Encouraging Semantic Mediawiki use with non technical people

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Who is a non-technical person

  • Focus is not technology but they can contribute in some way
  • Never learned programming concepts
  • Didn't realize Wikipedia can be edited
  • Maybe used a web content management system, blog, Facebook

What do they want

  1. to solve their problem, usually a "one of those" web site with some special requirements
  2. something that looks good - design is still paramount
  3. to learn about the participatory web
  4. to create reusable data?
  5. to have more control over their own site but keep things simple
    1. usually they don't want to 'innovate,' just do what everyone else is doing
  6. to work with someone they trust

What do I want

  1. avoid per client custom code, fit things into the developing picture
  2. promote digital literacy ­— filling out forms isn't it, stop treating computers as a typewriter
    1. reference-able statements, reusable data under fair terms of re-use
  3. get people to consider issues of site design and how to organize information without overburdening
  4. promote transparency and co-development
    1. help flatten organizations and their external relationships
  5. grow my own skills based on relevant requirements

Types and motivations of participants

  • Traditional executive — "everyone else is doing it," inexpensive solution
    • ideally they will participate but getting them to can be difficult
    • may be more cautious about full commitment - license, security, who can access and edit
  • Creative group or individual — may be inspired but needs constant guidance
  • Worker bee — tasked to use the wiki
    • may be less receptive to wiki ideals, make it straightforward
  • Outside contributors - often a stated goal of projects, have their own objectives
    • flexible to meet random demands
    • fair re-use terms


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In order:

  1. Useful read-only resource
  2. contributions by many types of people
  3. basic editing using forms
  4. wiki markup
  5. sharing knowledge, creating more converts
  6. Creating templates/queries/classes
  7. understanding of good class design, distributed data, licensing
  8. distributed applications, creating standards


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  • Commitment vs follow through
    • Constant attention, guidance
  • Tangly mess
    • Better use of SMW features, more forms, patience for gardening
  • Misunderstood requirements, not really listening to what they want
    • Learning experience
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Lots and lots of guiding

Inspire - self empowerment, learning culture, creating, leading, "coolness" (graphs), "where the web is going," open source and transparency, participatory web

Reassure - built on Mediawiki, always exportable

Threaten - others are doing it, loss of leadership

Blow past increasing complexity of security to simpler wiki model (all private or all public)

Really enforce importance of discussion tab, history, diff, learning from others (view source).. site evolution as an interest

Appoint leads based on interests, give them responsibilities

Peer helpers — spread the virus

Translators for those who can't directly contribute

Profiles of uses

The importance of design

  • promote the cues of Wikipedia but provide something original

Magic — Exhibit example of copying and pasting to excel using semantic web data

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Compare to Wordpress — "Raskin vs Englebart," dashboard + specialized appliance model vs learning to use a computer

http://www.retrofacto.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/wordpress.jpg

  • Wordpress is task driven. Forms for every day tasks. Need to map MW extensions.

Every day tasks —

  • Everything oriented towards content management around blogging
  • SEO, user management
  • "Delete" content, one click
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