(r6) WhyAWiki < Main

Main Web>Computing>WhyAWiki (revision 6) (raw view)~~EditAttach~~
---++!! The Whys and Hows of the %MAINWEB% Wiki

---+++ Why bother with a Wiki? It looks complicated.

A Wiki is a collaborative web environment.  You can read more about it in the [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/twiki/bin/view/TWiki/WelcomeGuest introductory]] pages and the %TWIKIWEB%.TWikiTutorial.

If you just need to work on your own web sites, a Wiki offers only a few advantages over [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/webguide/ the usual way]].  However, if you wish to have a group of people editing the same set of web pages, a Wiki is a good way to accomplish this.

---+++How do I get started?

To prevent abuse from the outside world, you _must_ [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/twiki/bin/view/TWiki/TWikiRegistration register]] before you can edit any of the pages on this site.  The boiler-plate descriptions on some of the %TWIKIWEB% and %MAINWEB% pages may seem to state otherwise, but that is how the access configuration has been set up.

When you register, WilliamSeligman will get an e-mail message.  I'll add you to the one of the %MAINWEB%.TWikiGroups you indicated on the registration form; if you're a member of more than one group, mention that in the "comments" section of the [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/twiki/bin/view/TWiki/TWikiRegistration registration form]] and I'll add you to those extra groups.

At that point, you'll be able to edit pages on the %MAINWEB% site, and the pages on your group's separate web pages (the ones you see listed on the sidebar on the left).

---+++ Some things to keep in mind.

   * No, a Wiki is not all that easy to use, despite what the boiler-plate %TWIKIWEB% pages might say.  It takes a while to get used to it.

   * You can mark up text using %TWIKIWEB%.TWikiShorthand, but that will only take you so far.  Sooner or later, you'll have to learn HTML to get the most of your web pages.

   * Having problems using the main WYSIWYG editor? So do I. I never use it; I use the "Raw" editor instead. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Raw Edit" link.

   * All of the Wiki web pages are stored on our web server, not in your home directory (as it would be on a [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/webguide/ personal web site]]).  All of [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/ Nevis]] shares about 80GB of space on the web server's disk.  Please remember that before uploading all your data to the Wiki; you might want to post a web link instead.

   * Please, please, *please* read the [[http://www.nevis.columbia.edu/twiki/bin/view/TWiki/WebHome#ReferenceManual documentation]] before you ask WilliamSeligman technical questions about Wiki.  I don't know much more about Wikis than you do.  If you ask me a question, I'll probably just consult the manual myself.

-- %MAINWEB%.WilliamSeligman - 28 Jul 2005
Topic revision: r6 - 2010-01-05 - WilliamSeligman
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