and rkinze would be better people to ask.

[SpAmRaY]

So when is this new wiki magic going to happen??

http://pimpmykeyboard.com/

isn't it obvious?

No thats the new group buy platform 

Unless your referring to mkawa becoming CEO of SP and releasing an SSK after buying up enough shares of their stock for a hostile takeover with all that geekhackers money.
 

[CPTBadAss]

So when is this new wiki magic going to happen??

Again, it's not up to me/us. We're waiting on news just like everyone else. mkawa and rkinze would be better people to ask.

Got an update from rkinze today.

Expect to see the forum software backlog getting cleared of high-priority stuff over the coming weeks.  The Wiki branch is also still sitting there, but it needs some additional work before roll-out.

[cultofjosh]

I read through this thread and understand the direction you guys are going in, and why, but I'm wondering if you ever checked this site out:

http://www.wikimatrix.org

There are probably more options out there for wikis than anything else 

There's a wiki wizard and pretty advanced search where you can choose the options you're looking for. There's quite a bit to choose from. You can even search for ones that support bbcode, although it seems the most mature and current ones are commercial.

We use confluence at work. No writing code, you just use the WYSIWYG. Atlassian products are expensive, but you can apply for a community license. No source code access with one of those licenses though.

https://www.atlassian.com/software/views/community-license-request

[CPTBadAss]

No I haven't. I'll have to take a look through that and see if it's compatible with the GH forum software. Thanks for the heads up.