A baexpats wiki, idea?

[GuilleGee]

This is a post mostly to those expats who have been here for a while and have often commented on the repeating nature of posts on the forums.

I was thinking it would be a cool idea to create a wiki for BAExpats that can be edited by any user (let's say who is not a "newcomer") that would serve as a central repository for information regarding some of the ever repeating topics.

My thoughts are that users would first consult the wiki for any questions regarding residency/renting/transportation/etc they might have, and the boards would be freed up for more conversation & new topics, etc. I think this could really help to stimulate more interaction and real conversation on the boards instead of the never ending "Do I need this?" posts.

What is great about a Wiki is that once it is setup any member of the forum would be allowed to edit it, make corrections, include updates and notes. I know that a lot of the blogs do this, but I though it might be a cool idea, might also drive traffic to BAExpats.org, who knows?

What do you all think?

 

[Roxana]

It is a terrific idea, but I think the administrator will have the final word on it. Probably the administrator has an idea of the time and cost of implementing the wiki.

 

[mendozanow]

Great idea in terms of solidifying the info oft asked for and oft repeated.

Problem is, put 10 baexpats in a room, and you get 25 different opinions, there would be multi-ammending and arguing all the time. We can be a pretty fractious group.

Get the ball rolling, perhaps ask for volunteers for different sections, I would not mind drafting one.

Cheers

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I had been thinking for a while that an FAQ section would be good but a wiki would be even better. I don't see past arguments or discussions as an indicator of problems to come: the wiki will surely deal in facts, not opinions. And on some subjects there may be more than one correct answer. I say go for it: if it turns into a mess people won't bother with it; if it works it could save a lot of short temper (read: my short temper) over the endless asking of the same things, time after time.

 

[admin]

I agree that there is a lot of place for improvements. Some of them can be done with the software that we have now: adding new forums, sticking the most informative threads on top etc. Links directory section also needs some work. I don't see any problem buying a wiki module that integrates with the forum. The main issue is time. If any of you, guys, can consistently dedicate a few hours every week for doing tedious things like organizing/categorizing/editing wiki (or FAQ) pages etc., please PM me and we'll figure something out.