MR wiki
Thread started by
Roadblock at 09.2.10 - 11:07 pm
Sooooo I've been thinking I know this idea has been floated around but it's about time... we really need a sort of "how to" knowledgebase for Ridazz to learn from and add to in regards to things like what to do when you get hit, how to deal with crooks attacking, how to lead a good ride....
I'm going to install a wiki and I'm hoping some of you Ridazz who know how to write, perhaps sgt Krumer to help with tips on traffic tickets calling 911 that sort of thing....
Does anyone have recomendations for wiki software?
Does anyone want to help set it up or edit?
I think it would really help people organize and protect themselves...
reply
wait so you are making a Midnight Ridazz Wikipedia? SWEET!!
palucha6609.2.10 - 11:12 pm
reply
this is a super idea.
hmmm i have a feeling it will include how to for html. Also it will include something about the repost and grammar police.
mechazawa09.2.10 - 11:15 pm
reply
Nope. No forum rules. To me It's not about imposing rules of any kind. I want it to be a tips and tricks kind of knowledgebase. How to make spokecards. How to lead a group ride... In fact I'm going to do a section specifically on traffic skills tips and tricks. It's not going to be connected to our accounts. So not everyone will get to edit it. There won't be any silly jokes on there. Think of it as a survival guide to the LA bike scene....
Roadblock responding to a
comment by mechazawa
09.2.10 - 11:33 pm
reply
Hahah yeah it should have an HTML how to. That is a good idea.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by mechazawa
09.2.10 - 11:34 pm
reply
it being a serious informative site is a great idea. it would be nice to point people to the wiki for information. instead of doing searches and reading long posts to get to the info needed.
mechazawa responding to a
comment by Roadblock
09.2.10 - 11:55 pm
reply
I use
PmWiki for my website. It definitely doesn't have a lot of the blog-type features of Wordpress or anything, but as far as a basic wiki, it is pretty solid and definitely easy to use. Also very customizable, both in terms design and functionality. Can't really speak to how easy it is to install or anything, though, because my brother did that all for me.
Anyway, check it out. And if you have any questions, I might be able to answer them.
theroyalacademy responding to a
comment by Roadblock
09.2.10 - 11:58 pm
reply
I'm not great with computer stuff (as in setting up wiki software, etc), but I would love to help with the writing/editing part. I think this is a fantastic idea and would be more than happy to donate whatever time necessary...
sinaphile09.3.10 - 12:48 am
reply
I had a similar idea once. I thought a wiki that provided information on LA County bike paths/bike routes/streets (i.e. safety/security, road and traffic conditions, points of interest, police attitude to cyclists in the area, etc.) might be really useful for new cyclists and could serve as a good starting point for further discussions on cycling infrastructure in the county but I figured there wouldn't be enough interest in it to sustain it.
Re: wiki software, MediaWiki is what Wikipedia uses. It's free, open-source, has a ton customizable options and anyone who has ever edited Wikipedia knows how to use it. With that being said, I have no idea what the installation/implementation/management of it is like.
Hallucin809.3.10 - 4:31 am
reply
Great idea rb. I love wikis.
Foldie09.3.10 - 8:08 am
reply
RAD!
So many possibilities.
I'd like to get started on sortof a "how to" for the All City Toy Ride and mega rides in general.
I'd also love to see some how to / resources on diy infra-structure
trickmilla09.3.10 - 8:39 am
reply
I'm really liking the idea of an infrastructure page on the wiki. Having a map or something to document street properties - slope, road surface quality, general traffic conditions over the course of the day, etc. - would be really useful. I don't know if a map wiki is feasible, though. All the existing tools for collaborative mapping pretty much suck balls, making widespread user participation unlikely.
I'd also be glad to start working on a catalog of historic route maps from all the 2nd Friday rides. Some of them are probably lost to history, but it'd be neat to at least
try to get them all collected in one place.
nathansnider responding to a
comment by Hallucin8
09.3.10 - 10:59 am
reply
What happened to the ibikeu wiki!?!? Just tried to look for it and it's now an ad space :(
Rest in peace.
imachynna responding to a
comment by Roadblock
09.3.10 - 11:05 am
reply
The "problem" with ibikeu was that most of the contributors were just interested in posting bike scene in-jokes and other self-congratulatory crap. It was occasionally funny, but it was rarely useful.
I think that once all the jokes were made, there wasn't much left to add, so it languished in inactivity and got abandoned.
This project has a bit more potential, I think. Er... I hope. Like any collaborative project, it'll only be as good as it's contributors are willing to make it.
nathansnider responding to a
comment by imachynna
09.3.10 - 11:32 am
reply
Nice summary Nathan. Way off base but enjoy your version of history I guess.
