Integration of mailing lists
This is a Feature Request, but I think it opens so broad horizons that I chose to publish it here.
It all comes from my experience with my users. At a statistically significant level, they are all UNABLE to use the wiki from scratch. Even those who can publish articles. On the other hand, they are all ABLE to use mail in mailing lists, even those who are of the level of not understanding that other mail software exists.
When I mean they are unable to use the wiki, I mean I have to show them, sitting next to them. Several times. That means the building of a local community website is very slow, because I don't have the time to teach everyday. That also means the building of a distant community (in various towns) is impossible.
However, those people who are unable to use the wiki without help are not morons. They can be surgeons, architects, town-planners, lawyers, economists, members of parliaments, scientists, etc. They all have interesting things to write about the topic of the website. They are all experts about the CONTENT.
Therefore what I discovered is that I have to register them to a discussion list at the same time as I register them to the website. That mailing list serves several purposes:
- giving practical tips to those who can't use the website
- distributing to several the knowledge you write for the first who asks
- agreeing on strategies for the publication of content
- reminding of the existence of the site in their mailbox for people who forget to visit it by browser
Hence the purpose of this message is to suggest some automation of the creation of mailing lists in Tikiwiki.
I see two degrees.
1) Admin can click on a button: "Create mailing list for this group". No comment needed here I think.
2) Admin has an alternative to the present "Comment into forum feature", which is a "Comment into mailing list" feature. That would mean the decision to comment a wiki page automatically triggers the creation of a dedicated mailing list. In this manner all those who want to (or are allowed to) participate in the publication of one wiki page automatically form a sort of Group.
Although this feature is originally planned for helping Newbies on the learning curve, you may also detect that it serves some principles of a more advanced nature:
- Separation of Content and Container. If the written content is truely fit for XML generation Internet, it must be editable in mail before it is in tikiwiki. And it is a good method for users to identify content in two various containers.
- Separation of Data and Metadata in the wiki. What I mean by "Data here is the content, the text developing the topic of the page, and what I mean by "Metadata" is the discussion about how the page should be written. In many cases it will be a good choice to have a simple page published on the website, and to have the discussion amongst authors hidden from the visitors.
Then of course the integration of mailing lists with tiki opens a new universe of settings, permissions, mixes, adaptations...
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