Talk:KM4Dev Wiki functionality

Minutes for the Skype meeting of 28 Aug 2012

SKYPE MEETING NOTES, slightly cleaned up.

Nancy White, Christian Kreutz, Lucie Lamoureux, Riff Fullan, Bev Trayner

Highlight of concluding action point: If people give suggestions by Friday (31st) Nancy would do some gardening and work on it defining in some text.

Share your ideas about how to improve the front page

anyone can jump in and change it nancy will take responsibility for taking it forward

After we do an iteration then ask community to feedback, maybe some key questions

Skype call notes

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:02 PM Yeah, maybe we should just go with skype?

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:02 PM works for me

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:04 PM ok, I'll start a Skype call Heelllooo

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:09 PM What's your ideas of state of wiki right now?

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:09 PM Here are Josien's notes: Actually, i'll "put the deed by the word": here are some of my notes while going thru the wiki yesterday: -the community knowledge (FAQ) is a nice idea but cost-benefit ratio negative, given the relatively low input of the community -aspiration of providing "neutral" info AND maintaining it, is impossible to hold on to: instead a blog with posts from community members, well-tagged and categorized, would make more sense. -wiki was never consulted by me, although i was a likely suspect: on a journey to getting into KM the past year-an-a-half or so. Why did I miss it? who else are missing it? why? -considering that, would i come back to the wiki now that i know it? (Answer: no, not really. If I would be preparing a KM tool or event, i might browse through the KM4dev wiki, but I am more inclined to resort to the sources of info: sites of world cafe, of universities, training centers, blogs of people (like nancy, joitske, etc).

on a more positive note: -the wiki worked well, for me, in preparing for the Zeist workshop. Similarly, it might work for testing ideas, working on community projects, etc

I am sorry to be a bit negative! For me the value of the community is clearly in the ongoing processes, the actual, presently ongoing dynamics, the relations coming from that and the f2f gatherings. And not in the captured. Following that through, I am happy to dedicate some time to a joint project with our wiki group.

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:10 PM Riff: hasn't done much 1. a gardening issue (some things without content)

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:10 PM Things that are blank or need updating

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:10 PM 2. like to see more of a taxonomy or more of a structure to the content

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:10 PM Navigation is not intuitive

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:10 PM navigating isn't intuitive

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:10 PM "taxonomification" Main part or community knowledge part?

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:11 PM spent more time on community knowledge part i'd want the wiki to give me an idea of teh community

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:11 PM Brings up target audience and purpose of wiki - is it THE site ABOUT KM4Dev or a resource for the community How does it fit with the other main site at http://www.km4dev.org If it serves non members, need a bit about KM4Dev to make it more accessible

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:12 PM doesn't give an idea of a) community or b) content who is wiki for and what is it's purpose evolved without a lot of reflection

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:12 PM So far the wiki has evolved without a lot of reflection, organically ad hoc ish

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:13 PM Lucy breaking up for me

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:13 PM Lucie intending to send Google analytics to core group. Has to do with content. Community knowledge shows up after the home page. Seems a lot of people do use the wiki. So keep in mind Are you back bev?

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:14 PM yes

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:14 PM So we need to be attentive to maknig assumptions about usefulness. Recognize that it is not easily navigible Current "taxonomy" us using the classification/taxonomy developed a few years back by core group. (Painful process) Distinguish between taxonomy and navigation or findability Create the simplist taxonomy then work on findability/discoverability

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:16 PM difficulty to keep it coherent

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:16 PM Recognize the time/resources for gardening. What is good enough to add value

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:16 PM unless you have a lot of energy to keep it gardened it's easier said than done wiki probably giving value and being frustrating

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:19 PM Good ideas are not enough. Need action

Lucie Lamoureux 28/08/2007 3:19 PM i've been dropped

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:20 PM more potential out there social comments

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:20 PM with other tools

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:20 PM wiki is great

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:20 PM socialsourcecommons.org wiki doesn't have social networking aspect

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:20 PM has potential but i miss social networking part of it website or portal can link people and knowledge better talking at a higher level than community's tools wiki - difficult to find things

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:21 PM Media wiki has weaknesses, hard to find things, not as transparent. Not strong in connecting people, setting incentived for sharing knowledge The wiki does not grab the full potential of the community. The wiki cannot gather community into it. Too much of an effort to collaborate. No way to make recommendations on tools.

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:23 PM what do we want to do now? how/should we make the wiki more useful while thinking of a bigger configuration

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:23 PM Do we target our conversation and action at the configuration level or at the wiki level? The configuration would affect what we'd do with the wiki

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:23 PM short-term v long-term

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:23 PM short term vs long term

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:23 PM major overhaul and shorter term

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:23 PM Small effort, short term options

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:24 PM 2. looking at km4dev and support for km4dev in general

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:24 PM Who are the potential audiences of wiki What are some potential key uses (present or future)

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:25 PM provide a directory lost the call

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:25 PM dialing you in again, Bev. Are you on the magic couch?

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:25 PM no, but i should be!

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:25 PM Short term , most urgent thing is to work the main page Main page was originaly developed for FAQ project, not a general KM4Dev wiki, so skewed

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:26 PM also the idea of feeding into the process of looking at longer-term tools discusssions.

