Hi folks, I suspect there is some protocol or system for collecting and indexing PriusChat technical articles but I'm not having a lot of success figuring it out. For example, the throttle plate cleaning instructions will become more important when the cold weather returns. Also Galexy's fuel tank disassembly is another important article. But near as I can tell, absent recent comment, they just 'age' and disappear into the archives. What is the protocol for submitting a technical posting that has a chance of being indexed and readily available to folks with similar problems in the future? Thanks, Bob Wilson
That's a good question. Ideally they'd be written up, submitted to Danny and posted up in the Knowledge base. Unfortunately the knowledge base has fallen into disrepair, shall we say, and hasn't been kept up at all. Perhaps a minor campaign to encourage Danny to resurrect it is, indeed, in order. Old articles need some refreshment, new articles need posting. My suggestion last week for a member built FAQ hasn't gone far...Galaxee submitted the first few numbers, but no one else has taken up the baton.
This seems like to pretty good application for adding a Wiki to the site. Once installed, "article maintenance" would not be a demand on Danny's time. Phil
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Aug 27 2007, 01:57 PM) [snapback]502823[/snapback]</div> Owch! I missed that one. I've been maintaining a FAQ over in GreenHybrid and had entertained trying to Wiki it. I know original content is important but so too is collaboration on what we know. So I'm still stuck trying to figure out how to 'do the right thing.' Bob Wilson
Those articles don't disappear; in the absence of deliberate h4x0r vandalism, everything from day 1 of priuschat is still in there. I've got plenty of priuschat threads referenced directly out of various webpages and as far as I know they're all still there. . But the "grand FAQ" has always been notably missing. A couple of people have made stabs at it, but always seem to run out of energy before really pulling it all together. What is "it all", too? There's a lot of info out there and one person's set of important point is not necessarily someone else's. . Oh, and don't even bother thinking about wiki-anything. Without the ability to lock content, you're in for nothing but full-time frustration trying to maintain such a document somewhere that anyone can write to. I applaud what people are trying to do with wiki entries but the one huge missing piece is the obvious security nightmare. Why they never have a means for a group of maintainers to agree "okay, this is done for now" and lock out changes, I can't imagine. Instead, they bandaid "page checkers" around it and hope and continually have to fight off vandals and spammers. That's hardly the way to run an information resource. . _H*
I've actually been working on a wiki for the site, and this is exactly what I have in mind for it. I'll keep everyone updated as I launch it, and then we can start moving that information into the system. The wiki will give us more flexibility in the future, as well. Hopefully I'll get that up in September.
