Comments on: Cranks and Operatives

By: FieldNotes: Notes on the Anthropology of British Columbia » The Challenge of Wikis in the Classroom

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 19:09:57 +0000

[...] Others blog about the challenges stemming from the democratic editing of wikis in general. Trackback· [...]

By: Rob Hyndman

Rob Hyndman — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 02:58:40 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Steve. I’ve never done it myself, but that’s how it struck me. And I guess the art of it is knowing just how much is right for that community.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:39:22 +0000

Rob,

I’m glad that you enjoyed my post over at NewAssignment.net. Steve Urquhart, who launched the wiki, was unsure how much he wanted to participate in the community. He didn’t want to control the conversations, and that is why he basically took a hands off approach at first. However, I agree with you that in for a wiki to work, referees need to ensure that such communities operate well.

By: Rob Hyndman

Rob Hyndman — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 21:34:19 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Steve. That’s certainly the way it looks from the outside.

By: Steven Hodson

Steven Hodson — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 20:44:14 +0000

As someone who has run everything from BBS echos to (currently) webforums I have never understood this idyllic perception that you can run something with involvment from potentially thousands of people and not have anyone providing direction.

This doesn’t mean that the direction or moderation has to be overt and heavy handed but to run a community without guidelines and someone to maintain those guidelines is lunacy.