WhatIsaWikiNode

What is a Wiki Node?

A WikiNode is a StandardPage that tells you about the job of the particular wiki you found the WikiNode on.

A WikiNode tells you:

• The decided subject for the wiki.

• What is OnTopic and what is OffTopic for the wiki.

• What neighbors the wiki has. ("Neighbors" are topically related wiki.)

• Where ideas go, when you're having a hard time deciding which wiki to put an idea on.

Take a peek at this wiki's WikiNode, and see if you can find answers to these questions:

• What is this wiki about?

• What's the topical boundary of this wiki?

• What wiki are considered "neighbors" to this wiki?

• What's the relationship between this wiki, and it's neighbors?

If you can answer those questions, the WikiNode has done it's work.

Diagram

Here's a diagram of three wiki:

• 

The thick lines between wiki represent their relationships, their "delegations."

The inner circle of each wiki represents content that is clearly OnTopic. The larger circles include marginally OnTopic content as well. Beyond the larger circle lies only OffTopic content that should not appear on the wiki.

As you can see, there is overlap between wiki. That is mostly unavoidable.

You can think of the WikiNode for a wiki as a page describing the lines connected to the wiki, and the circles around the wiki.

Why WikiNodes?

You need WikiNodes, or something like WikiNodes, if you want wiki to be organized with respect to it's neighbors.

Suppose that you wanted wiki to be organized, but for some reason, you didn't like the idea of WikiNodes. Here's what I think would happen.

First, people would argue about where ideas should go. Then, they would ask themselves, "Well, what's this wiki really all about?" After they came up with the answer, they would say, "Clearly, then, this idea belongs here, that idea belongs there, and this idea needs to be in both places, but slightly different in each."

Newcomers would come though, newcomers who don't know the decisions and distinctions between wiki. So the old timers will have to explain to them, "Ah, well, we agreed that this kind of thing goes over there, and that kind of thing goes over there."

After doing this a number of times, eventually people would think to write it all down, in one place. Newcomers would be systematically referred to that one place, and a lot of hassle would be saved.

Eventually, with the passing of aeons, the name of the page to look at, to discover what idea belongs on what wiki, would be codified into a standard page.

This is, essentially, what a WikiNode is. We'd just like to skip aeons of work.

Learn More

If you are interested in learning more, follow some of the key links listed at the top of this wiki's WikiNode.