Practical Semantic Mediawiki: Difference between revisions

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''This hands-on session for non technical users emphasizes the "need to know" aspects of Web publishing, wikis, information design and Semantic Mediawiki for flexible, structured, practical re-usable content that fits into the Web of Data. It is not expected participants will become experts in all these topics, but will be able to create a site, and have an overview of what can be done as a basis of progressive learning.''
Documents from local governments within the nation of Canada.


= Acronyms =
[[Category:Location]]
 
* SMW = Semantic Mediawiki
* MW = Mediawiki
* CC = Creative Commons
 
= Web publishing =
 
== Access models ==
* Fully open, no login required
* Require login for editing
* Require created accounts to edit (closed editing)
* Require created accounts to access (fully private)
** Encryption to avoid snooping
 
Access models can be changed over time; avoid starting a wiki with jargon or unsympathetic content.
 
== Site users ==
 
* Levels
** De-emphasize control, make it as flat as possible
** Bureaucrats still exist - edit site-wide content and styles, block pages and users
* OpenID signin
 
{{Practice|Create an account and sign in}}
 
== Accessibility ==
 
''Here, accessibility refers to supporting people with vision, keyboard control or cognitive difficulties.''
 
* Making sites accessible generally increases usability
** Works on more devices from text browser to handheld
** Typically more straightforward navigation
** Accessible hot keys can be used by any expert user
** [http://asyourworldchanges.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/using-the-curb-cuts-principle-to-reboot-computing/ The curb cuts principle]
* Mediawiki is accessible, SMW has issues (forms)
* Value content over appearance
* Good tags for images, image maps
 
[[File:Copright continuum.jpg|right|500px|Copyright continuum, from traditional copyright to public domain]]
 
== Terms of use ==
 
* Creative Commons - share with options for attribution, non-commercial, changes
** [http://creativecommons.org/choose/?jurisdiction=ca Choose your license]
* Traditional copyright - by permission only
 
* Re-using content
** [http://search.creativecommons.org/ Find CC media]
 
<br class="cleared" />
 
= Using Mediawiki =
 
[[File:MediaWiki_logo_without_tagline.png|right]]
 
''Mediawiki is the underlying software of Wikipedia. It is robust, supported by a large community and supports hundreds of useful extensions.''
 
== Progressive uses ==
 
* Basic site with pages and categories
** You just need to know a few things for your wiki to be as useful as most Web sites
* Add widgets for more interactivity
* Wiki gardening to reorganize content
* Add semantic classes for reusable data
* Guide users of the site
** Viewer
** Casual editor
** Advanced editor, gardener
** Semantic coder
 
== Creating pages ==
 
* How to name pages
** One topic per page
* Short, avoid special symbols, sentence form
* Code and matching brackets
 
=== Basic markup ===
 
[[File:Sky_Clouds_13.jpg|right|400px|A picture of clouds with the sun poking through in case people start to panic]]
 
''Rather than using a rich text editor, Mediawiki uses a progressively learned set of markup, that's designed to be human-readable, consistent and enforces meaning over appearance. It's not dependant on special programs, and could be carved into a park bench and retain its meaning.''
 
* <nowiki>''Italic'', '''Bold'''</nowiki>
* <nowiki>* List heading level one</nowiki> — use # for numbered list
** <nowiki>** List level two</nowiki> — ## for numbered list
*** ...
* <nowiki>=Heading one=</nowiki>
** <nowiki>==Heading two==</nowiki>
*** ...
 
* <nowiki>[[Mypage]]</nowiki> — A wiki link
** <nowiki>[[File:Mypicture.png]]</nowiki> — Media (inline or link)
** <nowiki>[[Mypage|This is my page]]</nowiki> Alternate link text (using pipe symbol)
* <nowiki>[http://theirsite.com]</nowiki> — A non-wiki link
** Use a space after the link to use your own link text. <nowiki>[http://theirsite.com Their site]</nowiki>.
 
* <nowiki>{{My Template}}</nowiki> — A template (reusable content, function or variable)
** Don't Repeat Yourself
** Pipe symbol is used to pass parameters — <nowiki>{{Show Something|Something}}</nowiki>
* <nowiki>{{ #geocode: Montréal, Quebec}}</nowiki> — Template function, in this case geocode turns a place name into geographic coordinates
* <nowiki>{{{1}}}</nowiki> — SMW variable, in this case the first value passed to a template
 
* Finding pages
* Starting new pages
* Proactive linking
** Brainstorm using links
 
{{Practice|Create a new page that's a unique generally recognized placename, include a link to another page and another site.}}
 
* Categories
** Subcategories
 
{{Practice|Put your page in a category, put that category in a sub-category}}
 
* Uploading images and files
 
* Moving pages
** Moving preserves the original link, can be useful for "also known as"
 
{{Practice|Move your page to a more specific location (Placename, Region), observe [[Special:RecentChanges]]}}
{{Bonus practice|Add an image, place it on the right and include a caption.}}
 
* Deleting pages
 
* Templates - used for consistently reused content
 
=== 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.''
 
