Practical Semantic Mediawiki

This hands-on session for non technical users emphasizes the "need to know" aspects of Web publishing, wikis, information design and Semantic Mediawiki.

Acronyms

• SMW = Semantic Mediawiki
• CC = Creative Commons

Web publishing

Access models

• Fully open
• Require login
• Require created accounts to edit (closed editing)
• Require created accounts to access (fully private)

Access models can be changed over time.

Terms of use

• Creative Commons - share with options for attribution, non-commercial, changes
  • Choose your license
• Traditional copyright - by permission only

• Re-using content
  • Find CC media

Creating pages

• How to name pages
  • Keep one topic per page
• Short, avoid special symbols, sentence form
• Code and matching brackets
• Basic markup — [[]] , [], |, [[File]] headings, bold, bullet points
• Linking
  • Brainstorm using links
• Categories
• Uploading images and files
  • What not to upload
  • Subcategories
• Moving pages
• Deleting pages

Accessibility

• Mediawiki is accessible, SMW has issues (forms)
• Making sites accessible generally increases usability
• Value content over appearance
• Good tags for images

Making pages look good

CSS is the style system of Web pages and can also be used in Mediawiki. Like wiki markup, learning can be progressive.

• CSS styling <div style="background: orange">Hello world</div>
  • Avoid losing meaning (don't use <big> for headers), keep it simple
• Re-using styles MediaWiki:Common.css

Semantic Mediawiki

Used to create re-usable data, create easier to use forms.

• Inline annotations
• Queries
• Creating a class (template, properties, forms)
  • Formlink {{#formlink:Comment|comment||Comment[Topic]={{PAGENAME}}}}</formlink>

Converting content or sites

• Pandoc

Hosting

• Export a site, modularize by category
  • Complete site export
• Special:Version
• Free light/startup hosting
• Inexpensive Mediawiki with SMW option
• Wikia
• Self-hosting