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:27 PM Using it as collab tool for workshops, events and for conversation recaps/knowledge base

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:28 PM short term things we could do around those areas

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:28 PM could do some work to clarify the purposes of the wiki for visitors

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:28 PM useful: conversation summaries event organisation but as THE site for the community, never imagined it that way just one of our configuration of tools not going to do other things some people might see it as the central thing and others as something periphery Top news item

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:29 PM my turn to drop

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:29 PM Adding you back in

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:30 PM tks i

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:30 PM http://www.km4dev.org/index.php/articles/news/861

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:30 PM Top pages after main page : community knowledge and job center People aren't using the resource center on the KM4Dev site itself! Navigation, marketing/awareness Again part of broader discussion of technology - web page, wiki, discussion group

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:32 PM i can't hear Lucy very well

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:33 PM The more we can think wholistically the better.

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:33 PM dream .. to be more holistic make a wiki more clear - why it's there and who it's for tidying up of some of the places where there is no content longer term to look at something else "Here's what we think this wiki is useful for ..." "Here's who we think this wiki is for ..." and have a page going off main page where people complete that... could be a way to attract mebers to community (voice breaking up)

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:35 PM Sorry about the crummy sound, Bev Worth cleaning up front page, working to make things easier to find In capacity building workshop at Zeist... trying to come up with a page with questions about what are you trying to do

Lucie Lamoureux 28/08/2007 3:36 PM http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/What_are_the_questions_that_help_us_select_processes_and_methods%3F

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:37 PM You have come to KM4Dev, presumably a link on home page to this. What do these questions mean to what you are trying to do Click on one of the questions and it could link to key pages that support that question from the knowledge base Use the questions as a way of navigating Who are you? Development worker, field staff, click for more resources http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/What_are_the_questions_that_help_us_select_processes_and_methods%3F http://tinyurl.com/28f4gy Put a link to a page on front page to offer the chance for people to say what they want/how they might use it

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:40 PM 28/08/2007 3:40 PM 2 key questions What and how to make it clearer about what is happening on wiki and how to contextualize it for the needs of the community, most interesting, most accessible

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:41 PM making it useful for those who want it to be useful doesn't have to be all things to all people one model: make this perfect another model: is this interesting enough that people will move forward with it have to be transparent about which model we're using

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:42 PM Strike a balance between the extreams - only useful for those who participate and only good if perfect

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:42 PM whoever puts energy into it ... a balance .. a conscious attempt to make it accessible top people who aren't creating the content like thinking about the community as a whole

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:42 PM Find the place where it is useful for those who are looking for content, not just the content makers. For those who might want to join, and find a way to participation

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:43 PM nd those who have been part of community a long time v those coming in how do people find their way in? how do they decide to participate? join?

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:44 PM should be able to find out about the community on the front page of the wiki... maybe only a link (or two), but at least to point to further engagement

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:44 PM has to be a link on front page of wiki to where the action is out

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:45 PM dialing back in. Go to the couch

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:45 PM in

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:46 PM hard to have the conversation without the wider issues The wiki is a place I go to when someone gives me a direct link. Otherwise doesnt' feature in Bev s thoguths as "kmr4dev" More thinking of the wiki in the context of the wider toolset Interesting to see where the conversation goes. Good way to get to know KM4Dev history by gardening the wiki

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:49 PM do think there's a balance to be struck between major thinking of the wiki

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:49 PM Nodding in agreement

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:49 PM and a broader conversation with interested parties

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:50 PM So what is our short term bite of stuff to do with wiki... that is the question that surfaces for me

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:50 PM lost riff breaking up what can we do with our good will and our interest what are ways of how people are dealing with it now front page- who is the community and where is it happening be more transparent... shortterm thing question2: continuation of what we are doing now is wiki a helpful way to keep summaries now? summarising of key conversations is useful Next layer... is wiki the place wiki a mini-laboratory

Riff Fullan 28/08/2007 3:53 PM look at improving template for summaries of conversations

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:54 PM Can you tag pages on wikimedia wikis? If we could, tag each page and have a tag cloud on the front page. Guidance, examples on the front page

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:57 PM if people gave suggestions, Nancy would do some gardening and work on it defining in some text (i didn't hear riff)

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:58 PM http://www.km4dev.org/wiki/index.php/KM4Dev_Wiki_functionality

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:58 PM put input in before end of week

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:58 PM Share your ideas about how to improve the front page

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:58 PM how to think of front page?

Nancy White 28/08/2007 3:58 PM Within the week

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 3:59 PM anyone can jump in and change it nancy will take responsibility for taking it forward

Nancy White 28/08/2007 4:00 PM How to get table like structure without table formatting problems

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 4:00 PM i'm going to think of ways we could use tags

Nancy White 28/08/2007 4:01 PM cool After we do an interation then ask community to feedback, maybe some key questions

Beverly Trayner | GMT 28/08/2007 4:02 PM useful, small iterative step that i can do big things are intimidating if what we have can give value and use, we're happy bye!

Comment by Josien, 8 Sep 2007

I agree with lucie and riff´s suggestions for the main wiki page. would like bullet points or table style for the links. Instead of so soon asking for "you" (the reader) (in lucie's version), i think a heading with "the KM4dev community ~who are we?" might be nice. Granting an opportunity to get a "feel" for the community (i.e. more links with some explanation, or some testimonials or anecdotes of the last event, with some photos) Could be filled by asking community members to complete the sentence "we are.."