[http://www.placeography.org/index.php/Main_Page Placeography] | [http://genozymes-ge3ls.ca/wiki/Bioenergy Biofuel Visions]
 
* Re-using CSS styling <nowiki><div style="background: orange">Hello world</div></nowiki>
** Avoid losing meaning (don't use <nowiki><big></nowiki> for headers), keep it simple
* Re-using styles [[MediaWiki:Common.css]]
* Possible to hide MW's menus and change the 'skin'
 
{{Practice|Add <nowiki><div class="noticebox">...</div></nowiki> to some page content}}
 
= Semantic Mediawiki =
 
[[File:SMW_logo_180px.png|right]]
 
''SMW is an extension ecology of MW that allows marking up content for re-use and creating easier to use forms and views.''
 
* Meaning through annotations and relationships
** You define the relationships for your application
** Triples — subject, predicate, object
*** Subject — what we're talking about
*** Predicate — the relationship type
*** Object - what the subject is being related to
** Combine them and you can flexibly describe anything
 
** Montréal ''is a'' place
** Montréal ''has population'' 1,906,811
** Montréal ''has geographic'' coordinates 45.5088889, -73.5541667
 
 
* What properties does your content need to be useful?
 
== Inline property annotation ==
 
''Single instances of data can be marked-up using annotations.''
 
<nowiki>[[Date::Jan 1, 2011]]</nowiki>
 
Or combinations:
 
<div class="noticebox" style="background: #D5C3AC">
'''Page: Montreal'''
 
* <nowiki>[[A::Place]]</nowiki>
* <nowiki>[[Population::1,906,811]]</nowiki>
* <nowiki>[[Geographic coordinates::45.5088889, -73.5541667]]</nowiki>
</div>
 
{{Practice|Add a population annotation to your place.}}
 
* [http://semantic-mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Properties_and_types#List_of_data_types Built-in types]
* Geographic coordinate
* [[Special:Properties|Viewing all properties]]
* Subtypes
 
== Queries ==
 
* [[Special:Ask|Queries]]
** <nowiki>{{ #ask: [[A::Place]] }}</nowiki>
** <nowiki>{{ #ask: [[Category:City]] }}</nowiki>
 
== Classes ==
 
* [[Special:CreateClass|Creating a class]] (template, properties, forms)
** One topic per page
** Formlink <nowiki>{{#formlink:Comment|comment||Comment[Topic]={{PAGENAME}}}}</formlink></nowiki>
* Class templates will often contain queries that show linked classes
 
{{Practice|Create your own semantic class with template, properties, form. Add pages to it [{{PSITE}}/Special:Forms] }}
 
== Views ==
 
<div style="float: right">
{{ #ask: [[Geographic coordinate::+]]|format=map}}
</div>
 
* Format= parameter to queries
** <nowiki>{{ #ask: [[Geographic coordinate::+]]|format=map}}</nowiki>
 
* Timeline, Calendar, Map, Facet browser
 
<br class="cleared" />
 
== Basic inference==
 
''Inference is used to derive information from basic information.''
 
<nowiki>{{#ifexpr: {{{Population|}}} > 50000
 
| [[Category:City]] }}
</nowiki>
 
''If the page's population is greater than 50000, then put it in the category of city.''
 
This is a simple form of artificial intelligence, that be very useful for large sets of pages for arbitrary classifications.
 
== Future directions==
 
* Relating ontologies
* Reusing content
* Creating a big picture where anyone can ask questions and add their data
 
<br class="cleared" />
 
= Mediawiki Widgets=
 
''[http://www.mediawikiwidgets.org/Main_Page Mediawiki Widgets] allow embedding third-party site content for rich media (Youtube, photo sites, etc) and interactive discussions (DISQUS, Twitter, etc) without needing to set it up or host it on your site''.
 
* DISQUS discussion
** Register with DISQUS
** Get key
** Create [[Widget:DISQUS|widget]]
** Embed widget on pages
 
= Converting content or sites =
 
* [http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/ Pandoc]
* Convertors for [http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Convert2MediaWiki Open Office], [http://wikieducator.org/Microsoft_Launches_Open_Source_Filter_for_Mediawiki Microsoft Word]
 
= Hosting =
 
* Export a site, modularize by category
** Complete site export
* [[Special:Version]]
* Free light/startup hosting
* Inexpensive Mediawiki with SMW option
* Wikia
* Self-hosting
 
= Getting help =
 
* View source of pages
* Mediawiki help sites and community
* Semantic mediawiki help sites and community
* If it's for an open cause, ask me
** Let's form a user group
 
[[Category:SemWeb]]

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