Alex Thompson responding to a
comment by nathansnider
09.3.10 - 11:37 am
reply
I think it was very significant in how IBIKEU had documented in detail who Rev. Joe Borfo had urinated on during various rides.
This is the kind of info we need to make this city great.
Joe Borfo responding to a
comment by nathansnider
09.3.10 - 11:37 am
reply
One of the victims of borfo uriation -
Joe Borfo09.3.10 - 11:42 am
reply
Hey, it was your project, wasn't it? Would you like to explain why it faded away?
If you're saying that my speculation on the reasons for it's disappearance are wrong, then clearly you have the authority there. If you're saying that ibikeu
wasn't mostly composed of LA bike scene in-jokes, then I call bullshit.
nathansnider responding to a
comment by Alex Thompson
09.3.10 - 11:44 am
reply
Nice passive agressiveness Alex. Way unnecessary but enjoy the way you will come off to people I guess.
superblueman3 responding to a
comment by Alex Thompson
09.3.10 - 11:55 am
reply
You slam a project I worked hard on as pure inside jokes and now you want me to perform an autopsy for your benefit?
Alex Thompson responding to a
comment by nathansnider
09.3.10 - 11:59 am
reply
YES!
Nathan I would love to work with you on this!
I'll be surveying wiki this weekend and see what kind of software works best. I want this to be a serious endeavor. no jokes, no bike scene gossip, no trolls, we can save that for the forums...
Roadblock responding to a
comment by nathansnider
09.3.10 - 12:12 pm
reply
I'm really not trying to antagonize you here, in spite of what you apparently think. Since I took the time to look up some of the history just now, I realized that there were larger forces in play. That is to say:
Ibikeu was a wiki site created by ridazz, for ridazz. Users of the wiki submitted material for a wide range of topics, such as MR trips, bike advocacy, bike culture and even personal pages. The site had has the potential to be a great, and fun, tool for the cycling community at large. Popularity of the site peaked with only a handful of users creating/supplementing/refining topics. We have tried numerous times in vain to boost the awareness of the resource. Now, since it is so seldom used, and hackbots have begun flooding the wiki with false-page advertisements, the upkeep is overcoming the usefulness. There are some awesome pages on the site, to include numerous "easter eggs". It's worth, at the very least, perusing.
SPOOK
responding to a comment by vigilAnthony
08.3.09 - 11:41 pm
So you have my apologies for any inaccuracy. I know that it wasn't
all in-jokes, and I understand that you worked hard on it and that you intended it to be something very different than what it became. I still think that the reason that it didn't get taken more seriously by the broader community was that the culture at that time was more interested in patting its own back than in building a useful reference. It was very Ridazz-centric and a lot of the material was just aimed at reinforcing that.
When a community falls into the trap of believing its own overblown hype (which was a pattern very much in evidence during that time), it comes off as either snobby, ridiculous or just incomprehensible to those who are not part of the in-group. And perhaps worse, those who are part of the in-group latch onto the project as yet another means of perpetuating their in-jokes and are not interested in making a "serious" project for the world at large. I would bet (though I'm sure that you'll hastily correct me if I'm wrong) that there were more people reading the list of Joe Borfo's urination victims that there were reading about the 4th St. Bicycle Boulevard.
That's the pattern that I'm talking about here. It has nothing to do with your work or intentions and everything to do with the group dynamics of an insular culture, which will inevitably screw over anyone who has a vision that requires people to redirect their attentions from their own navels. The scene is dead. Long live the scene.
nathansnider responding to a
comment by Alex Thompson
09.3.10 - 12:22 pm
reply
now that we have all that cleared up, I sincerely hope that both you and AT are interested in taking this project seriously and post some useful "tips and tricks" for things like scouting rides, traffic awareness and skills, infrastructure and mapping... definitely want to provide something that is free of jokes and inside jokes and gossip which I agree can be the downfall of something like this but we'll try and see if we can make it work.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by nathansnider
09.3.10 - 12:38 pm
reply
RB...how about activating the "ARTICLES" section on the website once a few are in? I can admin it like I do on the Ridazz Spotlight section. This could at least be a good starting point to motivate people to contribute. If you do it now, there are a few in there that were uploaded i'm guessing as a test run but never activated.....People will get an idea of how it will look.
barleye responding to a
comment by Roadblock
09.3.10 - 2:30 pm
reply
I'm going to attempt to have the wiki embedded into the framework of this site..... wish me luck.... if that doesn't happen then yes we can do it through the articles tool already built in, but that tool has some good things and a lot of primitive things about it that a wiki would do better at.....
Roadblock responding to a
comment by barleye
09.3.10 - 4:23 pm
reply
http://code.google.com/p/django-wikiapp/
aaron09.3.10 - 4:57 pm
reply
-->
Ridazz Roulette!
