Two new site ideas. Please vote!

[Reggie]

We just thought of two ideas for 1SRC. A blog and a Wiki. We feel that these new features will enhance the community's teamwork and at the long run, benefit Palm OS enthusiasts.

Blog - Members can apply to become a blog contributor. At anytime, a blog contributor can write about his/her current experience with his/her palm os device -- new purchase, new app, experiments, rumors, accessories, etc.

Wiki - For a long time, there has been really no one site that has documented the how-to's of doing things on a palm os device. Everyone relied heavily on the forums and reviews. Why not properly document them on a wiki system? A wiki will let members start writing their own how-to's, tips, and tricks, and other members can improve them by modifying them, and adding details if necessary.


Please vote which you think would like added to the site. We will add a specific feature if it gets at least 150 votes by December 14, 2005.

Feel free to discuss and add your commetns and suggestions on this thread.

Thanks!

[holvoetn]

Good idea ! Both suggestions :-)

[dragonsgames]

They are both great ideas. I voted for both! :D

[Legodude522]

I only voted for the blog. Thats not exactly what a Wiki is for. I look forward to sharing the word of Legodude522.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_%28PDA%29

[Reggie]

Thats not exactly what a Wiki is for.

I think that a wiki is best for how-to's since it can be a collaborative effort to document something. Here's a sample:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/Main_Page

[dragonsgames]

Like how-to install Opera Mini on your device, etc. :)

[dragonsgames]

We only need 145 more votes! :D

[JAmerican]

I like the Wiki idea but not the Blog. The Forums are enough in my opinion.

JAmerican

[dragonsgames]

But, why not? :p

[SonyStyle]

i voted for wiki, but the thing is that searching for an answer to a how to question can be really diffiuclt soemtimes

[minimalposter]

Former palmsource employee Michael Mace recently disucssed Wikis on his blog Mobile Opportunity (http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/) which is one of my daily plucks/reads. I thought it was an interesting cross over :)

Overall good ideas and I will vote for both :)

[Alan G]

Man, Reggie, that is a difficult choice.

I've voted for the Wiki. While I really like the idea of the blog, the wiki seems more inclusive of all the 1SRC members.

Alan G

[eccleshill]

I voted for the wiki. There are other 'blogs' online; there is no (easy to use) wiki.

[userwaldo]

I like the Wiki idea but not the Blog. The Forums are enough in my opinion.

JAmerican

I agree with JAmerican.

[indigenous]

I voted for both. The wiki format is great for how-tos and the blogs are great for opinion and discussion. I do agree though that the forums have already been a good source of how-tos and discussions. I think if the wiki is structured properly it would make even arcane topics easier to find.

indi

[dragonsgames]

Man, Reggie, that is a difficult choice.

I've voted for the Wiki. While I really like the idea of the blog, the wiki seems more inclusive of all the 1SRC members.

Alan G

You can choose both, you know... ;)

[glassman]

I vote Wiki. I think the forums cover the Blog arena.

[SPYSPIDER]

I vote for the Wike. I think the blog is to much.

[Jimmie Geddes]

I vote for the wiki

[hortelkd]

The wiki gets my vote.

[dragonsgames]

I don't see why we can't have both.... :confused:

[hherbzilla]

Same thought here. I don't see how the blog would be any different than what the forums provide today.I like the Wiki idea but not the Blog. The Forums are enough in my opinion.

JAmerican

[dragonsgames]

It would be easier to find information... :)

[abid786]

I went with wiki. There is no web site out there that allows new Palm users to see how-to and tips in one place. Sure they can do a search on the forums, but a wiki would be nicer.

[harps]

I voted for both.
Love the idea for a how-to section as scrolling through the formus for possible solutions to problems can be bit of pain. Just need to ensure it is structured property so easy to locate solutions to specific problems.

[TJ37]

Damn it, you beat me to it! I was in the process of starting a similar how-to project... Wiki for me!

[SoS]

I am certainly up for the wiki, a fantastic idea. Not so sure about the blog but could work also and could add something beyond the forums....wiki absolutely, blog maybe...

[intellidryad]

The wiki is great. Blogs, however, seem better suited for a limited number of people. It'll seem like a mess when you have lots of "1src editorials" by many 1src members every day :D

[dragonsgames]

Ha ha, that would be crazy! :D

[jjesusfreak01]

Regardless of other Palm Wikis that may be around, one hosted here would certainly get alot more attention, and because it is a wiki, that would translate to more content.

