book

Wikis For Dummies®

by Ward Cunningham - Inventor of wikis, Peter Thoeny, Dan Woods

July 2007

Beginner

336 pages

7h 27m

English

Wiley

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Dedication
Foreword by Ward Cunningham
About This BookFoolish AssumptionsConventions Used in This BookWhat You Don’t Have to ReadHow This Book Is OrganizedPart I: Introducing WikisPart II: Making Your Own WikiPart III: Promoting, Managing, and Improving Your WikiPart IV: The Part of TensIcons Used in This BookWhere to Go from Here
Finding Your Way to WikisWhat makes a wiki a wikiComparing wikis and other communication toolsThe (almost) formal definition of a wikiYou, Too, Can WikiStarting your wiki enginesCreating your first wiki pagePutting Wikis to WorkWho are wiki people?The lifecycle of wiki peopleHerding a small group with wikisWide-body wikis for your companyGoing public with your wikiThe History and Future of WikisHyperCard and other wiki precursorsWard’s challengeWard’s solutionThe not-so-overnight success of wikisWikis lurk in the realm of the engineersWikis grow beyond engineeringWikis go commercialHosted wikis open the door to everyoneWhere wikis will goWikis become your desktop, your Web site, your intranetWikis will invade other applicationsWikis will disappear
Basic Wiki SkillsNavigating wiki websExploring the structure of a basic wiki pageWalking through websFinding your way around: Links are on the left, LukeJumping around in websFollowing a trail of bread crumbsSearching a wikiEditing and creating wiki pagesEditing textUsing WYSIWYG editingLinking wiki pagesLess is more: Creating a linkMore is more: Creating a new pageIdentifying page parentsFinding lost pagesAttaching Documents to Wiki PagesPrinting Wiki PagesTracking Versions and ChangesHow versions keep wikis safeTracking changes in a Wiki
The Many Categories of WikisContent-Focused Wikis: The Goldmine of Shared ContentDoing research with reference wikisWiktionaryWikiquoteBibleWikiBaseball Reference BullpenCosmeticsWikiSharpening skills with hobbyist wikisPokerWikiCookbookWikiThe Encyclopedia GamiaGoing around the world with travel wikisFinding technical documentation wikisSAP Enterprise Services wikiClaroline Development wikiSugarCRM Support and Development wikisProcess-Focused Wikis: A Shared Space for a Shared MissionManaging projects and productivity with wikisGetting the job done with task-oriented wikiseBay WikiIntellipediaGanfydTaxAlmanacWikiWikiWebWikinewsMaking it happen with advocacy wikisProject BackpackEvoWikiSourceWatchCAISI (Client Access to Integrated Service and Information)WikocracyFinding educational wikis for students and teachersCommunity Wikis: Exploring Common BondsGoofing off with entertainment wikisHanging around at clubhouse wikisGetting nerdy with technology wikisEase-of-Use Wikis: Web Site Creation Made EasyCreating small business brochure wikisMaking connections with personal and family wikisHunting for More Wikis