[daver]

voted for the wiki only.

I like the Wiki idea but not the Blog. The Forums are enough in my opinion.

JAmerican
i agree. the forum is essentially a very large, universal blog here. but i guess it wouldn't hurt to have the blog.

[Gekko]

neither. both are redundant and extraneous to the current forums.

best wishes.

[dragonsgames]

Hmm. Very positive attitude! And how, after getting the reasons why 1src would benefit from a Blog or Wiki, do you say they are redundant and extraneous?

[oz-nom]

Wiki - great! Superb. Wonderful. etc :)
I think that a Wiki would help newbies (& "oldies") quickly find needed info.

Given the nature of the forums (fora?) I don't see that a blog adds anything. Perhaps I'm missing something, but at this stage I'm only voting for the wiki.

Given that many 1src members already have blogs &/or Palm-related websites, perhaps you could have a link page to member resources? Listings could be grouped by theme (Palm hardware, blogs, Clies, etc)? Just a suggestion...

Cheers

[harryleung]

both ideas are good but i like wiki better :)

[Nero14]

Love the Wiki idea!

[DaVinci's Palm]

I'm always impressed with how 1src adapts and re-invigorates itself by adding new features and services. Reggie and Joel have done a fantastic job with the site. It's so cool that you guys are so in touch with the members and constantly asking for feedback.

I voted for both, but with a couple of caveats. Before implementing any communications tool, one must ask: why? What is the goal?

The wiki is a very powerful tool, which seems totally appropriate for the palm community. Having subjects and how to's logically organized is a great alternative to wading through heaps and heaps of posts, looking for that one with the relevant information that you are looking for. So if we were to ask "what is the goal of the 1src wiki?" the answer is pretty clear: to provide a comprehensive resource for palm and clie users.

The forums remain a great place to explore ideas and work collaboratively on projects and problems. JAmericans modding threads are always interesting reading and the epically long threads on SkinUI are great examples of what the community can do to solve problems together.

The blog on the other hand is a little different. Many have pointed out that the current 1src editorials and many posts seem to cover the editorial needs of the community. We have been really lucky to have rock star contributors like Jeff Kirvin, Ed Hardy and Alan (Gracia)sp. There are also several regular posters whose blogs I read regularly. There is no shortage of writing talent in the group.

Just to throw out the thought, maybe it is time to reformat the editorial component of the site into a blog? This seems like a good way to amalgamate the editorial components. Obviously the 1src staff would want to vet articles that get posted and choose their writers carefully, but like I said, there is no shortage of talent.

Once again, cheer guys, for all your hard work and open-minded approach to developing the site.

DVP

[dragonsgames]

Wiki - great! Superb. Wonderful. etc :)
I think that a Wiki would help newbies (& "oldies") quickly find needed info.

Given the nature of the forums (fora?) I don't see that a blog adds anything. Perhaps I'm missing something, but at this stage I'm only voting for the wiki.

Given that many 1src members already have blogs &/or Palm-related websites, perhaps you could have a link page to member resources? Listings could be grouped by theme (Palm hardware, blogs, Clies, etc)? Just a suggestion...

Cheers

I like your blog database idea... :)

[zackepceo]

Wiki all the way! I'd much rather do a review on a wiki than on yet another blog.

[glassman]

Not to get off-topic but I regularly visit Aximsite.com and they have a feature called MyPDA. I would love to see this feature on 1src.

Here's an example of a MyPDA (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/vbgarage.php?do=view&id=44714) entry.

[NX70BOY]

I really like the Wiki idea. It would be helpful.

[dragonsgames]

Not to get off-topic but I regularly visit Aximsite.com and they have a feature called MyPDA. I would love to see this feature on 1src.

Here's an example of a MyPDA (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/vbgarage.php?do=view&id=44714) entry.
Imagine 1,000s of those... ;)

[rcxAsh]

I'm not sure about the blog, but I really like the idea of a wiki.

I do not believe that it is redundant to the forums. The forums is more of a place for discussion, and valuable tips and howtos can easily get lost. Too often you know there is some tip/list/howto you're looking for, yet you can't find it.

A wiki would centralize such material making it easier to find when needed.

A good example off the top of my head is Gentoo Linux. They have a great forum (http://forums.gentoo.org), and inside, there is a tips and tricks/howto section. However, it can be cumbersome to find something that you want, as forums don't inherently allow for organization of threads in a meaningful manner. You know that it's a tips and tricks section, but that's fair game for hardware tips, software tips, whatever. Thus, there is also the Gentoo Wiki (http://gentoo-wiki.com/). Here you can browse and search by category for the information you're looking for. If need be, you could link to a forum thread for support as well.