Understanding How Wikipedia WorksRun by volunteersEditing Wikipedia entriesDressing up your Wikipedia entriesPreviewing and saving your changesLinking pages and Web sites in WikipediaWhat Wikipedia Can Do For YouUsing Wikipedia as a research toolIs Wikipedia reliable?Sharing your knowledge on Wikipedia
Choosing the Right Hosted WikiExploring hosted wikisEase-of-use wikisCommunity wikisProcess-focused wikisContent-focused wikisCreating a Hosted Wiki with WikiSpacesCreating pagesEditing pagesLinking pagesProtecting pages and wikisInviting others to your wikiChanging the look, feel, and design of a wikiAdding images, video, and other widgets to a wikiAdding premium services and advertising
Applying Markup as Content MakeupEditing Pages with Wiki MarkupCreating hierarchy with headingsInserting bulletsBuilding tablesFormatting textControlling Layout and Formatting with HTMLChoosing Wiki Page ModesUsing document modeImplementing thread mode pagesUsing structured mode
Linking Wiki PagesLinking WikiWords automaticallyPreventing false WikiWord linksFree linkingCreating pages using linksGiving life to stubsViewing all links to a pageRenaming all links in a webLinking Outside Your WikiLinking URLsLinking between wikis using Interwiki namesLinking to other webs and namespacesLinking to Files, Images, and MultimediaUploading attachmentsLinking to file attachmentsInserting imagesLinking to multimediaCategorizing and Tagging PagesUsing MediaWiki categoriesTagging content
Architecting the Information in Your WikiUnderstanding wiki taxonomySurveying common wiki taxonomiesLinking in patternsWhat’s in a page name?Plotting Navigational Paths through Your WikiDesigning the front pageDesigning section pagesCategorizing pagesPlanning headers, footers, and left-hand navigationUsing left-hand navigationCreating effective headersPlanning footersAdding supporting pages to your wikiUsing Templates to Design Content PagesAdding Visual Panache to Your WikiUsing themes and skinsChoosing colorPersonalizing wikis with logos
Wiki Don’tsDon’t confuse your audienceDon’t fire and forgetDon’t spamDon’t get the Field of Dreams syndromeDon’t overdesignDon’t overmanageDon’t go on wiki suicide missionsWiki Do’sSeed your wikiRemove barriersEncourage wiki-users to be boldStarting a Community WikiFocus the wikiAdvertise the wikiAssist the wikiPromoting Wikis in the OfficeLiving with Wiki Life CyclesDeploying the wikiGrowing your wikiTaming large wikisEnding a wiki’s life
Evaluating Basic Wiki GroupsAssessing Your Wiki RequirementsThe skill level of the user populationThe number of people who will add contentThe number of people who will view the contentThe wiki’s security levelThe wiki’s potential sizeWhether you need automationYour technical expertise levelYour willingness to become a wiki championComparing Wiki EnginesMaking the safe choiceExploring the WikiMatrixThe WikiMatrix home pageThe WikiMatrix Wiki Choice WizardThe WikiMatrix features listGoing on a Wiki WalkaboutPoints to ponder on your wiki walkaboutXWiki walkaboutMoinMoin walkaboutTWiki walkaboutMediaWiki walkaboutDokuWiki walkabout
Finding a Home for Your WikiHosting on a shared or dedicated serverHosting inside your organizationContracting all-in-one hosting and consultingFinding an Internet MechanicStarting Your Wiki EngineMeeting system requirementsFinding installation helpDownloading and unpacking binariesConnecting to the Web serverRunning the configure script
Wiki Maintenance: Pruning, Training, and Making ChangesDeciding what to cut and what to keepTraining your troopsRolling back changesAvoiding wiki spamRefactoring your wikiGrinding through Routine Administrative TasksDaily tasksWeekly tasksMonthly tasksYearly tasks
Evaluating Threats to Your WikiVandalismPassionEnthusiasmMistakesSystem failureRunning Your Own Change PatrolRolling back changesTracking recent changesControlling Editing AccessPreparing for DisasterBacking up your wikiFinding a new home for your wiki
Reviewing Structured Wiki BasicsTo structure or not: That is the questionUsing wiki variablesPerforming functions with variablesSome favorites from the wiki variables vaultSearching Your WikiTemplating Your WikiCreating a base topicCreating a basic templateMaking new pages from templatesFinding pages created from a templateSimplifying page creationAdding Forms to Your WikiCreating a database home pageDefining a formEnabling a formCreating a template topicAdding a form to the template topicBuilding an HTML form for topic creationBuilding a formatted topic listImproving the topic listAdding Wiki Plug-InsCommentPluginSpreadSheetPluginEditTablePluginInterwikiPluginTWikiDrawPluginFinding more plug-ins
Shared AuthorshipEasier Is BetterThrow It Up ThereUnfinished Is OkayBold Is BeautifulSet an ExampleLet It HappenStructure Can WaitWe Don’t Need No Stinkin’ RulesFollow the Community
Reader/ResearcherContributorEvangelistEditorial Quality MavenAdministratorOperations and Hosting EngineerWiki Engine DeveloperPolicy and Process ContributorCriticChampion/Founder
Shared RepositoryReducing “To All” E-MailSimple DatabasesKnowledge ManagementTrainingIntranetWeb PublishingUser DocumentationShared SpreadsheetsProject Management
TiddlyWikiwetpaintCentral DesktopStikiPadwikiCalcWikiTreeWikiTimeScaleSwickiKwikiFlexWiki
Wiki MarkupWiki LinkingWiki Management TasksWiki Design TipsRoutine Management Checklist

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