A blog though... I agree that there are already too many of those. For general PDA blogs, I would say that sites like PalmAddicts or maybe even clieuk.co.uk (PDA247?) already do this well (though, I don't really consider PDA247 as much of a blog as a news site).

[quasar]

The wiki sounds like a terriffic idea! I agree that it's too hard to find how-tos in forums. THe search function doesn't work too well, and you spend a lot of time with misleading threat titles, or instructions from a year or more ago that almost worl with your handheld, but not quite. A wiki would be a great help for this!

[rimez]

I started a FAQ thread on the Palm Addicts forum recently as well as a Wiki. I think it would be a great idea The more people contributing the better!

The Wiki can be found at: http://www.bluwiki.org/go/Palm_FAQ
The Palm Addicts thread can be found at: http://sjmcloughlin.proboards37.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1130496670

[Sjweise]

I voted for wiki but not the blog. The forums already give us a channel for discussion. The centralized how to would be a great asset to users though!

[Tam Hanna]

Erm,...

I beleive that a blog is not a good idea. There already are way to many blogs in the market, if 1src would launch yet another one, it would be faced by expert established competitors...

About the wiki: there already are blogs that offer help in a wikistyle fashion. I am not sure if there is enough content that really is good for managing in a wiki form... However, launching it may be a funky idea...

[cgarrett1974]

I voted for both! They are both great ideas!

[pwolchak]

I voted for both.
The blog idea works beautifully over at Palm Addict (I am a Palm Addict Associate Writer, so perhaps I would say that). However, there is some admin work involved in making sure the bloggers are using the site properly. If someone at 1src can vet the potential bloggers and keep an eye on what everyone is writing then it can work well.
Peter

[pgenie]

Voted Wi-ki... There are tons of blog sharing the same info...we dont want that...Don't forget that we are a community .

[Drunkard]

Sometimes it seems there is too much stuff added to PalmAddict in a day, and I don't want that much information. For example, book reviews are often posted and I have next to no interest in them so it slows down my reading, but meh, I still read anyways. But if 1src adds a blog, and starts posting editorials and news to that instead, so long as it's not mired with too much stuff, it would be useful as the front page is today. A wiki would be great especially if it's edited well and I agree that it would make searching for advice easier than it is in the forums.

[dragonsgames]

sigh we still need 46 votes... :(

[dragonsgames]

Come on, guys. Vote! :D

[shieldvideo]

Too bad! this would have been good! I would have voted for Blog... but still think a Wifi "type" sight would be way cool IF people posted how-tos and troublehooting tips in a tree, of logic format... IE: model > trouble > does it A?> does it B > solved goto C, not solved goto D... no solution yet? Or... how about a posting area where solutions to problems can be posted... IE: someone posts a problem they had, then someone posts a possible solution... then, if it was a REAL problem and was solved... it shows as solved... like at sourceforge when software problems arrise... and then it's solved... it's documented. There could be endless uses and multiple threads/levels of problem types... I would suggest some main sections...
1. getting started
2. Installing apps [not covered in manual?]
3. Known to be a Software problem [ IE: I installed X but I can't get it to launch...]
4. Known hardware [IE: my battery won't charge.
5. Unknown problems [IE: I can sync ]

What do you ppl think???

[Legodude522]

There is a Sharp Zaurus wiki maintained by the community. It is very usefull. Check it out here- http://www.oesf.org/index.php?title=Unofficial_Zaurus_FAQ

[dragonsgames]

Too bad! this would have been good! I would have voted for Blog... but still think a Wifi "type" sight would be way cool IF people posted how-tos and troublehooting tips in a tree, of logic format... IE: model > trouble > does it A?> does it B > solved goto C, not solved goto D... no solution yet? Or... how about a posting area where solutions to problems can be posted... IE: someone posts a problem they had, then someone posts a possible solution... then, if it was a REAL problem and was solved... it shows as solved... like at sourceforge when software problems arrise... and then it's solved... it's documented. There could be endless uses and multiple threads/levels of problem types... I would suggest some main sections...
1. getting started
2. Installing apps [not covered in manual?]
3. Known to be a Software problem [ IE: I installed X but I can't get it to launch...]
4. Known hardware [IE: my battery won't charge.
5. Unknown problems [IE: I can sync ]

What do you ppl think???
I like that idea :D